How Sam bought a $1.4M outdoor lighting franchise for $90K out of pocket

Happy Monday!

Today’s story is about Sam, a former senior operations manager at Amazon working seven days a week, grinding through one of the most demanding corporate environments there is.

When a knee injury forced him to stop, he asked himself a question he’d been avoiding:

Is this really what I want to keep doing?

Nine months after joining Acquisition Ace, he closed on a 30-year-old outdoor lighting franchise in the Dayton-Cincinnati area for $1.41M.

He put in $90K of his own money and is projecting $150K+ in cash flow after debt service in year one - before even touching the growth opportunities the previous owner had left on the table.

Before sharing Sam’s story, here’s a success story from the Acquisition Ace community.

Jessica bought a $2.4M home healthcare agency and is projecting over $400K in profit in year one after joining Acquisition Ace.

She went from nurse practitioner to business owner with a business that’s already exceeding projections.

👉 Want priceless education and a community where everyone wants you to succeed? Book a call with our team here.

Before the deal

The injury was serious - his ACL, PCL, and LCL all need to be repaired after a jujitsu accident.

The forced time off gave Sam space to think clearly about what he actually wanted, and business ownership kept coming up as the answer.

Finding the deal

Sam looked at over a thousand businesses across Ohio and Southwest Florida before narrowing his focus, and submitted offers on five.

One stuck - an outdoor lighting company.

The seller was semi-retired, splitting his time between this business and two others.

Sam initially passed on it because it was a franchise. But when he learned it was the founding location with great team stability, he decided it was worth going for.

(Inside Acquisition Ace, members learn how to evaluate franchise resales alongside standard acquisitions, and how to spot when a franchise deal fits the buy box. If you’d like that kind of support in making your first business deal, book a call with our team here and let’s chat.)

The deal breakdown

Purchase price: $1.25M listed

Total with working capital: $1.41M

SDE: ~$337K annually

Multiple: ~4x (justified by existing management team in place)

Financing: SBA loan covering majority

Projected year-one cash flow after debt service: $150K+

Cash-on-cash return: ~150-160%

What he’s doing now

The business runs on inbound leads, digital marketing, repeat service calls, and a team that doesn’t need Sam present every day.

The seller is handling inventory during transition and gradually stepping back.

The growth opportunity Sam is most excited about is holiday lighting services.

The previous owner had been putting in minimal effort on that side of the business despite it being a high-margin service in a strong market.

Sam estimates at least $800K in additional revenue available just by being more intentional about it - revenue the business has essentially been ignoring for years.

The key lesson

“Jump into it head first and learn by doing. When you get into situations you didn’t expect, the community is there - and that made all the difference.”

Sam worked a brutally demanding job, reviewed over a thousand businesses, submitted five offers, and navigated a months-long closing process while recovering from a major knee surgery.

He got burned a couple of times along the way, but kept going, and ultimately made a deal.

Ready to find and close your first acquisition?

Join the Acquisition Ace community with 2,000+ members who are learning to find, finance, and close deals just like Sam.

👉 Book a call with our team here to see if it's a good fit.

This is the tool I use to find deals: SMBMarket.com