This Week’s Business Buyer (in 10 Seconds):
Chris spent his career at companies like Microsoft and SAP, and his last 4 years as a CEO still answering to a board.
By the end, his job had become what he calls a "keep the lights on" role… cut costs, don't invest, don't expand.
And as he puts it: "I'm not a 22-year-old who has 40 years … to pursue [this]. It's 10 years or less."
He didn't want to spend those years on someone else's vision.
So he joined SMB Deal Hunter Pro and spent the next 11 months searching, and vetting dozens of deals.
He came close twice: a machine shop he lost on price, and a $9M-a-year construction company he walked away from.
What finally fit was 2 franchise territories.
He'd had franchise brokers pitching him from the start, but didn't feel confident going it alone.
With our help, he and his partner signed a $925K deal for 2 territories of Pirtek.
Pirtek replaces the hydraulic hoses on heavy equipment used in farming, mining, forestry and construction.
Today, he's hiring his team for a November launch, with $350K to $400K a year in profit projected after year one.
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!
Do you feel like you could reach the very top of your company and still not get to make the big calls?
Chris knows that feeling.
After 26 years in tech, he made it to CEO, and the big calls still belonged to his board.
And in his late 50s, with maybe 10 good working years ahead of him, he was done waiting for that to change.
He'd even been through 8 acquisitions in enterprise software.
And he still wondered: "Can I actually do this? Do I know what I'm doing?"
Because buying a small business was a different world, and franchising was one he admits he knew nothing about.
And at his stage, one wrong deal could cost him years he didn't have.
What he needed was someone in his corner who knew how these deals actually get done.
So he joined SMB Deal Hunter Pro.
As a quick reminder, SMB Deal Hunter Pro is our business buying accelerator where we help you find, finance, and acquire a business in 6-12 months...or work with you for free until you do.
Within 2 months, he made his first offer, on a machine shop that came through our deal flow.
He lost it on price by "just a small amount." Looking back, he says, "I probably should have had a few more irons in the fire."
And with the time he had left, he wanted something already proven, that could turn a profit fast.
Along the way, he learned what he calls a part of the program that should get more credit: "A lot of this journey is about discovering what you really want to buy, and what you think you're going to be good at doing as a business owner."
For Chris, that journey ended in a place very few of our members go.
Instead of buying a business OR an actively running franchise, he ended up choosing a third path.
He bought the rights to 2 new franchise territories.
Today, he and his partner own 2 Pirtek territories in Oregon, part of a network of about 200 franchise operators.
Their trucks will fix broken hydraulic hoses right at the customer's site, 24/7, which is where 75% of Pirtek's revenue comes from.
After year one, the business is projected to bring in about $1.3M in revenue and $350K to $400K in profit.
And he's hiring the crew right now, ahead of a November 30 launch.
So how does that actually work?
How does a tech CEO who'd never owned a small business land 2 franchise territories in under a year?
And why did he walk away from a $9M-a-year company, even after the seller offered to cut the price from $5M to $3M?
And why pick a brand new franchise territory instead?
And where did we step in?
We helped him vet about 25 deals, get a quality of earnings review from a pre-vetted CPA firm we referred him to, and build the business plan he reused for his franchise.
And the $5M deal he walked away from? In his words: "I don't consider that a failure. That was actually a success."
Here's why this week's alumni case study is a must watch:
→ By the time he walked away, 4 banks had backed out of that $5M deal, and the last one called it "a sinking ship." He explains the math that told him to walk, and why he still calls it a success.
→ He put $120K into the deal, which covered both territories and cleared the minimum down payment for SBA lending. We break down how the down payment math works when you buy a franchise.
→ The franchise wasn't allowed to show him its raw financials. He explains how he checked the real numbers anyway before signing.
→ The plan is to open the second territory within a year, and ideally run 3 or 4 before deciding whether to renew the franchise or sell. He walks through how he and his partner plan to grow it.
Click below and watch me walk through his journey step by step 👇
And here's how Chris sums up the program...
"I wouldn't be where I am at without your program, just truly honest… your team, every one of them … they're all freaking great."
Chris leaned on our battle-tested deal team to help him...
Know exactly what to ask in due diligence, including a quality of earnings review from a CPA firm we referred him to
Size up opportunities faster with our Acquisition Strategists, which he used to judge his franchise opportunities too
Get quick answers from experienced advisors on Slack, from the moment he joined till he bought his franchise territories.
So if you want to buy a $1M+ business in 6-12 months without spending years on the wrong deal, let's talk.
Talk soon,
Helen
👀 P.S. Chris's advice for anyone who joins: "Ask a lot of questions because your team is always responsive. And even ask questions that are stupid or you think are dumb or idiotic or ignorant because you don't know everything about buying a business."
He's not the only one leaning on the team.
With 2 days left in September, 8 Pro members have already closed deals this month, with another 20 under LOI.
We helped them source on and off market opportunities and worked 1:1 with each of them to review deals for red flags and structure a winning offer. For the ones still under LOI, next up we'll help them navigate due diligence, secure financing, and prepare for the transition.
The next 90 days are also the last real window before the holidays, so to get buyers off the sidelines, we're adding a one-time end-of-quarter bonus for anyone who joins Pro this month.
👉 Book a free 1-on-1 strategy call and we'll build your search together: what you can realistically afford, the deals that fit, and your financing options.