

The SMB Deal Hunter Podcast
Helen Guo
Every week, Helen Guo interviews successful acquisition entrepreneurs, independent sponsors, and investors who have acquired businesses. Learn how to buy a business rather than starting one from scratch from those who have done it themselves.
Episodes
Mentioned books

Jan 29, 2025 • 1h 7min
Ex-Amazon Tech Employee Acquires 35-Year-Old Wholesale Hat Company
Join me as I interview Eric Bauer, an acquisition entrepreneur who acquired a 35-year-old wholesale hat company, Turner Hat Company.Previously, Eric worked for Amazon in retail, logistics, and grocery roles for 10 years._______________________________👉 Sign Up For Free to the SMB Deal Hunter Newsletter: https://join.smbdealhunter.xyz🤝 Work With Me to Help You Find, Finance, and Acquire a Business in 6-12 Months: https://pro.smbdealhunter.xyz

Jan 23, 2025 • 54min
Ex-Tech Employee Acquires 7 Businesses (Primarily In Construction) And Grows Them 5x
Join me as I interview Chandra Rao, an entrepreneur previously working in tech who has done 7 acquisitions primarily in the construction space.Chandra's acquisitions span electrical contractors to underground construction and fiber splicing companies.Impressively, Chandra’s companies have achieved a combined 5x growth rate in just a few years._______________________________👉 Sign Up For Free to the SMB Deal Hunter Newsletter: https://join.smbdealhunter.xyz🤝 Work With Me to Help You Find, Finance, and Acquire a Business in 6-12 Months: https://pro.smbdealhunter.xyz

Jan 15, 2025 • 50min
Ex-Government Employee Acquires Multiple E-Commerce Businesses In A Gray Market
Join me as I interview Sam Stolt, an entrepreneur who has acquired multiple e-Commerce businesses selling research compounds and peptides.He now owns 4 brands in the space with 2200 affiliates that generated over $175K last month alone. But it hasn’t been an easy journey. Because of the limitations Sam faces in this somewhat gray space, he has learned to be creative with how to market and sell his products. Previously, Sam got a CFA and was working for the government doing finance and accounting._______________________________👉 Sign Up For Free to the SMB Deal Hunter Newsletter: https://join.smbdealhunter.xyz🤝 Work With Me to Help You Find, Finance, and Acquire a Business in 6-12 Months: https://pro.smbdealhunter.xyz

Jan 9, 2025 • 57min
Ex-Consultant Acquires Outsourced Sales Organization Selling $100K/Day in Dog Training Alone
Join me as I interview Garth Fasano, an entrepreneur who acquired an outsourced sales organization in the Fall of 2022.Garth’s company Raynmaker originally found a niche in dog training (selling a jaw-dropping $100K worth of dog training a day!) and has since expanded to other SMB verticals such as home cleaning and pest control.Previously, Garth got his MBA and went down the traditional consulting career path where he worked for firms like BCG and Deloitte._______________________________👉 Sign Up For Free to the SMB Deal Hunter Newsletter: https://join.smbdealhunter.xyz🤝 Work With Me to Help You Find, Finance, and Acquire a Business in 6-12 Months: https://pro.smbdealhunter.xyz

Jan 1, 2025 • 55min
How This Entrepreneur Is Rolling Up Language Services Businesses (Journey from $700K to $20M/Year)
Join me as I interview Jordan Evans, an entrepreneur who is rolling up language services businesses.Jordan has made 5 acquisitions since 2018 (with more to come) and his company is now on a $20M/year revenue run-rate.Previously, Jordan worked for early-stage startups while trying to build side hustles in e-Commerce and SaaS without success._______________________________👉 Sign Up For Free to the SMB Deal Hunter Newsletter: https://join.smbdealhunter.xyz🤝 Work With Me to Help You Find, Finance, and Acquire a Business in 6-12 Months: https://pro.smbdealhunter.xyz

Dec 25, 2024 • 1h 9min
How This Entrepreneur Failed At A Turnaround Acquisition And What He Learned Through The Experience
Join me as I interview Dustin Fusillo, an entrepreneur who acquired a turnaround mechanical company focused on ATM parts and services.Unfortunately, Dustin wasn’t able to turn around the business, but he did find a soft landing and is now running a larger operation under Grant Victor as General Manager for NextATM, which is an ATM machine, service, and solutions provider. Dustin shares with us his honest and resilient story of how he navigated through the challenges of buying and operating a turnaround business and what he could’ve done differently. _______________________________👉 Sign Up For Free to the SMB Deal Hunter Newsletter: https://join.smbdealhunter.xyz🤝 Work With Me to Help You Find, Finance, and Acquire a Business in 6-12 Months: https://pro.smbdealhunter.xyz

Dec 19, 2024 • 58min
How This Entrepreneur Acquired A Business That Went Bankrupt, And What He'd Do Differently Next Time
Join me as I interview Justin Willess, a former mechanical engineer who acquired a construction business, Iron Pony, in 2022.Unfortunately, after growing the business dramatically from $12M to $18M in one year, Justin had to shut the business down in September of 2023.Justin was generous enough to share with us his honest story of what exactly went wrong (and what he could’ve done differently) so we can all learn from his mistakes._______________________________👉 Sign Up For Free to the SMB Deal Hunter Newsletter: https://join.smbdealhunter.xyz🤝 Work With Me to Help You Find, Finance, and Acquire a Business in 6-12 Months: https://pro.smbdealhunter.xyz

Dec 12, 2024 • 53min
How This Former Fintech Executive Acquired A Commercial Plumbing Business And DOUBLED It In 6 Months
Join me as I interview Chad Anselmo, a former FinTech executive who acquired Texas-based commercial plumbing business, MJ Mechanical.Within the first 6 months of taking over, Chad nearly DOUBLED the business.Previously, Chad spent 15 years in FinTech in CFO, CEO, and Founder roles and has several exits under his belt._______________________________👉 Sign Up For Free to the SMB Deal Hunter Newsletter: https://join.smbdealhunter.xyz🤝 Work With Me to Help You Find, Finance, and Acquire a Business in 6-12 Months: https://pro.smbdealhunter.xyz

Dec 5, 2024 • 47min
How This Independent Sponsor Left The Corporate World To Acquire 8 Businesses In 8 Years
Join me as I interview Nick McLean, an independent sponsor who left the corporate world to acquire 8 businesses in 8 years through his company Four Pillars Investors.His current portfolio includes a steel fabrication business, a high-pressure aluminum die casting company, a sheet metal business, and a machining facility._______________________________👉 Sign Up For Free to the SMB Deal Hunter Newsletter: https://join.smbdealhunter.xyz🤝 Work With Me to Help You Find, Finance, and Acquire a Business in 6-12 Months: https://pro.smbdealhunter.xyz

Nov 28, 2024 • 56min
How This Former English Teacher Acquired 40 Online Businesses In The Past Decade
Join me as I interview Dominic Wells, the CEO of Onfolio, a publicly traded portfolio of around 20 internet businesses ($ONFO).Dom went from making $1-$2K/month teaching English in Taiwan 10 years ago to acquiring about 40 online businesses over the past decade._______________________________👉 Sign Up For Free to the SMB Deal Hunter Newsletter: https://join.smbdealhunter.xyz🤝 Work With Me to Help You Find, Finance, and Acquire a Business in 6-12 Months: https://pro.smbdealhunter.xyz


