This Week’s Business Buyer (in 10 Seconds):
Justin spent 20+ years managing warehouses and transportation. Then, 4 years ago, he was let go from his job.
If all that experience couldn't protect his job, what could?
While he looked for his next role, one thought stuck with him: “man, it’d be great if I just sort of ran my own business.”
So after landing a new job, he spent 2 to 3 years searching on the side, combing through hundreds of deals while teaching himself how buying a business works.
And after all that time, he still hadn’t bought one.
So he set himself a deadline: buy a business within the next 12 to 18 months.
To pull it off, he’d need help from people who’d done this before.
That’s when he joined SMB Deal Hunter Pro to get there faster, and put in 15 to 20 hours a week searching.
All around a full-time job, and being a single dad.
His first deal got so close that he'd already handed in his notice at work.
But the seller backed out at the finish line, after the diligence, legal and accounting were all done.
That same day, a landscaping company he’d passed on as too pricey came back. In his words, “maybe this is divine intervention or something.”
Today, that company is his. It cash flows about $425K a year, and he’s already $20K to $30K ahead of plan.
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 passed on a business you loved because the asking price was out of reach?
You closed the listing, told yourself it wasn’t meant to be, and moved on.
Justin knows that feeling.
About a month after joining SMB Deal Hunter Pro, he found his, at an asking price out of his ballpark.
But instead of walking away, he talked to the broker anyway.
It wasn’t the right time, so he kept looking.
Around Christmas, he signed an offer letter on another landscaping company. It was the kind of hands-on operations business he’d been hunting for.
He paid for full due diligence, legal and accounting, and even handed in his notice at work.
Then that seller called: “I’m out. I’m not gonna sell it. I’m keeping the business.”
Justin got back to his desk “beyond discouraged.” In his words, “I was down and out.”
But he wasn’t doing it alone. He had our team in his corner.
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.
And then the unexpected happened.
That same day, Justin opened his computer to an email from the broker of the business he’d passed on because he couldn’t afford it.
The deal with another buyer had just fallen through, and the broker wanted to know: was Justin still interested?
He said yes, and went back in.
This time, our acquisition strategists helped him work out his offer and get through diligence a second time.
In the end, he got it for $1.2M, far below what the seller first asked.
He closed ahead of his own 12 to 18 month deadline, all while holding down a full-time job as a single dad.
Today, the company he once passed on is his, cash flowing about $425K a year.
Most of the work is weekly lawn and property maintenance, at 30% to 40% margins.
And the seller financed 25% of the price himself, so he has real skin in the game.
But it’s more than money to him.
The seller has owned the company for 40 years, and in Justin’s words, “He wants to see me and the business do well. It’s his legacy.”
So Justin runs it hands-on every day, with the same long-time crew and the seller still a phone call away.
And it’s already paying off: his first month beat his own projection by $20K to $30K.
So how does that actually work?
How do you pick yourself back up when a seller walks at the finish line, after you’ve already handed in your notice?
How does a 20-year supply chain guy run a landscaping company he’s still learning? (Hint: his job was never to lay the patios.)
And what was the very first thing he changed after taking over? (Customers are already paying faster because of it.)
And where did we step in?
He’d spent 2 to 3 years searching on his own. With us, he closed in 11 months.
Our AI deal aggregator and personalized daily deal emails cut through the noise, so his 15 to 20 hours a week went to the right deals.
And whenever he hit a question, our acquisition strategists got back to him within hours.
Here's why this week's alumni case study is a must-watch:
→ He put just 10% down, and his seller agreed to wait 2 full years before collecting a dime on his 25% seller note. We break down the full structure, including the extra line of credit he built in to protect his cash flow.
→ He isn't paying himself yet, and that's on purpose. He walks through why he's stockpiling cash in year one, and the businesses he wants to add on over the next 10 years.
→ He knew what to look for beyond the numbers. He explains why a long-tenured crew was near the top of his list.
→ His seller still picks up the phone, months after closing. He explains what he promised to win him over, and how that’s paying off now.
Click below and watch me walk through his journey step by step 👇
How He Went From Losing His Job to a $425K/yr Business
And here's what Justin says made the biggest difference...
“The biggest benefit of being in the program is having the access to the [acquisition strategists], because there were many times in both of my due diligence timeframes where I was just like scratching my head about this, that, or the other thing. … You have a question, it's like you get a response within hours.”
Justin leaned on our battle-tested deal team to help him...
Focus his search with our AI deal aggregator and daily deal emails, instead of digging through BizBuySell on his own
Craft his offer with our acquisition strategists, from the right number to exactly how to phrase it
Get answers within hours through two rounds of diligence
So if you want to buy a $1M+ business in 6-12 months, even while you're still working full time, let's talk.
Talk soon,
Helen
👀 P.S. New members are getting under LOI every week right now.
Q3 just closed out as our biggest quarter yet: over $45M in deals closed by Pro members and another $116M under LOI.
Behind the scenes, we help Pro members source opportunities (including off-market deals you won’t find on BizBuySell).
Then we work with each member 1:1 to spot red flags, structure winning offers, and secure financing, handholding them all the way to close and through the transition.
This is the most momentum we've ever had going into Q4. If you want to be a part of it…
👉 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.