Happy Friday!
At the start of this week, I told you about Ted, a 27-year-old sales professional from Chicago who bought a mole trapping company in Southern Ohio, structured a deal with just 5% of his own money down…
And doubled his income in the process.
Today, you’ll get his biggest lessons from that deal, and hear how he had a successful acquisition. 👇
Before getting to Ted’s big takeaways, here’s a cool Acquisition Ace community success spotlight story.
Zach bought a $1.15M steel fabrication company in LA for just $115K out of pocket—and he's on track for a 200% ROI in year one while still working his W2 job.
“Definitely would not have been possible without Acquisition Ace. The structure, the process, the banking relationships, the coaching, the community, knowing who to go to for QOE, legal, having Telegram available at any time. It was invaluable.”
He beat out over a dozen other offers by reading the room, building rapport with the sellers, and offering a clean all-cash structure they wanted.
👉 Want the resources and community support you need to close your first deal? Book a call with our team here.
“Knowledge without action is nothing. There are people way more educated on business acquisition than I am who will never buy a business - not because they’re not smart enough, but because they never took action.”
That’s what Ted told me two days after closing on a business he found, offered on, and financed while working a full-time sales job…
With just the second LOI he ever sent!
3 key takeaways from our conversation
1. Buy a business you can fully understand within 30 days
Ted had zero pest control experience, and that was fine, because his buy box required that he be able to fully understand how the business made money within 30 days of closing.
He didn’t want to be dependent on a seller staying on for years or a license he couldn’t hold.
That criteria alone made his search significantly more focused.
2. A seller’s weaknesses can become your strengths
The previous owner was a micromanager, and the team knew it.
Every employee Ted spoke with brought it up.
Rather than seeing that as a red flag, Ted saw an opportunity to give the existing managers more autonomy, more responsibility, and more compensation.
(Ted found his investor and his next business partner through the Acquisition Ace community. In Acquisition Ace, members get access to a network of investors and collaborators actively looking to do deals. If you’d like access to them too, book a call with our team here and see if Acquisition Ace is right for you.)
3. Be the one driving the deal
The broker on this deal was a good guy, but regularly confused by basic aspects of the transaction.
Ted had to be the deal manager at every stage: pushing the bank, following up with the seller, and keeping things moving when no one else did.
No one is going to close your deal for you.
This week’s action item
Write down your version of Ted’s 30-day rule.
What would a business need to look like for you to fully understand how it makes money within your first month of ownership?
Use that as a filter on the next three listings you evaluate.
To hear the full story of how Ted closed this deal at 27 with 5% down and zero pest control experience…
Watch our full interview here.
P.S. Ted said the most important thing was the commitment he made to himself when he joined to actually take action.
That commitment is the one thing no program can give you.
But if you’re ready to make it, the Acquisition Ace community will give you everything else you need to be successful.
👉 Book a call with our team here to see how the Acquisition Ace community could help you land your first business acquisition.
