“Bet on yourself, it’s the best return you’ll ever make”

Hello and happy Friday!

On Monday, I told you about Josh and how he negotiated over $1M off the asking price of a business acquisition.

In today’s newsletter, you’ll learn the most powerful lessons he learned in this process, and how you can apply those lessons to your first acquisition. 👇

Community Spotlight

Before we get into Josh’s biggest lessons, here’s another powerful success story from an Acquisition Ace community member.

Alex B bought a $315K government contracting business while keeping his W2 job after joining Acquisition Ace.

He went from doing it alone with no roadmap to having structure, community support, and a closed deal.

👉 Want a clear roadmap and empowering community to guide you through your first acquisition? Book a call with our team here.

“For those in W2 jobs where people haven’t bet on them, go bet on you. Because that’s the best return you’ll possibly make.”

Josh told me that after closing on a 30-year-old creative marketing agency in Minneapolis, where he negotiated the price down from $3.8M to $2.75M…

And structured the deal so he put just $150K in with no personal guarantee.

Let’s get into Josh’s 3 biggest lessons from betting on himself.

(Josh structured this deal as a minority owner - just 18% - while his operating partner runs day-to-day. He’s already on track to make his full $150K back in year one, almost entirely passively. Inside Acquisition Ace, we help members think through creative structures like this. To see if our community is a good fit for you, book a call with our team here.)

3 key takeaways from our conversation

1. Minority ownership can be the smarter play

Josh gave up majority ownership to bring in an experienced operator, and it freed him from day-to-day involvement entirely.

His most valuable asset is his time, and this structure protected it.

2. Use LinkedIn as part of your search to find business partners

Josh used LinkedIn to find his operating partner, searching specifically for VP-level marketing talent in Minneapolis with the right background, team-building experience, and values alignment.

After reaching out to about 10 people, he found the right fit, and everything worked out better than he could have imagined.

3. Shop your SBA loan

Josh’s partner had a relationship with US Bank that landed them an 8.5% fixed rate.

This saved roughly $7K per month compared to what he’d originally projected, and is a powerful reminder that shopping lenders is a crucial part of making great deals.

This week’s action item

Write out your ideal operator profile (the person who would run a business you acquired day-to-day).

• What’s their background?

• What have they built?

• Where would you find them?

Getting clear on this before you need them will save you weeks when the right deal comes along.

To hear the full story of exactly how Josh structured this deal…

Watch our full interview here.

P.S. Josh had been searching for deals on his own for over a year before joining Acquisition Ace.

And just two months after joining, he was writing his first LOI.

If you want the same support and community powering your first business acquisition search…

👉 Book a call with our team here to see if the Acquisition Ace community is a good fit.