Family planning and entrepreneurship converged as Linh & Leo Van Deibel bought their first (and not last) business.

Topics in Linh & Leo’s interview:

• Making the case for business acquisition
• Taking family planning into account
• Searching in the UK as a non-citizen
• Being taken seriously as an Asian woman
• Their goal of building a holdco
• Thousands of meetings with sellers
• Search is a numbers game
• Brutal IVF process
• Giving up on acquiring SaaS
• Buying an engineering consulting firm

References and how to contact Linh & Leo:

• Linh Van Deibel LinkedIn
• Leo Deibel LinkedIn
• Their acquisition, Infrastructure Design Solutions
• Linh Tran on Acquiring Minds: The Dream Outcome: From $300k to $5m EBITDA

Get a complimentary IT audit of your target business:

• Email Nick Akers at nick@inzotechnologies.com, and tell him you’re a searcher

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

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

Jacob VosWinkel searched in tertiary markets to find a successful flooring store, his platform to build something big.

Register for the webinar:

• What You’re Really Paying: Net Working Capital & Net Debt Explained - TODAY!! - https://bit.ly/49WI4Ao

Topics in Jacob’s interview:

• Recommending markets of 50k-100k people
• Scraping BizBuySell listings
• Reaching out to 200 potential investors
• Raising $1 million equity in 2 weeks
• Advantages/disadvantages of searching under 30
• Moving across the country for the transition
• Flying home on weekends
• Growing to reduce customer concentration
• His responsibility to employees
• Growing 50% in 2 years

References and how to contact Jacob:

• Jacob’s YouTube channel
• Floors Galore
• LinkedIn
• Jordan Dubin on Acquiring Minds: First Acquisition in March, $200m by Year End

Learn more about Walker Deibel's done-with-you buy-side advisory:

• The Acquisition Lab

Get a complimentary IT audit of your target business:

• Email Nick Akers at nick@inzotechnologies.com, and tell him you’re a searcher

Download the New CEO’s Guide to Human Resources from Aspen HR:

• From this page or contact jenny@aspenhr.com

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

George Stern leaned into changing consumer search habits when he bought a digital marketing agency doing mid-7 figures.

Register for the webinars:

• Which Franchise Industries Make Sense in 2026? - TOMORROW!! - https://bit.ly/4jQCN0U
• What You’re Really Paying: Net Working Capital & Net Debt Explained - Jan 22nd - https://bit.ly/49mgU5Y

Topics in George’s interview:

• Turning around an Amazon seller’s agency
• Acquiring 2 small ecommerce businesses
• Loving the customers more than the product
• Selling his camping equipment business
• Acquiring an SEO agency
• Extreme difficulty getting a loan
• Big banks aren’t always better
• Choosing cold calling despite challenges
• Industry knowledge is overrated
• Being a “recovering, type-A control freak”

References and how to contact George:

• LinkedIn
• Grant and Julia Hensel on Acquiring Minds: Quitting Consulting to Buy a $1m SDE Agency

Work with an SBA loan team focused exclusively on helping entrepreneurs buy businesses:

• Pioneer Capital Advisory

Get complimentary due diligence on your acquisition's insurance & benefits program:

• Oberle Risk Strategies - Search Fund Team

Get a free review of your books & financial ops from System Six (a $500 value):

• Book a call with Tim or hello@systemsix.com 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

Phil Koller studied the concentration and key man risks in a distribution business well-suited to him — and went for it.

Register for the webinar:

• From W2 to Owner Mindset: How to Think About Your Take-Home Pay - TODAY!! - https://bit.ly/4r5RsI3

Topics in Philip’s interview:

• Preferred working in a small company
• His friend talked him into real estate, then ETA
• Inspired by Rich Dad, Poor Dad
• Importance of having his wife on board
• Paused search due to upcoming second child
• Bought Roman Enterprises, an automotive paint distributor
• Inherited exactly 1 employee
• Did door-to-door sales to learn market
• Managed customer and supplier concentration risk
• Drew perseverance from grandfather’s Holocaust survival

References and how to contact Philip:

• LinkedIn
• Roman Enterprises
• Ben Jasper on Acquiring Minds: How to Buy a Manufacturer with $1m in Cash Flow
• Jerod Pierce on Acquiring Minds: From SBA Loan to High 8-Figure Exit

Download the New CEO’s Guide to Human Resources from Aspen HR:

• From this page or contact jenny@aspenhr.com

Work with an SBA loan team focused exclusively on helping entrepreneurs buy businesses:

• Pioneer Capital Advisory

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

Matt Orley wanted to enter the short-term rentals space. Buying a business — and a brand he admired — was his way in.

Register for the webinars:

• DO’s and DON'Ts of the LOI - TOMORROW!! - https://bit.ly/3YtLIvp
• From W2 to Owner Mindset: How to Think About Your Take-Home Pay - Jan 15th - https://bit.ly/4qJ1Xk5

Topics in Matt’s interview:

• Investment properties as a side hustle
• Evolving short-term rental ecosystem
• Difficult transition with the seller
• Influence of Airbnb on customer expectations
• Importance of clear communication
• Rolling up property management companies
• Concentrating on one region of the country
• Difference between urban and rural markets
• Launching a membership program
• Putting the brand first when making decisions

References and how to contact Matt:

• LinkedIn
• Instagram
• Red Cottage

Get complimentary due diligence on your acquisition's insurance & benefits program:

• Oberle Risk Strategies - Search Fund Team

Get a free review of your books & financial ops from System Six (a $500 value):

• Book a call with Tim or hello@systemsix.com and mention Acquiring Minds

Get a complimentary IT audit of your target business:

• Email Nick Akers at nick@inzotechnologies.com, 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

Adam Vandermyde had to be persuaded to acquire the $15m business that he ultimately professionalized and exited for 7x.

Register for the webinar:

• How to Present Your Deal for Maximum SBA Success - TODAY!! - https://bit.ly/3KW7aWL

Topics in Adam’s interview:

• Leaving consulting 2 months from making partner
• Taking on the CEO role at the target before closing
• Focusing on EBITDA over revenue
• A construction mistake that cost the company dearly
• Parsing data to understand “margin per labor dollar”
• Advantages of being in a high-growth geographical area
• Improving customer service to stand out
• Exiting after 5 years
• Adrenaline rush of sharing his payday with employees
• How it feels to be a millionaire

References and how to contact Adam:

• LinkedIn

Get a free review of your books & financial ops from System Six (a $500 value):

• Book a call with Tim or hello@systemsix.com and mention Acquiring Minds

Learn more about Walker Deibel's done-with-you buy-side advisory:

• The Acquisition Lab

Work with an SBA loan team focused exclusively on helping entrepreneurs buy businesses:

• Pioneer Capital Advisory

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

Joe Odell and his partner acquired a business with over $4m in earnings and lots of green flags. It went sideways fast.

Register for the webinar:

• How to Present Your Deal for Maximum SBA Success - Jan 8th - https://bit.ly/4snUKHY

Topics in Joe’s interview:

• His blue collar, military background
• Volunteering without pay for a consulting company
• Ultimately rejecting the tech industry
• Finding his search partner at business school
• Seeking out a complex business
• Doing traditional search, on his wife’s advice
• Acquiring a home health adjacent company
• Post-close cash crisis
• Losing a key sales rep
• Fatal “pen stroke risk”

References and how to contact Joe:

• LinkedIn

Get a complimentary IT audit of your target business:

• Email Nick Akers at nick@inzotechnologies.com, and tell him you’re a searcher

Download the New CEO’s Guide to Human Resources from Aspen HR:

• From this page or contact mark@aspenhr.com

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

The first business Joe Soelberg bought did $400k SDE. The experience and cash flow enabled a second, larger acquisition.

Topics in Joe’s interview:

• Leaving corporate for a chance to manage P&L
• His toughest pitch was to his wife
• Acquiring a 3D design firm
• Pivoting hard during Covid
• Hiring a manager with a design background
• Acquiring a branding agency
• Difference between branding and marketing
• Retainer model for recurring revenue
• Offering less than listing price
• His hand-off relationship with his businesses

References and how to contact Joe:

• LinkedIn
• Point B Communications
• SONNY+ASH
• Mike Curry on Acquiring Minds: It’s All Your Fault: How to Become CEO of Your Acquisition
• Johannes Hock on Acquiring Minds: Buy and 3x a Project Based Business in Just 2 Years

Work with an SBA loan team focused exclusively on helping entrepreneurs buy businesses:

• Pioneer Capital Advisory

Get complimentary due diligence on your acquisition's insurance & benefits program:

• Oberle Risk Strategies - Search Fund Team

Get a free review of your books & financial ops from System Six (a $500 value):

• Book a call with Tim or hello@systemsix.com 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