

Acquisitions Anonymous - #1 for business buying, selling and operating
Bill D'Alessandro, Mills Snell, Heather Endresen, and Michael Girdley
Jump into the world of business acquisitions with hosts Bill D'Alessandro, Mills Snell, Heather Endresen, and Michael Girdley. We review real businesses for sale in each episode, providing expert insights, strategies, and tips to make savvy business moves like the pros. Perfect for entrepreneurs, investors, and anyone interested in buying and selling businesses.
Episodes
Mentioned books

12 snips
Dec 23, 2022 • 31min
Should we buy this Ambulance company? - Acquisitions Anonymous episode 152
Want to receive this listing in your inbox? Signup for our weekly newsletter:https://www.getrevue.co/profile/acquanon-----Michael Girdley (@Girdley), and Bill D’Alessandro (@BillDA)talk about an established ambulance service. We investigate how this service differs from the conventional ambulances provided by hospitals. We also dig into this business’s location to understand its significance in this location. We will also determine whether this item passed the Private Equity Test, which customers are the most crucial to this transaction's success, and discuss how the business relationships outside the United States are distinct from those within the country. -----Thanks to our sponsors!CloudBookkeeping offers adaptable solutions to businesses that want to focus on growth with a “client service first” approach. They offer a full suite of accounting services, including sophisticated reporting, QuickBooks software solutions, and full-service payroll options.-----Show Notes:(00:00) - Introduction(00:20) - Our Sponsor is CloudBookKeeping(01:48) - Catch up with Mike and Bill(03:44) - Deals and Financials: Established Ambulance Service(05:16) - How does this business work?(06:58) - Where is this business located, and why is it important?(10:30) - What do we think about the financials?(12:55) - Why has PE passed on this deal?(15:54) - Who are the most important clients for this deal?(16:33) - What is Girdley’s #1 tip to learn about an industry? (18:12) - What is Bill’s advice for people interested in this deal?(20:28) - Why does the IRS try to ban country club memberships as business expenses?(22:06) - How are business relationships outside the US different from inland?(27:46) - The tricky Costa Rica listing and the “Ditch Risk”-----Additional episodes you might enjoy:#151 - Should we buy this Pot Business Credit Card Processor?#150 - Let’s buy a medical staffing business #149 - Is this car spinner business a good side hustle?#148 - Growth Marketing explained: Shopify Superfood Greens Brand with 40% subscription rate w/ Baller Jesse Pujji#147 - $9.6M EBITDA Florida Armored ATM Services Business#141 - A very profitable B2B Internet Business in the Petcare Vertical#140 - Let’s SBA the heck out of this deal - with Special Guest Heather EndresenSubscribe to weekly our Newsletter and get curated deals in your inboxAdvertise with us by clicking hereDo you love Acquanon and want to see our smiling faces? Subscribe to our Youtube channel.Do you enjoy our content? Rate our show!Follow us on Twitter @acquanon Learnings about small business acquisitions and operations.For inquiries or suggestions, email us at contact@acquanon.com

Dec 21, 2022 • 35min
Should we buy this Pot Business Credit Card Processor? - Acquisitions Anonymous episode 151
Want to receive this listing in your inbox? Signup for our weekly newsletter:https://www.getrevue.co/profile/acquanon-----Michael Girdley (@Girdley) and Bill D’Alessandro (@Bill) talk about an online medical marijuana card processor. We discuss how this business operates and why the margins are so big. We guess that this business is underperforming, and we explain how we’d go about scaling it up.Similar to the general licensing requirements, the requirements for obtaining a business license for cannabis are highly variable from one state to the next and even between municipalities. We also talk about the potential risks that would make this business worth zero dollars overnight.-----Thanks to our sponsors!CloudBookkeeping offers adaptable solutions to businesses that want to focus on growth with a “client service first” approach. They offer a full suite of accounting services, including sophisticated reporting, QuickBooks software solutions, and full-service payroll options.-----Show Notes:(00:00) - Introduction(00:34) - Our Sponsor is Cloudbookkeeping(02:01) - Deal & financials: Medical Marijuana Card Processor(09:43) - How does this business work?(10:30) - What do we like about this business?(12:36) - What are the two things that can happen to this business?(13:20) - Did the pandemic affect this business?(14:02) - How big do we think this business is?(14:41) - Where do the high margins come from?(15:45) - Where is the value in the revenue structure?(18:25) - What is a cool strategy competitors can do in this line of business?(23:16) - What does this business remind Bill?(24:44) - How do entrepreneurs take advantage of stupid regulations?(26:43) - What’s the story behind “A dollar for a dollar”?(32:24) - We like this deal. Who could be a fit as a buyer?-----Additional episodes you might enjoy:#149 - Is this car spinner business a good side hustle?#148 - Growth Marketing explained: Shopify Superfood Greens Brand with 40% subscription rate w/ Baller Jesse Pujji#147 - $9.6M EBITDA Florida Armored ATM Services Business#141 - A very profitable B2B Internet Business in the Petcare Vertical#140 - Let’s SBA the heck out of this deal - with Special Guest Heather Endresen-----Subscribe to weekly our Newsletter and get curated deals in your inboxAdvertise with us by clicking hereDo you love Acquanon and want to see our smiling faces? Subscribe to our Youtube channel.Do you enjoy our content? Rate our show!Follow us on Twitter @acquanon Learnings about small business acquisitions and operations.For inquiries or suggestions, email us at contact@acquanon.com

6 snips
Dec 16, 2022 • 31min
Let’s buy a medical staffing business - Acquisitions Anonymous episode 150
Want to receive this listing in your inbox? Signup for our weekly newsletter:https://www.getrevue.co/profile/acquanon-----Michael Girdley (@Girdley), Bill D’Alessandro (@BillDA), and Mills Snell (@thegeneralmills) talk about a Medical Industry Staffing Company.Staffing agencies recruit candidates on behalf of employers to fill team openings and help candidates find career opportunities in their field. We discuss some challenges and difficulties you can experience when running this type of business. We also determine whether we like this deal, and if it is more cost-effective to build it ourselves or buy it.-----Thanks to our sponsors!CloudBookkeeping offers adaptable solutions to businesses that want to focus on growth with a “client service first” approach. They offer a full suite of accounting services, including sophisticated reporting, QuickBooks software solutions, and full-service payroll options. ----- Show Notes:(00:00) - Introduction(00:37) - Our Sponsor is Cloudbookkeeping(02:15) - Big thanks to our listeners! We got through our 150th episode 😊(03:22) - Deal & financials: Medical Industry Staffing Company(05:20) - Do we like this deal? What’s our take on the stated financials?(06:20) - How does this business work? What’s the potential size of this business?(10:12) - How do staffing companies work?(14:12) - What is the major moat for staffing businesses?(18:20) - What incentive alignment do you need to work out when outsourcing recruitment?(24:00) - Is there a Bull case for this one?(26:26) - Does this pass the tailwind test?-----Additional episodes you might enjoy:#149 - Is this car spinner business a good side hustle?#148 - Growth Marketing explained: Shopify Superfood Greens Brand with 40% subscription rate w/ Baller Jesse Pujji#147 - $9.6M EBITDA Florida Armored ATM Services Business#141 - A very profitable B2B Internet Business in the Petcare Vertical#140 - Let’s SBA the heck out of this deal - with Special Guest Heather Endresen-----Subscribe to weekly our Newsletter and get curated deals in your inboxAdvertise with us by clicking hereDo you love Acquanon and want to see our smiling faces? Subscribe to our Youtube channel.Do you enjoy our content? Rate our show!Follow us on Twitter @acquanon Learnings about small business acquisitions and operations.For inquiries or suggestions, email us at contact@acquanon.com

Dec 14, 2022 • 27min
Is this car spinner business a good side hustle? - Acquisitions Anonymous episode 149
Want to receive this listing in your inbox? Signup for our weekly newsletter:https://www.getrevue.co/profile/acquanon-----Michael Girdley (@Girdley), Bill D’Alessandro (@BillDA), and Mills Snell (@thegeneralmills) talk about a Profitable auto display rental company for sale.We discuss the deal and gain insight into this company’s inner workings. There is some weird stuff about this deal, and we will try to understand where this business sits in the value chain.We came across some warning signs and potential issues that could affect this business, but in conclusion, Bill shares his innovative strategies and ideas for managing this rental.-----Thanks to our sponsor!SMBash.com - Join us in Austin, TX, from April 27th - 30th, 2023, for one-on-one interaction with others who focus on buying, operating, and investing in the SMB and Micro-PE space.SMBash is a live gathering of SMB, Micro-PE, and ETA owners, operators, and investors.-----Show Notes: (00:00) - Introduction(00:31) - Our Sponsor is SMBash(01:54) - Deal & financials: Profitable Auto Display Rental Company for Sale(02:19) - What does this business do?(03:53) - What do we think about this deal?(06:48) - What do we think of this product?(08:23) - How do Car Dealerships make money on new car sales?(10:01) - Mike’s rant about Tesla!(13:43) - Who should buy this deal?(15:58) - Where does this business sit in the value chain?(17:36) - How does the tax shield work on this deal?(18:21) - What do we like about this business?(21:00) - What is the hidden red flag on the inventory side?(22:00) - What would Bill’s strategy be for this deal?-----Additional episodes you might enjoy:#146 - Should we buy 239,000 Domain names?#145 - Is this design agency a good buy?#144 - We spot an amazing Business Broker#142 - Should we buy this Crossfit Gym?#141 - A very profitable B2B Internet Business in the Petcare Vertical#140 - Let’s SBA the heck out of this deal - with Special Guest Heather Endresen-----Subscribe to weekly our Newsletter and get curated deals in your inboxAdvertise with us by clicking hereDo you love Acquanon and want to see our smiling faces? Subscribe to our Youtube channel.Do you enjoy our content? Rate our show!Follow us on Twitter @acquanon Learnings about small business acquisitions and operations.For inquiries or suggestions, email us at contact@acquanon.com

Dec 8, 2022 • 49min
Growth Marketing explained: Shopify Superfood Greens Brand with 40% subscription rate - Acquisitions Anonymous episode 148
Want to receive this listing in your inbox? Signup for our weekly newsletter:https://www.getrevue.co/profile/acquanon-----Michael Girdley (@Girdley), Bill D’Alessandro (@BillDA), and special Guest Jesse Pujji (@Jspujji) talk about a Shopify Superfood Greens Brand.We dig into the financials for a stress test, discuss the most important KPIs to acquire the business, and assess its real value. Jesse talks about his understanding of the potential and shares some of his best tricks to understand whether an eCommerce business can scale.We also discuss digital marketing, culture, leadership, Twitter, and hiring overseas.-----Thanks to our sponsors!CloudBookkeeping offers adaptable solutions to businesses that want to focus on growth with a “client service first” approach. They offer a full suite of accounting services, including sophisticated reporting, QuickBooks software solutions, and full-service payroll options.-----Show Notes:(00:00) - Introduction (01:04) - Our Sponsor is Cloudbookkeeping(03:32) - Who is Jesse Pujji? (06:00) - How does Jesse staff his businesses? Where does the culture come from?(10:13) - What are the advantages & disadvantages of hiring in a “Tier 2” market?(12:48) - What is Jesse’s talent strategy?(15:25) - Growth Marketing: Explained(21:10) - Deal & financials: Shopify Superfood Greens Brand(24:38) - What do we think about the Deal?(25:37) - What is Jesse’s #1 trick to spot a profitable category?(28:49) - What are Jesse’s 3 levers to improve profitability on eCommerce businesses?(31:46) - Let’s do a pressure test on the financials! Which KPIs should you look at?(35:38) - Is this a buyable business or a bootstrapped one?(39:40) - How does inertia affect buying vs. starting a business?(44:30) - What are the best traits to show as a leader in your organization’s culture? -----Links:gateway.xyzhttps://twitter.com/jspujjihttps://www.kahaniapp.com/-----Additional episodes you might enjoy:#146 - Should we buy 239,000 Domain names?#145 - Is this design agency a good buy?#144 - We spot an amazing Business Broker#142 - Should we buy this Crossfit Gym?#141 - A very profitable B2B Internet Business in the Petcare Vertical#140 - Let’s SBA the heck out of this deal - with special Guest Subscribe to weekly our Newsletter and get curated deals in your inboxAdvertise with us by clicking hereDo you love Acquanon and want to see our smiling faces? Subscribe to our Youtube channel.Do you enjoy our content? Rate our show!Follow us on Twitter @acquanon Learnings about small business acquisitions and operations.For inquiries or suggestions, email us at contact@acquanon.com

Dec 7, 2022 • 24min
We signed an NDA for this big boy: $9.6M EBITDA Florida Armored ATM Services Business - Acquisitions Anonymous episode 147
Want to receive this listing in your inbox? Signup for our weekly newsletter:https://www.getrevue.co/profile/acquanon-----Michael Girdley (@Girdley) and Mills Snell (@thegeneralmills) talk about an Armored and ATM Service in Mid-Florida. In this episode, we discuss how this business works, tail & headwinds. We try to determine why a strategic purchaser has not yet purchased this business. Mike also provided a very insightful explanation, by comparing the past and present, of how digital money is replacing traditional forms of currency and how cash value is decreasing over time.-----Thanks to our sponsor!SMBash.com - Join us in Austin, TX, from April 27th - 30th, 2023, for one-on-one interaction with others who focus on buying, operating, and investing in the SMB and Micro-PE space.SMBash is a live gathering of SMB, Micro-PE, and ETA owners, operators, and investors.-----Show Notes:(00:00) - Introduction(01:33) - Our Sponsor is SMBash(02:55) - Deal & financials: Mid-Florida Armored and ATM Services(05:15) - This is a hot EBITDA Margin! Is this deal legit?(08:06) - Why hasn’t a strategic buyer bought this yet?(11:46) - What does this business do?(13:16) - What’s going on with cash as a payment method?(15:38) - What do we think about the margins? Is it a red flag?(20:38) - How did COVID affect this business?(22:24) - Is there a Moat around hiring? -----Additional episodes you might enjoy:#146 - Should we buy 239,000 Domain names?#145 - Is this design agency a good buy?#144 - We spot an amazing Business Broker#142 - Should we buy this Crossfit Gym?#141 - A very profitable B2B Internet Business in the Petcare Vertical#140 - Let’s SBA the heck out of this deal - with special Guest Heather EndresenSubscribe to weekly our Newsletter and get curated deals in your inboxAdvertise with us by clicking hereDo you love Acquanon and want to see our smiling faces? Subscribe to our Youtube channel.Do you enjoy our content? Rate our show!Follow us on Twitter @acquanon Learnings about small business acquisitions and operations.For inquiries or suggestions, email us at contact@acquanon.com

Dec 2, 2022 • 24min
Should we buy 239,000 Domain names? - Acquisitions Anonymous episode 146
Want to receive this listing in your inbox? Signup for our weekly newsletter:https://www.getrevue.co/profile/acquanon-----Michael Girdley (@Girdley) and Mills Snell (@thegeneralmills) discuss a leading domain portfolio with proprietary pricing technology.We talk about the business model, examine how intriguing and distinctive this deal is, and we will try to identify the potential buyers. Together, we understand the difficulties and competition that will arise as you proceed along this business path. We will also check to see if there is a moat around this one.Subscribe to our channel!-----Thanks to our sponsors!CloudBookkeeping offers adaptable solutions to businesses that want to focus on growth with a “client service first” approach. They offer a full suite of accounting services, including sophisticated reporting, QuickBooks software solutions, and full-service payroll options.-----Show Notes:(00:00) - Introduction(01:39) - Our Sponsor is Cloudbookkeeping(03:07) - Deal & financials: Leading Domain Portfolio with Proprietary Pricing Technology(05:07) - How does this business work?(07:25) - What value bet will you make if you invest in this?(08:24) - How is this deal similar to real estate?(09:22) - How do you manage domain inventory?(11:19) - Is there a Moat around this business? What is the domain arms race that is going on?(12:23) - Why do you need to think twice in choosing a domain?(14:10) - What kind of competition will you face when running this business?(17:23) - Who would make a buyer-business fit?(20:06) - What is so challenging about competing with Private Equity?(21:57) - Why are there no financials on this deal?-----Additional episodes you might enjoy:#143 - Is this cell tower business any good?#142 - Should we buy this Crossfit Gym?#141 - A very profitable B2B Internet Business in the Petcare Vertical#140 - Let’s SBA the heck out of this deal - with special Guest Heather EndresenSubscribe to weekly our Newsletter and get curated deals in your inboxAdvertise with us by clicking hereDo you love Acquanon and want to see our smiling faces? Subscribe to our Youtube channel.Do you enjoy our content? Rate our show!Follow us on Twitter @acquanon Learnings about small business acquisitions and operations.For inquiries or suggestions, email us at contact@acquanon.com

14 snips
Nov 29, 2022 • 27min
Is this design agency a good buy? - Acquisitions Anonymous episode 145
Michael Girdley and Mills Snell discuss a productized design services agency for startups. They explore the business model, customer relationship management, and the effects of the macro environment on agencies. They also touch on the unique aspects of this particular business and the negotiation strategies for acquiring it.

7 snips
Nov 25, 2022 • 29min
We spot an amazing Business Broker - Acquisitions Anonymous episode 144
Want to receive this listing in your inbox? Signup for our weekly newsletter:https://www.getrevue.co/profile/acquanon-----Michael Girdley (@Girdley) and Bill D’Alessandro (@BillDA) talk about a profitable Midwest Framing and Art Handling Business. We talk about how this deal works and what it accomplishes.We dive deep into how to spot a great business broker and how to improve your deal flow.-----Thanks to our sponsors!CloudBookkeeping offers adaptable solutions to businesses that want to focus on growth with a “client service first” approach. They offer a full suite of accounting services, including sophisticated reporting, QuickBooks software solutions, and full-service payroll options.-----Show Notes:(00:00) - Introduction(01:16) - Our sponsor is Cloudbookkeeping(02:44) - Deals & Financials: Profitable Midwest Framing and Art Handling Business(03:31) - What does this company do?(05:11) - Financial, value & financial performance(09:16) - What makes this teaser so good?(11:38) - What is the network risk associated with acquiring this business?(14:53) - Is this the best brokerage firm ever?(19:00) - How would we improve our deal flow dramatically?(26:00) - How would we negotiate this deal?(27:30) - How much would we pay for this one?-----Additional episodes you might enjoy:#143 - Is this cell tower business any good?#142 - Should we buy this Crossfit Gym?#141 - A very profitable B2B Internet Business in the Petcare Vertical#140 - Let’s SBA the heck out of this deal - with special Guest Heather EndresenSubscribe to weekly our Newsletter and get curated deals in your inboxAdvertise with us by clicking hereDo you love Acquanon and want to see our smiling faces? Subscribe to our Youtube channel.Do you enjoy our content? Rate our show!Follow us on Twitter @acquanon Learnings about small business acquisitions and operations.For inquiries or suggestions, email us at contact@acquanon.com

9 snips
Nov 23, 2022 • 31min
Is this cell tower business any good? - Acquisitions Anonymous episode 143
Want to receive this listing in your inbox? Signup for our weekly newsletter:https://www.getrevue.co/profile/acquanon-----Michael Girdley (@Girdley), Mills Snell (@thegeneralmills), and Bill D’Alessandro (@BillDA) talk about a 15-year-old Telecom Tower Business in the southeast side of Dallas. We share our perspectives on this business transaction and determine whether we’d buy this or not. The rise of technology is transforming every aspect of society, and in this episode, we will discuss whether the impending technological changes will be beneficial or harmful. In addition, we will discuss the factors that we believe should be prioritized by a buyer.-----Thanks to our sponsor!SMBash.com - Join us in Austin, TX, April 27th - 30th, 2023, for one-on-one interaction with others who focus on buying, operating, and investing in the SMB and Micro-PE space.SMBash is a live gathering of SMB, Micro-PE, and ETA owners, operators, and investors.-----Show Notes:(00:00) - Introduction(00:39) - Our sponsor is SMBash(02:02) - Deal & financials: A 15-year-old Telecom Tower Business(03:43) - What does this company do?(08:47) - Mike’s idea on the deal(11:44) - What do we think of this deal, and why do we hate it?(13:52) - Is this industry in a bull or a bear market?(14:59) - Why would you sell a business which is about to close a BIG contract?(16:23) - Is there an obsolescence risk on the tech side?(18:58) - What should buyers prioritize?(20:07) - How are some investments so profitable? What does this mean for VC & PE investing?(21:06) - What do we think about betting on future tech trends?(23:20) - Is there a bull case for “soon to be obsolete” businesses?(29:30) - We’re looking for B2B service businesses. Send ‘em over!-----Additional episodes you might enjoy:#142 - Should we buy this Crossfit Gym?#141 - A very profitable B2B Internet Business in the Petcare Vertical#140 - Let’s SBA the heck out of this deal - with special Guest Heather Endresen#139 - Will we make bank with a Medical Equipment Supply Company?#138 - See-food but for plants? With special guest Xavier Helgesen Subscribe to weekly our Newsletter and get curated deals in your inboxAdvertise with us by clicking hereDo you love Acquanon and want to see our smiling faces? Subscribe to our Youtube channel.Do you enjoy our content? Rate our show!Follow us on Twitter @acquanon Learnings about small business acquisitions and operations.For inquiries or suggestions, email us at contact@acquanon.com


