Wanted to introduce myself: - Part of a small team building a portfolio of $1-5M EBITDA SMBs - We have a buy and hold strategy and are at 50+ acquisitions so far - Industry generalists with a focus on commercial services & manufacturing What can you expect from following me?

Majority do a poor job sourcing deals bc they’re focused on platforms and sites like bizbuy, bizquest etc. The best sourcing method will always be to find local brokerages and connect with them. Use Axials list (1000+ easily) to get in touch directly + signup for email blasts

Been in a cycle last couple months feeling like my companies just aren't progressing. Urgency is missing. Taking forever to get basic stuff done. Anyone gone/going through it? Welcome all advice to pull out of this

To all my accountants: Is there a way to connect QB Desktop with other software, ChatGPT etc? Is it even functional? Some of our businesses are too complex to get on QBO so need workarounds.

Top sales people often end up being candidates for the CEO role at SMBs Do everything you can to avoid it. Best salespeople are driven to maximize their gain, which is great for the business too. But when you throw them in leadership, they lack the “us” mentality needed to win

Did a walk through at a supplier 250k sq ft facility with 500 employees doing $200M+/yr Beautiful systems. No wasted movement between people. Everything tracked. Whatever industry you’re in, manufacturing is the best teacher for building good workflows + managing with data.

QOE pricing getting out of hand. Being quoted $40-60k from independent groups … These are Big 4 prices so what incentive is there to go with anyone else.

Unfortunate reality of SMB world is there are not many A level people. Mostly Bs/Cs/Ds As much as you can grow people, it’s hard to change people who’ve done the same thing for years and have little exposure to new ways of business. So how do you get A level quality? Chase the rare As? I personally ascribe to the Moneyball mindset of trying to recreate Giambi instead of chasing his replacement. The goal is to build A level systems that B/C level guys can operate without breaking them. We get the most out of people this way because they’re set up for success to deliver A/B level quality. This is also a positive feedback loop because the more people see things being done well, the better they become and you get the long term growth of talent as a byproduct. TLDR: build your foundation with good systems that don’t require A level talent. You can force great output without changing people.

ERPs and fancy software will never work without good SOPs and culture of accountability. Tools should build on good systems to drive efficiency. There are no silver bullets.

It feels good when you try new biz strategies and they end up working out. But some of the best moments have been navigating tough conversations with people & push through. Big part of success is managing everyone’s emotions and keeping them on the same page. Not always easy.

I haven’t used twitter in a long time but why is there so many crazy clips of accidents and dark stuff popping up on my feed. Just here to read SMB stuff and find the desire to write content again 🤷🏻‍♂️

Who is doing offshore hiring out of LATAM? Looking to hire for couple roles that I need specifically for Eastern timezone.

My HVAC guys - now this is advertising

Driving out of San Fran and every other billboard is for AI and workflow automations… You’re behind if you’re not adopting this already.

Hiring is f***ing hard Especially for an executive.

Got off with a PE backed company to potentially buy them. I give them the multiple range we'd offer. He goes "we like to buy in those ranges too ... not sure about exiting" Brother, if you wont buy your own biz for that multiple, why the heck would I ? lol

“What’s the problem you’re trying to solve for?” Anytime my portfolio company leaders or teammates ask a question, I like to begin by asking this. People often don’t know what their objective is, or have the wrong idea. This question is perfect to guide a targeted convo.

I’m getting close to dedicating my entire life to golf. Anyone else

Industry trade shows are super valuable to stay ahead of market trends and share notes with others. Most guys just like to come for a vacation and get hammered every night. Don’t be that guy.

Talking to an owner at a conference. Wanted to retire this year and sell but has to grind for another 5 years. Key sales person left and so did 30% revenue… yikes Sales concentration is a real thing people underlook in diligence

Lunch with broker on my live deal today. Who should pay this one? FYI, I picked up the first dinner with seller and broker couple months ago