From Disney & Snapchat -> $1M Auto Repair Shop

Author

Helen Guo
January 19, 2026

Hey - Helen here,

This week’s SMB Deal Hunter Pro alumni interview with Branden hits all the notes you’d expect:

  • The golden handcuffs at a cushy corporate job

  • Zero business experience before starting his search

  • And the desire to actually have control over his financial future

Branden spent almost 20 years working at companies like Disney, Snapchat, and United Talent Agency. He’d climbed the corporate ladder his whole career.

Most recently, Branden was a finance director at a private equity-backed talent agency in Hollywood. The kind of job where you're supposed to be directing the work, not doing it all yourself.

But that's not how it worked.

He was working long hours. Expected to do more with less. And he knew it wouldn't change even if he moved jobs.

Meanwhile, his daughter had just turned two.

His wife wasn't keen on him traveling.

And he knew whatever role he took on next would promise boundaries at the start, then demand the same sacrifice when promotion time came.

So he made a decision:

"If I'm gonna work that hard, I'm gonna need to own it."

He'd been the "first mate" on these corporate ships for almost two decades. He knew his way around financial statements and operational metrics. He figured he could run a business himself.

But he also knew he didn't want to figure it out alone.

"At this point in my life and career, I don't have any pride in sort of figuring everything out on my own. I wanna be directed in the right way and just move quickly."

- Branden

So he joined SMB Deal Hunter Pro with zero prior search experience. He hadn’t even started the process.

11 months later, he closed on a ~$1M auto repair shop less than 10 minutes from his house in LA.

Here's a sneak peek at the deal:

💡 $384K Owner Earnings

💡 $960K Revenue

💡 80% SBA financing, 7.5% seller note, 12.5% equity

💡 Business operating for 38+ years

The business had zero marketing for 15-20 years. A prehistoric website. No formal scheduling system. And a previous owner who was doing "two and a half jobs" with three phones in his hands.

Branden saw upside everywhere.

But the path to close wasn't smooth. In the interview, Branden breaks down:

→ How we helped him refine his buy box after looking at NEMT, dental implants, car washes, and cleaning services. Each had issues he only spotted through the search process.

→ How he used the Pro program's LOI framework to negotiate down from "north of a million." He used our time tested tactics to drive down the price using issues he saw during diligence.

→ How we helped him get his seller to accept a seller note after they initially refused any seller financing at all. 

→ How we helped him negotiate a loan rate that he couldn’t even imagine when starting the process by targeting multiple preferred lenders and leveraging competition.

And when we asked him how it feels now that he's on the other side, one month into ownership, here's what he said:

"When you're working at W2…if you work harder, maybe you'll get the bonus, maybe you'll get the promotion or not. But honestly, if I'm being real, I feel so energized to work hard in this business because I know that I will ultimately take the biggest part of what's coming in. It's just different when you own it. You just care more."

- Branden

Branden leaned on our battle-tested deal team to help him…

  • Source his deals on and off-market (personalized exactly to his needs)

  • Navigate every step of the process from the first broker call to closing day (one on one)

  • And ultimately help him not just buy a business, but one he can grow and succeed with…

So, if you want to buy a $1M+ business in the next 6-12 months, but don’t want to spend years spinning your wheels alone, let’s talk.

Talk soon,
Helen Guo