From $18M AI Founder to a Cleaning Business (Working 15hrs/week)

Why an $18M AI founder is betting on blue collar instead

Rob spent 8 years building an AI company that raised $18M, signed Fortune 500 customers, and sold to a competitor in 2024.

But he wanted to be home with his two young daughters.

He listened to the CEOs of Anthropic, OpenAI, and DeepMind telling people to be cautious about white-collar work and move toward blue collar.

So in just six weeks, he closed on a residential cleaning business.

Within a year, he DOUBLED the business by acquiring a second location off-market.

Today, he works 15 hours a week and picks his daughters up at 3pm.

👉 Watch exactly how he pulled it off

And for our audio-only listeners, jump in and listen on Spotify or Apple Podcasts!

For those who missed it, we also did an SMB Deal Hunter Pro alumni interview breaking down John's acquisition of two yoga studios in Northern Virginia WITHOUT quitting his 9-to-5.

John spent 6 years as a Navy submarine officer before earning his MBA and moving into Big Four consulting. But eventually, he wanted to build something of his own.

So he joined the Pro program, and ONLY 2 months in, he already had an offer signed.

Here's what makes this story worth watching:

→ How he negotiated the seller down from $2.5M to $1.38M on a business that had been sitting on the market for over a year

→ How he kept the deal alive when the franchise dropped a bombshell just three days before close

→ How he skipped months of trial-and-error by leaning on Bill, an M&A advisor on our team who already owns fitness studios in Northern Virginia

He spent his whole career advising other people's companies.

Now, he owns TWO yoga studios cash flowing $299K a year.

And here's what he had to say:

So, if you want me and my team to work with you to find, finance, and acquire a million-dollar cash-flowing business in the next 6-12 months, you might be interested in the Pro program.

P.S. When we asked John what he'd tell someone watching this who's unsure about taking the leap, here's what he said: "It can't be that easy, but it is." That's what the right team does. 👉 Book a call here

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THAT’S A WRAP

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See you next week with some new deals!

-Helen Guo
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Disclaimer

This publication is a newsletter only and the information provided herein is the opinion of our editors and writers only. Any transaction or opportunity of any kind is provided for information only; SMB Deal Hunter does not verify nor confirm information. SMB Deal Hunter is not making any offer to readers to participate in any transaction or opportunity described herein.