“Taking the risk is paying off in multiples every single day”

Happy Friday!

On Monday, I told you about Mario, who bought a $1.8M niche Texas craft store for $25K out of pocket, is tracking 40% above the previous owner’s revenue in his first homecoming season, and is already eyeing his second acquisition.

Today, you’ll get his biggest lessons from that deal, and access to our full conversation about how he pulled it off. 👇

Aisha left her corporate job at Amazon and bought a $2.4M CPA firm with her husband Mark while he kept his full-time W2 job.

They went from looking at big cities where brokers wouldn’t even return their calls to finding a small-town Indiana firm in an Amish community with sticky clients and clean books.

They closed on New Year’s Eve and are projected to make $500K+ annually by year two after transition costs.

They’re not CPAs, but brought Mark’s dad (who is a CPA) on board to help the seller feel comfortable, and it worked.

👉 Want to buy your first business and learn everything you need to have a successful acquisition? Book a call with our team here.

“Taking the risk was worth it. It’s paying off in multiples every single day.”

That’s what Mario told me after closing on a business he’d never heard of in a niche he had to look up on TikTok…

While still working his full-time W2 job.

3 key takeaways from our conversation

1. Use the community even when you can’t show up live

Mario listened to recordings at the gym, on drives, and during a 19-hour road trip with his family.

He couldn’t make a single live call, yet still closed a $1.8M deal in six months from everything he learned in our community.

2. When the deal dies at the last minute, take the high road

The seller pulled out with closing in sight.

Mario thanked the broker, asked to personally thank the seller, and let it go.

The next morning the broker called back, and the seller wanted to talk again thanks to Mario staying composed and gracious, even when a deal fell apart.

(Mario couldn’t attend a single live call during his search. He built his entire knowledge base through call recordings - hundreds of hours of them. Inside Acquisition Ace, every call is recorded and searchable. If you’re curious to learn more about joining our community of deal makers, book a call with our team here and let’s talk.)

3. A seller note on standby changes everything

Mario negotiated a $675K seller note on 3-year full standby - about 35% of the purchase price.

Combined with a 25-year SBA loan term on the real estate, his personal cash requirement dropped to $25K on a $1.8M deal.

Understanding how to use seller financing creatively is what made this structure possible.

This week’s action item

Find one industry you’ve never considered as an acquisition target and spend 30 minutes researching it.

Search “[industry] business for sale” on SMBMarket or BizBuySell, look at the margins, and ask yourself: do people need this regardless of the economy?

Sometimes the best opportunities are the ones nobody else is looking at.

To hear the full story of how Mario structured and secured this deal…

Watch our full interview here.

P.S. Mario said the coaches and the community were what got him across the finish line, especially the responsiveness when he had questions between calls.

If you want that same level of support behind your business search…

👉 Book a call with our team to see how the Acquisition Ace community could help you close your first acquisition.