Acquiring Minds

Don Grigg reflects on the different outcomes for 2 businesses he bought in his 30s, one of which became his life's work.
Register for the webinar: 
Red Flags That Kill or Reshape Deals - Feb 19th - https://bit.ly/468vw6W
Topics in Don’s interview:
Discovering his passion for manufacturing
Searching for “small, broken companies” to acquire
Closing on 2 businesses within 6 months
How plastics recycling works
Scaling his plastics recycling business
Private equity is a poor fit for small business 
Exiting his business felt like losing family
His son and daughter’s acquisition
Value of family businesses
Entrepreneurship through acquisition as your life’s work
References and how to contact Don:
LinkedIn
Native Watercraft
Bonafide Kayaks 
Enough by John C. Bogle
Get a free review of your books & financial ops from System Six (a $500 value):
Book a call with Tim or [email protected] and mention Acquiring Minds
Download the New CEO’s Guide to Human Resources from Aspen HR:
From this page or contact [email protected]
Get complimentary due diligence on your acquisition's insurance & benefits program:
Oberle Risk Strategies - Search Fund Team
Connect with Acquiring Minds:
See past + future interviews on the YouTube channel
Connect with host Will Smith on LinkedIn
Follow Will on Twitter
Edited by Anton Rohozov
Produced by Pam Cameron

In addition to buying his own business, Evan DiLeonardi trades buy-side services for equity in other SMB acquisitions.
Topics in Evan’s interview:
Entering the Airbnb space
Joining Ben Kelly’s acquisition group
Buying a commercial cleaning business
Being a remote “workaholic”
Realizing he bought a business in distress
First year in survival mode
Getting a team of great managers in place
His “Equity in Kind” partner model
Enjoying search more than operations
Building a holding company
References and how to contact Evan:
LinkedIn
Quality Cleaning Service
Gail Hamilton Azodo on Acquiring Minds: Buying to $4m Across 7 Sites in 3 Years
Meridian Peak Capital
Work with an SBA loan team focused exclusively on helping entrepreneurs buy businesses:
Pioneer Capital Advisory
Get a complimentary IT audit of your target business:
Email Nick Akers at [email protected], and tell him you’re a searcher
Get a free review of your books & financial ops from System Six (a $500 value):
Book a call with Tim or [email protected] and mention Acquiring Minds
Connect with Acquiring Minds:
See past + future interviews on the YouTube channel
Connect with host Will Smith on LinkedIn
Follow Will on Twitter
Edited by Anton Rohozov
Produced by Pam Cameron

He started by buying a small flooring business in 2000. Today Paul Lajoie takes home $1m a year and works how he wants.
Register for the webinar:
Why Deal Flow Isn’t Your Biggest Problem - TOMORROW! - https://bit.ly/4ah8L1E
Topics in Paul’s interview:
Background in Big Six accounting
Buying the first business he looked at
Partnering with his brother
Downsizing his lifestyle in the beginning
Underestimating working capital needs
Detailed partnership agreements
You are not smarter than the seller
Pivoting to remodeling after 2008 crash
Acquisition vs startup success rates
His BizBuyPro community
References and how to contact Paul:
LinkedIn
[email protected]
Kiplinger Today Newsletter
Confessions of a Millionaire
Gobundance
Learn more about Walker Deibel's done-with-you buy-side advisory:
The Acquisition Lab
Get complimentary due diligence on your acquisition's insurance & benefits program:
Oberle Risk Strategies - Search Fund Team
Download the New CEO’s Guide to Human Resources from Aspen HR:
From this page or contact [email protected]
Connect with Acquiring Minds:
See past + future interviews on the YouTube channel
Connect with host Will Smith on LinkedIn
Follow Will on Twitter
Edited by Anton Rohozov
Produced by Pam Cameron

Andrew Kurzrok connected with his seller over his manufacturing background, leading to a successful deal and transition.
Topics in Andrew’s interview:
Background in science and national labs
Spending all his time traveling for work
Wanting to stop traveling when his son was born
Studying management at Yale
Gaining management experience before searching
Making a “no” list
Success with cold calling business owners
Putting down 25% equity
Regional moat of sheet metal
His “crawl, walk, run” approach to operations
References and how to contact Andrew:
LinkedIn
Hopewell Sheet Metal Manufacturing
Heather Endresen’s working capital webinar: Working Capital for SMB Acquisitions
Get complimentary due diligence on your acquisition's insurance & benefits program:
Oberle Risk Strategies - Search Fund Team
Work with an SBA loan team focused exclusively on helping entrepreneurs buy businesses:
Pioneer Capital Advisory
Get a complimentary IT audit of your target business:
Email Nick Akers at [email protected], and tell him you’re a searcher
Connect with Acquiring Minds:
See past + future interviews on the YouTube channel
Connect with host Will Smith on LinkedIn
Follow Will on Twitter
Edited by Anton Rohozov
Produced by Pam Cameron

Sensing untapped potential, Ville-Matias Vilén bought a sub-million manufacturer with good IP and global distribution.
Topics in Ville’s interview:
Desire to “eat what he kills”
1990’s Finnish Recession
Aversion to solving people problems
Acquiring a cattle brush manufacturer
Funding his deal in Finland
Patents as a moat
Relocating the manufacturing 5 hours away
Sharing ownership with his family’s company
Goal to grow 5x in 5 years
Long-term holdco vision
References and how to contact Ville:
LinkedIn
FinnEasy
Download the New CEO’s Guide to Human Resources from Aspen HR:
From this page or contact [email protected]
Get a free review of your books & financial ops from System Six (a $500 value):
Book a call with Tim or [email protected] and mention Acquiring Minds
Learn more about Walker Deibel's done-with-you buy-side advisory:
The Acquisition Lab
Connect with Acquiring Minds:
See past + future interviews on the YouTube channel
Connect with host Will Smith on LinkedIn
Follow Will on Twitter
Edited by Anton Rohozov
Produced by Pam Cameron