Scott Crosby weathered the challenges that come with buying a 4.5-employee services business, and Year 2 is looking up.

Register for the webinars:

• Common Legal Diligence Issues (and How to Handle Them) - TOMORROW!! - https://bit.ly/3OQhm4l
• SMB Cybersecurity: Why Operators Need a Risk Assessment - Thu, Feb 26 - https://bit.ly/4bY1KWe

Topics in Scott’s interview:

• His 2 major career-defining moments
• 20-hour days in film production
• Risks of buying from younger owners
• Economic development resource centers: a hidden gem
• Looking for business-buyer fit
• Using an analysis tool he found on TikTok
• First-time buyer mistakes
• Replacing nearly the entire staff
• Underestimating the stress of ownership
• Modernizing dusty operations

References and how to contact Scott:

• LinkedIn
• scottallencrosby@gmail.com
• American Services St. Louis
• Scott’s interview prep sheet
• Buy the deal analyzer spreadsheet

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

• From this page or contact jenny@aspenhr.com

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

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

Tato Corcoran returns with updates on her ownership of a sink maker that had just $400k in revenue when she bought it.

Register for the webinar:

• Red Flags That Kill or Reshape Deals - TODAY!! - https://bit.ly/4rsjvla

Topics in Tato’s interview:

• Growing her top line revenue
• Finding a mentor at Starbucks
• Creating an employee handbook
• Reconfiguring the factory with new equipment
• How she implements extreme ownership
• Profit First accounting
• Being tied to the real estate market
• Goals for her real estate portfolio
• Being a woman in manufacturing
• When she may be open to selling

References and how to contact Tato:

• LinkedIn
• Brandt Molded Marble
• Tato's first interview: When You Buy a Glorified Job, Not a Business
• Extreme Ownership by Jocko Willink and Leif Babin
• Profit First by Mike Michalowicz

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

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

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 hello@systemsix.com and mention Acquiring Minds

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

• From this page or contact jenny@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