Jared Johnson sits down with husband and wife operators Tahir Zaman Hussain and Neilab Rahimzada to unpack an 18-month search that started in London and New York, survived a failed first deal, and ended with the acquisition of a hyper niche window restoration company with decades of brand equity. They explain why calling brokers directly beat scrolling listings, how a prior LOI on a fire sprinkler company fell apart over working capital, and what changed when they found a seller who was transparent and responsive. The pair walk through pricing, a structured transition that kept the seller away from staff, and why even a negative working capital model still demanded real cash at close for insurance and early costs. They share role reversals once they took the keys, the expected J curve, discovering demand that exceeded capacity, and the plan to professionalize operations while hiring to remove themselves as the bottleneck.

Main Takeaways:

• Calling brokers and building relationships beats passively browsing listings
• Seller fit and transparency are early signals of post close reality
• Working capital is a must have topic, if the seller cannot grasp it, walk away
• Even firms with negative net working capital need cash at close for early bills
• Weekly seller calls and a living data room keep diligence moving and cut surprises
• A tailored transition can work if the seller is kept away from employees and authority
• Expect role shifts after close, divide by aptitude rather than the original plan
• The J curve is real, track project efficiency early or you give margin away
• A strong and aligned deal team keeps emotions in check and momentum toward close
• Growth needs capacity and systems, hire to free owners for tools, process, and scale
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Episode Highlights:

• [00:00:28 ] Backgrounds, London and Long Island roots, careers in finance and capital markets
• [00:03:06 ] Why ownership, investment returns and the itch to operate
• [00:04:47 ] What they bought, a hyper niche window restoration company with outsized reputation
• [00:07:37 ] How they sourced it, broker outreach over listing sites and why that worked
• [00:10:18 ] Search timeline, education in mid 2023, close in October after about 18 months
• [00:11:45 ] The first LOI that died, fire sprinkler company and a breakdown on working capital
• [00:14:06 ] Context on working capital in lower middle market deals, shifting norms and lessons learned
• [00:18:20 ] The right seller, transparency, fast document turns, weekly calls, clean diligence cadence
• [00:20:11 ] Transition design, seller support for two months without interacting with staff
• [00:23:05 ] Deal structure at a high level, SBA senior debt, standby seller note, modest buyer cash
• [00:24:55 ] Why they still needed working capital, insurance costs and early cash needs in New York
• [00:27:01 ] The value of an aligned deal team, keeping emotions steady through closing
• [00:29:35 ] Day one, the speech, then role reversal, Tahir on sales, Neilab on operations
• [00:32:42 ] Performance, an initial dip then trending toward the best year in company history
• [00:33:30 ] What is next, systematize operations, add headcount, prepare to handle more demand
• [00:36:13 ] Mentorship, leaning on entrepreneurial family and the search for a mentor
• [00:38:44 ] Motivation, stewardship of a legacy brand and showing up even when it is hard

Connect with Jared:

If you have questions for Jared, visit: https://jaredwjohnson.com

https://www.linkedin.com/in/jaredwjohnson/

DISCLAIMER:

The views and opinions expressed in this program are those of the guests and host. They do not necessarily reflect the views or positions of my employer.

Keywords:

entrepreneurship through acquisition, ETA, SBA loans, working capital, broker outreach, seller diligence, window restoration, niche services, transition planning, negative working capital, first 100 days, project tracking, J curve, operations professionalization, demand management, deal team, seller note, DSCR awareness, small business ownership, capacity planning