New Podcast: Ex-Financial Advisor Buys Wedding Venue, Exits to Family Office... Now Onto Acquisition #2

Hello SMB Deal Hunters!

I’m excited to share a new interview with Nick Patrick, a former financial advisor who went from never having attended a wedding… to owning a wedding venue and catering company that he exited to a family office in under two years.

Then, just a few months ago, Nick acquired his second business, a residential and commercial solar company in Colorado, through a grind-it-out off-market search that spanned thousands of cold emails, hundreds of calls, and a deeply personalized outreach strategy.

Today's issue is sponsored by SMB Diligence, the platform I helped start for matching business buyers with vetted legal counsel and Quality of Earnings providers.

COMMUNITY WINS

Here’s what one SMB Deal Hunter Pro member shared this past week:

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?

👉 Learn More and Book A Call

INTERVIEW

This episode is full of insights for anyone serious about buying their first (or next) business. We cover:

• Why Nick left a stable 8-year career at Fidelity to become a small business owner

• How he bought a $1M wedding venue business with just $10K out of pocket and 70% seller financing

• What he learned running a seasonal, high-deposit, labor-intensive company

• Why he exited — and how he sold the business to a local family office just 20 months later

• The playbook behind his off-market search that led to his 2nd acquisition: 3,000 companies, 8,800 emails, 850 calls, and custom AI-crafted messages

• How he evaluated the risk of solar and built a team of industry experts, advisors, and even a “deal coach” to guide his diligence

• Why he believes hiring subject matter experts early is non-negotiable for buying in an unfamiliar industry

• His new solar company’s structure, incentive alignment, and what he’s building now

• And more!

👉 Watch the full 67-minute interview with Nick Patrick

PRESENTED BY SMB DILIGENCE

Here’s Why You Shouldn’t Skip Due Diligence…

A friend of mine put a business under LOI and asked me for my advice.

I recommended he contract a 3rd party due diligence partner to rebuild the company's P&L from scratch.

Turns out their EBITDA was off by 2x 😳

Enter SMB Diligence.

SMB Diligence is the platform I helped start for matching business buyers with vetted diligence providers, from M&A lawyers to Quality of Earnings providers.

Their network of experts has worked on hundreds of small business transactions (including many from the SMB Deal Hunter community).

👉 Get introduced to due diligence experts today

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 tomorrow 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.