Think Big, Buy Small

Throughout the first season, Rick and Royce have asked listeners to reach out to them with any queries they may have related to entrepreneurship through acquisition. Now, in the final episode of Season One, our hosts address many of the questions that were received. This wide-ranging discussion includes reflections on common mistakes made by first-time searchers; the merits and challenges of self-funded versus traditional searches; how real estate considerations factor into acquisition entrepreneurship; ETA in emerging markets; whether searchers need an MBA to successfully search for and then run their own company; what Rick and Royce hope listeners will take away from the first season, and more!

Despite growing up in unstable and challenging circumstances, Jerod Pierce changed the trajectory of his life by embracing educational opportunities, which helped him to thrive in a series of good jobs. He then made the decision to control his own professional destiny through acquisition entrepreneurship, purchasing Mercurio's Heating & Air Conditioning and becoming its CEO. In learning about Jerod's journey from childhood misfortune to present day fortune, listeners will not only hear insights on becoming an entrepreneur through acquisition, including our hosts' reflections on the personal traits that have contributed to Jerod's success, but they will also be inspired by the journey that Jerod has traveled.

In discussions of the entrepreneurship through acquisition journey, our attention is often drawn to the experiences of the searchers, those looking to acquire an enduringly profitable small business. However, two other crucial perspectives to consider are those of the sellers and of the brokers who they have partnered with to help sell their companies. In this episode, we meet Greg Edwards, Founder & CEO of Onsight Healthcare, and Jim Cumbee, a deeply experienced M&A advisor to business owners and Managing Director of Tennessee Valley Group. Greg has retained Jim’s firm to advise him on selling Onsight Healthcare, potentially to a searcher. Hearing their respective positions, thought processes, and insights can help acquisition entrepreneurs to not only better frame their offers but to approach the ecosystem and their transactions within it in a more thoughtful way.

In February of 2024, after a self-funded search, Nick Wheeler took the helm at NSCA & Tra-Cal, an enduringly profitable small business that’s been serving the electronics, manufacturing, and telecom industries since 1988. In this episode, he reflects on his entrepreneurship through acquisition journey to-date, with a particular focus on his experience of “drinking from the firehose” during his first months as CEO. Nick shares the pain of broken deals during the search process; what appealed to him about NSCA & Tra-Cal, including those specific characteristics that made it a high-quality acquisition target; his approach to Day One on the job; his relationship with the seller during the transition period; the strategies he’s implemented; and his thoughts on both the challenges and the tremendous fulfillment that he’s experienced along the way.

After years spent studying and working in the United States, Alexander Wallace recently returned to his native New Zealand to launch a self-funded search for an enduringly profitable small business to buy. In this episode, Alexander reflects on his decision to leave a conventional job in someone else's company in order to become a searcher; the reasons he decided to launch a geographically-focused search in New Zealand, where few have searched before; the type of company he hopes to acquire, along with his strategy for doing so; his thoughts on a potential roll-up strategy; and more. Alexander is just beginning his search, which is a moment of both unbounded optimism and also a bit of apprehension about the unknowns that lie ahead. Listen to learn more about how he’s thinking through potential challenges and opportunities as he takes his first steps on the ETA journey!

The Small Business Administration (SBA) loan program offers acquisition entrepreneurs an incredible opportunity to buy a company with little equity, and on very advantageous terms. Heather Endresen has decades of experience in SBA lending and is now Owner of Viso Business Capital, where she helps searchers in a variety of ways, including finding banks that are most appropriate for their SBA loans. In this episode, Heather explores the ins and outs of these "magical" loans, which differ in important ways from conventional bank loans. She discusses the beauty of SBA loans for first-time buyers, their lack of covenants, the ten-year term, how borrowers might think about the personal guarantee, and more. This is a must-listen episode for anyone considering or in the midst of an entrepreneurship through acquisition journey!

How is it that so many searchers become successful CEOs, even when many have never run a company before and may not have the relevant industry experience? Personal characteristics count for a lot, but so too do company attributes. Sticky customers, for example, are hugely important, as this creates space for a new CEO to learn the ropes of the business. In this episode, we meet Michael Orzetti, an acquisition entrepreneur who, in August of 2020, became CEO of Eastern Communications, a company that sells, services, and maintains critical communications infrastructure and networks. He shares insights from his self-funded search through to present day management of the company, including details of how he and his wife considered the trade-offs between different paths, the attributes he looked for while searching, his relationship with the company founder, and the impressive growth of the business over the last four years.

As an acquisition entrepreneur, Jackie Kopcho is now CEO of Tortorella Swimming Pools, where she leads a team that engineers, builds, and services pools on Long Island, in southeastern New York State. When searching for a company to acquire, Jackie wasn’t looking for this particular industry or location. Rather, she was on the lookout for those qualities that lead to an enduringly profitable business, such as recurring revenue and low customer concentration. This company stood out from the rest as an ideal acquisition target. In this episode, Jackie discusses her overall process of discovery, the experience of coming into the role of CEO, managing challenges associated with a seasonal business, her deep focus on customer service, and more.

Ari Santos and Allan Newman, about to graduate from business school, reflect on the choice between buying their own business or working for someone else. Though there are parallels between their paths, including service in the US Army, these similarities make their differences all the more interesting. From considerations of leadership, risk, and career aspirations to thoughts on location, industry, and funding options, listeners gain insights into the decision of taking a job versus embarking on the journey to find and acquire a small business to run as CEO.

In this episode, Daniella Bertolotti and Steve Goulas discuss the more traditional startup route versus entrepreneurship through acquisition. Just weeks ahead of their graduation from business school, and thinking about what’s next, both are looking for control over their professional lives, want to be in a position where they make decisions that matter, and value rewards being closely tied to the work that they do.  We learn that those who lean more towards founding their own company often have a very specific passion for one industry and a commitment to one location, while people who decide to walk the path of an acquisition entrepreneur are often more focused on the nuts and bolts of managing a business. As you’ll hear, though entrepreneurship through acquisition isn’t for everyone, it is a path that every would-be entrepreneur should consider.

Geoff Duckworth’s story is that of a self-funded search that transformed him from being an employee at a larger firm, to CEO of an enduringly profitable small business, to seller of the company that he had run for years.  It was after reading Rick and Royce’s book, HBR Guide To Buying A Small Business, that he decided to pursue the path of entrepreneurship through acquisition. In this episode, Geoff shares reflections on his experiences as an acquisition entrepreneur, including why he decided to stop working for others and buy his own business; how he sourced companies that were for sale; the qualities he saw in the business he ultimately bought; how he financed the acquisition; and insights on his time spent at the company helm and beyond.  Geoff’s story is a classic example of a complete entrepreneurship through acquisition journey.

Ten years ago, Robin Kovitz became President & CEO of Baskits, now one of Canada’s leading gift services companies, by purchasing the company from its two retiring founders.  Baskits was an acquisition that had many of the qualities that lead to success for first-time CEOs, including recurring customers and a record showing years of profitable operations.  It was also, however, a seasonal business, which is a potential red flag for Rick and Royce.  In this episode, Robin shares insights on why she decided to become an acquisition entrepreneur, the impact of her “being passionate about the business” investment criteria on her geographically focused and self-funded search, her perceptions of risk, the effects of searching on family life, why she loves her role at Baskits, and more.

Are you looking for an alternative to a career path at a big firm? Does founding your own startup seem too risky? There's another compelling path open to you: acquiring a small business and running it as CEO. Co-hosted by Harvard Business School professors Richard Ruback and Royce Yudkoff, the show is an extension of their popular course, Entrepreneurship Through Acquisition, and their highly regarded book, HBR Guide To Buying A Small Business.  Think Big, Buy Small helps listeners to determine if entrepreneurship through acquisition is for them and, if it is, provides insights and guidance on the different milestones along the journey to acquiring an enduringly profitable small business.