

Buy and Build
Paul Quirk
Buy and Build is a weekly podcast that explores the nuances of buying and building small businesses, with a focus on the UK and Europe. If you are interested in small business acquisition or investing, then this show is for you! We will dissect the strategies and insights of small business owners, investors, and other deal professionals that we meet along our journeys to acquire and invest in our own profitable small businesses.
Episodes
Mentioned books

5 snips
Oct 31, 2022 • 35min
Ep 52: From Valuation to Closing to Post Acquisition Integration- A Full Service M&A Specialist (Julie Wilkinson)
This week, we speak with Julie Wilkinson - a Chartered Accountant, Virtual CFO, and M&A specialist helping ambitious business owners buy and grow SMEs. In this episode, we cover deal valuation and structuring, financial and operation due diligence, building a group and the nuances of group reporting and cash flow. If you are looking to buy multiple businesses- this is a great episode to listen to.

39 snips
Oct 17, 2022 • 51min
Ep 51: How to Scale Businesses that Blackstone would Acquire [Nick Bradley: Investor, and Scale Up and Exit Specialist]
This week, we speak with Nick Bradley. Nick is an experienced entrepreneur, CEO, and investor in SMEs. Nick now partners with business owners to scale and eventually exit their businesses. Nick helped grow Getty Images via acquisition around 2008-2010 and more recently helped scale Ascend Learning to an eventual sale to Blackstone PE. Nick also hosts Scale Up With Nick Bradley, which is one of the top-ranking business podcasts in the UK. In this episode, Nick shares some fascinating stories on how he scaled and exited some fantastic businesses [including a couple of $Bn exits to PE], how he would partner with PE as an operational turnaround expert, his thoughts on SME acquisitions in both the UK and the US, and how he partners with businesses of different sizes to scale and exit. Enjoy this excellent episode!

13 snips
Sep 26, 2022 • 39min
Ep 50: What Does It Take To Be The Fastest Growing Company In Your Sector? [Logan Naidu, Founder and CEO: Kernel Group]
This week, we speak with Logan Naidu, Founder, and Group CEO - of Kernel Global and Dartmouth Partners. Dartmouth has been listed by The Sunday Times as one of the UK's fastest-growing firms in 2022 and recognized by Fast50 as the fastest-growing company in its industry. In this episode, Logan shares why he left the world of finance to start his own recruitment company, his experience acquiring Pure Partners, and partnering with private equity to continue his ambitious growth plans. Enjoy the episode!

38 snips
Sep 20, 2022 • 57min
Ep 49: I Acquired a Fantastic Business, But It Was a Challenge
This week, Paul is excited to announce the acquisition of his first business. A fantastic company in the home improvement sector, in the UK. During the episode, Paul discusses why he decided to look into the home improvement sector and why he is excited about this particular company. Paul also recaps his search journey and the challenges he encountered along the way. Enjoy!

11 snips
Sep 5, 2022 • 51min
Ep 48: Tax Efficient Strategies for M&A and Employee Incentive Schemes with Sarah Gardner [Founder: Allegro Tax]
This week, we speak with Sarah Gardner, Founder and Managing Director of Allegro Tax - a specialist tax advisory firm. In this Episode, Sarah begins by discussing the advantages and disadvantages of buying a target company through an SPV as opposed to doing so personally, how to benefit from entrepreneurs' relief, the tax efficient options available for incentivising employees, tactics for minimizing capital gains tax when acquiring a business and much more. Enjoy the episode!

16 snips
Aug 29, 2022 • 38min
Ep 47: Investing in Irish and UK Companies with EV>$5M - Mark Flood (Renatus Capital Partners)
This week, we speak with Mark Flood, co-founder and director of Renatus Capital Partners, a private equity firm based in Ireland that makes investments in Irish and UK companies with enterprise values of €5 million and above. In this episode, Mark shares his journey leading up to the launch of Renatus, the ins and outs of raising a fund, what they look for in their portfolio companies, how they hire and attract the right people, and more about the Irish private equity ecosystem. Enjoy the episode!

14 snips
Aug 15, 2022 • 43min
Ep 46: Building an Integrated Healthcare Group [7 acquisitions, 2 exits] - Ross Tomkins [Alphagenix, Normedica]
This week, we speak with Ross Tomkins, an entrepreneur, investor, author, and mens health advocate. Ross is also the founder of TDH Capital, an integrated healthcare group with 4 verticals: medical supplies, home care services, healthcare recruitment, and mens hormonal healthcare. In this episode, Ross describes how his acquisition journey began after running his physiotherapy business for many years, how he sourced and structured 7 acquisitions since Covid [and 2 exits], and how he thinks about partnerships and management within his businesses so that he can focus on building the group. We also get into the importance of men's hormonal health, why equity is so much more expensive then debt, and how Ross is helping others on their M&A journey. Enjoy the episode!

22 snips
Aug 1, 2022 • 54min
Ep 45: How to Drive Value Creation in PE-backed Companies - Dan Cremons [Accelera Partners]
This week, we speak with Dan Cremons, a former private equity investor and CEO; and now founder of Accelera Partners and Author of Winning Moves: 105 Proven Ways to Create Value in PE-Backed Companies. In this episode, Dan discusses how leadership, talent, and capabilities drive performance of PE-backed companies. We discuss how to ensure the right talent is in place for a target acquisition, how to recruit and incentivise high performers, and so much more. Enjoy the episode and be sure to check out Dan's new book!

19 snips
Jul 18, 2022 • 37min
Ep 44: How Will Inflation Impact SMEs and Acquisitions? Sara Yates [Novastone Capital Advisors]
This week, we speak with Sara Yates, CFA. Sara is an experienced economist (Ex JPMorgan, Barclays, UBS), property entrepreneur, and ambassador for the Novastone Capital Advisors Entrepreneurship Through Acquisition program. In this timely episode, Sara shares her thoughts on the current macro environment. We cover inflation, interest rates, supply constraints, and Brexit; and the impact it may have on small businesses and the economy in general. We also discuss the NCA ETA offering and opportunities for prospective searchers. NCA is supporting searchers throughout the globe. Check out their LinkedIn and Website to learn more and apply. Enjoy the episode!

18 snips
Jul 11, 2022 • 56min
Ep 43: Asset-Backed Loan Options for Acquisition Financing - Paul Leitao [Founder: Mercurio Capital]
This week, we speak with Paul Leitao, Founder of Mercurio Capital - a corporate finance company that arranges financing for small and medium-sized businesses. In this episode, Paul discusses the alternatives to cash flow loans for acquisition financing, the best types of physical assets to leverage against [and the worst], the intricacies of leveraging the debtor book, and much more. Enjoy the episode!