Acquisition Lab Capital just invested $1.4M in California Air Conveying. Founded 1978. 450+ customers. 200+ relationships spanning 20+ years. Rick P. in as CRO. Growth plan in motion. Congratulations Rick. Own your future. #AcquisitionLab #OwnYourFuture #ETA #MainStreet

Episode 6 of “How I Bought a Business” is out now. This episode: Joe Wechsler, CEO of VirtuAlly and Partner at Blueline Ventures. He did not have a lot of cash. No cushion. If it did not work, he was at zero. He bought anyway. Watch the full episode here: piped.video/iBKANpF4rg0?utm_sou… #AcquisitionLab #HowIBoughtABusiness #BuyThenBuild #ETA #EntrepreneurshipThroughAcquisition

Chad Lacek quit his job to search full time. Finite runway. Real stakes. He brought three deals to Acquisition Lab before closing the right one. Each time someone found what he had missed. Seven months post close, he still goes back for advice. The biggest benefit? Peace of mind. acquisitionlab.com #AcquisitionLab #OwnYourFuture #ETA #SMB #BuyThenBuild

Months of cold emails to brokers. No responses. He joined Acquisition Lab, showed up prepared, and the broker called him back the same day. If you are who you think you are, you will be able to do it. Watch the full episode here: piped.video/8ud0XRzDU_s?utm_sou… #AcquisitionLab #OwnYourFuture #ETA #SMB #BuyThenBuild

Not all businesses handle cash the same way and it changes your entire valuation. Working capital negative: customers prepay. Working capital positive: the business spends before it collects. Know which one you are buying before you make an offer. acquisitionlab.com #AcquisitionLab #OwnYourFuture #ETA #SMB #BusinessAcquisition

How much do you need in personal savings to acquire a company? Walker Deibel, in his famous book, Buy Then Build (published 2018), recommended having an average of $65,000 in personal savings before searching for a business to buy. Walker also founded @Acquisition_Lab , whose current CEO is @jordanfliegel . I got to sit down with Jordan recently to ask him if that is still the case in 2026. His answer below on the different requirements and paths for searchers depending on where they are in their careers👇

John R. just closed on A.W. Bergey and Sons Floor Coverings. Founded 1950. 75+ years in business. 17 months of searching. SBA financed. Done. Every failed deal prepares you for the right one. That is choosing your hard. #AcquisitionLab #OwnYourFuture #ETA #MainStreet

What risks should you watch out for when you buy a business? I spoke to @jordanfliegel of @Acquisition_Lab about what to look out for. His answer especially mattered, as he has personally gone through the process and now helps advise the 120K+ members of the Lab on their own acquisitions. And those members have done over 480+ acquisitions, surpassing $1 billion in acquisitions. TL;DR: Jordan had three big elements he mentioned 1. Margin of Safety Most people go into buying a business as optimists. They look for low-hanging fruit to increase cash flow immediately. But things don't always work that way. J-curves are real and revenue often dips before recovering post-acquisition. So Jordan recommends having enough capital to compensate for a potential 20%~30% dip. Often called a debt service coverage ratio (DSCR) or in other words, how much cash you have available to pay your debt. 2. Flight risk Alongside the owner, most businesses have a few key employees much of the company's success depends. It is imperative you identify who those are early in the process and invest in building relationships with them. Jordan recommends sometimes giving them a slight bonus as well post-acquisition and spending time listening and learning from them to ensure they feel safe and valued under new ownership. 3. Enthusiasm risk Though much less tangible, Jordan recommends being honest about whether you will wake up every day excited about the business you're acquiring. Will it require you to live in a city you do not want to be in? Will it allow you to do the things that fulfill you? Listen to Jordan's full answer below 👇

There is a deeper satisfaction in owning a business than you can understand before you buy one. His kids wear the company shirts to bed. That is what ownership actually feels like. Watch the full episode here: piped.video/8ud0XRzDU_s?utm_sou… #AcquisitionLab #HowIBoughtABusiness #BuyThenBuild #ETA

The number on the listing and the number the bank uses are not the same. SDE includes the owner's salary. EBITDA deducts it. Lenders work off EBITDA, and you can borrow about 3.75x. Know the difference before you walk into a lender conversation. Learn more at acquisitionlab.com #AcquisitionLab #ETA #SBALoan #SMB

@Acquisition_Lab is one of the best programs an acquisition entrepreneur can get into. The Lab has over 120K members who've completed over $1 billion in acquisitions across 480+ deals. But they don't just accept everyone into the program. So I interviewed The Lab's CEO, @jordanfliegel , to talk about what they look for in members. To see what gives them confidence that someone might be able to successfully complete an acquisition. His answer might surprise you; it was not an MBA or a prestigious degree 👇

Episode 5 of "How I Bought a Business" is out now. Brian Hartman, CEO of Arbor Alliance. 15 hour days. Numbers that looked fine on paper. A bank account that told a different story. Watch what happened next. Full episode here: piped.video/8ud0XRzDU_s?utm_sou… #AcquisitionLab #HowIBoughtABusiness #BuyThenBuild #ETA

We've come a long way and now have the most amazing title sponsor for the pod. Just stoked! Welcome @Acquisition_Lab! (PS - if you're buying a business, they're amazing.)

We are pumped to announce a long term partnership with @Acquisition_Lab - they’re the go-to place for acquisition entrepreneurs to learn and grow, and a key part of the ETA ecosystem. We’re excited to have them as presenting sponsor!

Super excited to announce Acquisition Lab as the presenting sponsor of our podcast. They’ve been great partners for a long time, and we couldn’t think of a better fit than the leading ecosystem for serious acquisition entrepreneurs. Acquisitions Anonymous, presented by Acquisition Lab. @acquisition_lab @girdley @BillDA @thegeneralmills @endresenheather @jordanfliegel @tjericson

Most buyers never hear a deal talked through until it's their own. @acquanon lets you listen in first. Every episode, the hosts take a business that just hit the market and work through it like a buyer would. Acquisition Lab is now the show's presenting sponsor.

722 people. Same mistake. Talking to brokers and sellers without a buyer profile, a lender letter of support, or a personal financial statement. Three documents. That is what separates a serious buyer from everyone else. Learn more at acquisitionlab.com #AcquisitionLab #OwnYourFuture #ETA #SMB #BusinessAcquisition

"Deep down you're scared, or you haven't done the work to figure out what you truly want." Evan Stewart, CEO of Direct One. Two years searching. Multiple failed LOIs. One mindset shift that changed everything. Watch the full story to see what changed: piped.video/y6r_DdlOeHo?utm_sou…

Is acquisition entrepreneurship fun? Honestly, not really. It takes fortitude, discipline, and deliberate decision making at every step. But making a call and seeing the results because it was yours to make? That satisfaction is real. Serious work. Real autonomy. Choose your hard. acquisitionlab.com #AcquisitionLab #OwnYourFuture #ETA #ChooseYourHard #SMB

"That's how stupid I was at the time." Evan Stewart thought he could run an 80 person, two facility business hybrid from Jacksonville. Reality had other plans. Then the house went on the market. Then the layoff hit. Watch the full story now: piped.video/y6r_DdlOeHo?utm_sou… #AcquisitionLab #BuyThenBuild #ETA