“It’s still better than my day in the corporate world - I don’t regret it at all”

Work with me one-on-one to acquire your first business

I’ve never done this before.

For the first time ever, I’m taking on a small group of students and working with them one-on-one to close their first acquisition.

There are only 25 spots, and it’s a serious investment.

But if you’re committed to acquiring your first business and want to work with me one-on-one to make it happen…

Click here to apply.

Happy Friday!

On Monday, I told you about Brian, a former cybersecurity professional who closed on a behavioral therapy clinic…

In just four months!

He left his corporate job the same month he closed, and is now netting $12K a month after paying himself and his wife salaries while they grow the business together.

Today, you’ll hear his biggest lessons from that deal, and get access to our full conversation about how he made the deal. 👇

Before sharing Brian’s big takeaways, here’s another Acquisition Ace community success spotlight story.

Kristie was a full-time photographer who didn't want to spend another 13 years building a second business from scratch.

So she bought a drop-in daycare with two locations for $485K using a HELOC, putting just $35K out of pocket.

The business was doing $225K in verifiable cash flow with a team already in place, and she kept her photography business running while the daycare operates with minimal involvement from her.

She’s now making over $100K annually from the daycare while working just a few hours per week, and didn’t have to start from zero.

👉 Ready to get the roadmap to buying your first cash-flowing business? Book a call with our team here.

“There are things that pop into your head as a business owner - but it’s still better than my day in the corporate world. I don’t regret it at all.”

That’s what Brian told me five months into owning a business he found, offered on, and closed in under four months…

While still working a full-time cybersecurity job.

3 key takeaways from our conversation

1. Come in at asking price when the deal is right

Brian didn’t negotiate on price. He looked at the numbers, believed in the deal, and came in at asking price to avoid losing it to another buyer.

Not every deal deserves that approach, but when the fundamentals are solid and you have conviction, protecting the deal by removing price friction is sometimes the smarter move.

2. Build direct rapport with the seller - separate from the attorneys

When lawyers on both sides started overcomplicating the language during closing, Brian picked up the phone and called the seller directly.

Two minutes later they were aligned and the deal kept moving, and that relationship he built from the start is what made that possible.

(Brian used the LOI template from the Acquisition Ace course materials without changing a word. His attorney reviewed it and called it “nice and buyer-friendly.” Inside Acquisition Ace, members get access to the same templates. If you’d like access to them too, book a call with our team here and see if Acquisition Ace is right for you.)

3. Buy in an industry someone in your household already understands

Brian’s wife had 15 years of clinical experience in exactly the field they acquired.

That context shaped his confidence in the deal, his read on the staff retention numbers, and his ability to evaluate what the business actually needed post-close.

This week’s action item

Write down every industry where someone in your immediate network - a spouse, sibling, close friend, or former colleague - has deep professional experience.

Then search one listing site for businesses in those industries this week.

You may already have an edge in a deal you haven’t looked for yet!

To hear the full story of how Brian closed his first acquisition in just four months…

Watch our full interview here.

P.S. Brian figured out in four months what most people spend a year trying to get right. A big part of that was having the right framework, and people to lean on when things got complicated.

I’m taking on a small group of students to work with one-on-one for the first time.

Only 25 spots are open, and it’s expensive.

But if you’re ready to stop circling and actually close your first deal, this is how we do it together.

👉 Apply to work with me one-on-one here.

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