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Acquiring Minds

Will Smith
Acquisition Entrepreneurship
Entrepreneurship
SBA Loans
Business Acquisition
Private Equity
Entrepreneurship Through Acquisition
Franchising
Acquisition Lab
Covid-19
HVAC
Small Business
Construction Industry
Small Business Ownership
Search Funds
SBA Loan
E-Commerce
Digital Marketing
Acquisition
Cabinet Making
Manufacturing

Buying a business is an amazing path for many successful entrepreneurs. Learn how to buy a business from the entrepreneurs who have already done it. 2x per week: stories, insights, & valuable advice about acquisition entrepreneurship. Hosted by Will Smith, who is on his own path to acquire a business. Also on YouTube: www.youtube.com/@AcquiringMinds Sign up for episode summaries at: https:... more

PublishesTwice weeklyEpisodes478Founded5 years ago
Number of ListenersCategories
BusinessEntrepreneurshipInvesting

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Artwork for Acquiring Minds

Latest Episodes

Brian Jungles bought a $400k direct mail business in Atlanta and skipped SBA by pledging his portfolio as collateral.

Register for the webinars:

• Don't Rush: How to Prepare for a Quality of Earnings Report - TOMORROW! - bit.ly/3T4OQOJ

• Wo... more

Rob Belk networked his way to "the most caffeinated guy in town" searching for a local business — then found it online. 

Register for the webinars:

• From Working IN the Business to ON the Business: How Owners Make the Transition - TODAY!! - https:... more

Chris Farkas endured a 7-week fetal position moment when he finally found a website bug that had cost him $500k in sales.

Register for the webinar:

• From Working IN the Business to ON the Business: How Owners Make the Transition - Thu, Jul 16 - ht... more

YouTube

After 25 years in corporate, Gina Rosen bought a jewelry wholesaling business with $635k in sales — now on track to $1m.

Register for the webinar: 

• Finance Essentials Before You Close - TODAY!! - bit.ly/4fcxTdK

Topics in Gina’s interview... more

YouTube

Key Facts

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Recent Guests

Caleb Standafer
Owner of Springfield's Tool and Die
Springfield's Tool and Die
Episode: Growing a $5m Metal Business 40% in Year 1
Ned Tomasevic
Former CEO of EZRAC and general partner at Searchers Fund
Searchers Fund
Episode: How to 4x EBITDA in 3 Years Without Growing Sales
Dom Smith
Owner of PrintMoz, large-format printing business
PrintMoz
Episode: Leaving $700s/Yr to Buy an Underperforming Printing Business
Tom McCormick
Owner, Quality Cutting and Coring
Quality Cutting and Coring
Episode: From Software to Concrete Cutting (and $1.4m of SDE)
Himmat Singh
Operator and owner of EPI ColorSpace; former Circle of Life CEO
EPI ColorSpace
Episode: Good Bones: Saving a $3m Business in Decline
Alan Turkus
Owner of Interim Health Care of the Twin Cities
Interim Health Care (franchise)
Episode: How to Buy a $20m Business as a First-Timer
Brendan Burdette
Co-founder of Braddock Road Insurance Corporation (BRIC)
BRIC (Braddock Road Insurance Corporation)
Episode: How to De-Risk the Personal Guarantee
Ryan Conner
Co-founder of Braddock Road Insurance Corporation (BRIC)
BRIC (Braddock Road Insurance Corporation)
Episode: How to De-Risk the Personal Guarantee
Joe Wechsler
SBA Acquisition Entrepreneur, General Partner at Blue Line Ventures
Blue Line Ventures
Episode: Started as SBA Searcher, Built to a PE Fund

Host

Will Smith
Host and guide focused on ETA and acquiring small businesses across industries

Reviews

4.9 out of 5 stars from 688 ratings
  • Best ETA / Search / Business Buying Podcast in the World

    While other podcasts pitch their own services, Will stays focused on delivering accurate, genuinely useful content to his listeners. Hands down the best podcast out there for learning about acquiring a small business.

    Apple Podcasts
    5
    BigSlick55
    United States3 months ago
  • Must listen for anyone buying a business

    Thanks Will for sharing these stories. There are so many actionable takeaways for acquisition entrepreneurs. Thanks also to the community for sharing these stories highs, the lows and the lessons. This is invaluable stuff!

    Apple Podcasts
    5
    J--Mar
    Australia10 months ago
  • Brilliant podcast

    Love hearing all the journeys to business ownership - and running the business. Will organises the show in a great way too, so you can learn why the owner made the decisions they did.

    Apple Podcasts
    5
    Kimhollis
    Australiaa year ago
  • Will is out here doing god's work. He's skillfully teaching first time searchers everything from books to read, pitfalls to avoid, tactics to emulate, the whole package. I went to the top business school in the country. But Will and his team are giving anyone who will listen more value, connections, and practical knowledge for free. Take advantage of this ASAP.

    Audible
    5
    James Addison
    United Statesa year ago
  • Essential Listening for First Time Business Acquirers

    Will is out here doing god's work. He's skillfully teaching first time searchers everything from books to read, pitfalls to avoid, tactics to emulate, the whole package. I went to the top business school in the country. But Will and his team are giving anyone who will listen more value, connections, and practical knowledge for free. Take advantage of this ASAP.

    Audible
    5
    James Addison
    United Statesa year ago

Listeners Say

Key themes from listener reviews, highlighting what works and what could be improved about the show.

Listeners praise the host for thoughtful questions and practical takeaways.
Guests provide actionable, real-world lessons on buying and growing small businesses.
The interviews mix successes with hard-won lessons, keeping content grounded and useful.

Chart Rankings

How this podcast ranks in the Apple Podcasts, Spotify and YouTube charts.

Talking Points

Recent interactions between the hosts and their guests.

How to Buy a $20m Business as a First-Timer
Q: How did the deal complexity and franchise considerations affect your path to closing?
The franchise dynamics and a problematic SBA-related funding snag required careful negotiation, but ultimately the franchise structure provided a community and support system that complemented the acquisition while the SBA hurdles were navigated with lender help.
How to Buy a $20m Business as a First-Timer
Q: What made you decide to take on investors rather than funding the deal entirely yourself?
Investors brought capital, strategic guidance, and a network within the ETA community; alignment with mission and the ability to secure a larger, stable acquisition outweighed the control trade-offs.
How to Buy a $20m Business as a First-Timer
Q: Why did you ultimately pursue a local, larger business instead of a smaller, perhaps easier to manage one?
Because I wanted a meaty, leadership-focused role with scale to manage people directly, and a mission-driven business offered more meaningful impact and a larger platform to deploy my experience.
Too Good to Be True: Year 1 in a $700k SDE Business
Q: What were the biggest operational challenges after closing?
Initial days were chaotic: poor records, a difficult transition with the seller, and a lack of immediate inbound work; over time, leadership, culture, and targeted marketing helped stabilize revenue and retention.
Too Good to Be True: Year 1 in a $700k SDE Business
Q: Tell us about the moment you decided to buy the business.
I made a decisive internal commitment to move forward, leave my jobs, and take the plunge after weighing risks and believing the opportunity aligned with my goals, even though records were incomplete and due diligence was challenging.

Audience Metrics

Listeners, social reach, demographics and more for this podcast.

Listeners per Episode
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Frequently Asked Questions About Acquiring Minds

What is Acquiring Minds about and what kind of topics does it cover?

A deep-dive show for aspiring and active acquisition entrepreneurs, mainly focusing on entrepreneurship through acquisition (ETA) of SMBs and franchised units. Episodes explore deal structures, financing (SBA, seller notes, and owner financing), due diligence, culture and leadership, and practical growth playbooks across trades, services, and franchising. Guests share firsthand journeys—from initial search and valuation through post-close integration and scale—along with personal stories about risk, family dynamics, and long-term portfolio-building. Notable throughlines include the importance of operator-fit, mentor networks, and creative financing, often anchored by real-world case studies that reveal both wins and hard lessons. A standout... more

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Which podcasts are similar to Acquiring Minds?

These podcasts share a similar audience with Acquiring Minds:

1. Acquisitions Anonymous - #1 for business buying, selling and operating
2. Built to Sell Radio
3. Minds Capital Podcast
4. Moneywise
5. My First Million

How many episodes of Acquiring Minds are there?

Acquiring Minds launched 5 years ago and published 478 episodes to date. You can find more information about this podcast including rankings, audience demographics and engagement in our podcast database.

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What guests have appeared on Acquiring Minds?

Recent guests on Acquiring Minds include:

1. Caleb Standafer
2. Ned Tomasevic
3. Dom Smith
4. Tom McCormick
5. Himmat Singh
6. Alan Turkus
7. Brendan Burdette
8. Ryan Conner

To view more recent guests and their details, simply upgrade your Rephonic account. You'll also get access to a typical guest profile to help you decide if the show is worth pitching.

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