This Week’s Breakdown (in 10 Seconds):
Brian Hartman spent 14 years growing other people's tree companies before buying his own.
He paid more than the bank thought it was worth to win the deal.
Year one, he almost doubled the business, but it almost broke him.
Today, he runs a 5-brand tree care platform across Atlanta, Dallas, and Jacksonville.
And for our audio-only listeners, jump in and listen on Spotify or Apple Podcasts!
But if you want to learn a bit more, let's dive into the story...
Hello SMB Deal Hunters!
How many of you have spent your career making someone else rich?
You've grown the P&L. You've trained the people. And every year, the upside walks out the door without you.
Brian Hartman lived that for 14 years.
He spent 6 years at a small Atlanta tree company, helping grow it from $1M to $6M in revenue. Then, he jumped to Brightview Landscape Services, started a tree division, and managed P&Ls up to $25M.
But after a few years, he looked at his pregnant wife and said: "I'm not gonna grow somebody else's business again."
In 2022, he bought Northside Tree Professionals ten minutes from his house, with 10% down and a 10% seller carry on an SBA loan.
His bankers told him the business was heavily overvalued.
But Brian knew something they didn't.
Year one, revenue went from $2.6M to $5.1M. A 96% jump.
But that huge revenue jump came with its own hurdles.
Unpaid customer invoices ballooned from $50,000 the day of close to $550,000 by August.
His P&L said he was winning but his bank account said something else entirely.
At one point it got so bad, he'd go home to his wife and cry.
He says it openly: he wouldn't be on this podcast today if he hadn't found a way out.
By 2024, he'd built a team strong enough to run the business without him. So, he left for two months to chase storm cleanup work in South Carolina.
When he came back, the numbers said something he didn't expect.
His Atlanta team had not only kept the business running, they had done better without him.
Then, a friend with a roll-up fund came to him with a deal no other investor had offered. One that would give Brian a unique level of upside.
So, Brian went all in.
The same day, they closed on a tree service company in Dallas.
Today, Arbor Alliance is a tree care platform across Atlanta, Dallas, and Jacksonville with a fifth deal closing soon. The original fund profit goal was $8.5M/yr, and they're on track to hit it before the next acquisition closes.
Member Spotlight
For those who missed it, we also did an SMB Deal Hunter Pro alumni interview breaking down Jeremy’s acquisition of a $4.5M home automation business in Tampa with ONLY 5% down.
The business cash flows $1.32M a year.
Jeremy spent his career at Amazon, Xerox, Toyota, and helping grow two companies from under $4M to nearly $90M combined. He decided he wanted to build something for himself.
So he joined the Pro program. A few months in, he found his deal.
The result?
🔥 He bought a $4.5M business with ONLY 5% down by getting the seller to accept a 10-year standby on one of three seller notes
🔥 He beat four private equity firms to win it, even though he came in $1.5M under the highest offer
🔥 He closed three weeks after his entire division got laid off
He spent his career building other people's companies. Now he runs the dominant home automation business in Tampa.
"There's no way I do this on my own. You can think you're going to use AI. I came from two AI companies. I'm an early adopter. I know how to use it, know how to max it. It's just so much faster and easier and smarter to work with a group."
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 Jeremy what searching for a business felt like before he joined Pro, he said it gave him "imposter syndrome times a thousand." Three weeks after losing his job, he closed on a $4.5M business cash flowing $1.32M a year. That's what the right team does. 👉 Book a call here.
COMMUNITY PERKS
• Ready to buy and operate a $1M+ business? Get expert help at every step.
• Want to invest passively in SMB acquisitions? Get access to investment opportunities.
• Get a personal introduction to my preferred SBA 7(a) lender, non-SBA lenders, Quality of Earnings providers, or legal counsel
• Raising capital for your deal? I’ll connect you with investors from the SMB Deal Hunter Community.
• Interested in selling your business? I’ll help you connect with buyers from the SMB Deal Hunter Community.
THAT’S A WRAP
Want me to interview you for my podcast? Hit reply.
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.