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In this episode of the M&A Launchpad Podcast, hosts Feras Moussa and Casey Minshew welcome Megan McGee, owner of Virginia Guest Houses, a 50-year-old vacation rental management company in Charlottesville, Virginia. Megan shares her journey through nearly four years of entrepreneurship through acquisition, from raising $500,000 from 13 investors and contacting more than 7,500 businesses to navigating failed deals, due diligence challenges, and ultimately acquiring a business through a self-funded search. Megan discusses the realities of operating and growing a vacation rental management company, including managing guest and property owner expectations, building a strong team, and balancing daily operations with long-term strategy. She shares how she has grown the business from approximately 75 properties toward 100, while exploring geographic expansion, strategic acquisitions, and AI to improve efficiency and customer experience. The episode offers valuable lessons for aspiring entrepreneurs and business buyers on navigating the search process, finding the right acquisition, and building a sustainable business. In this podcast episode, we discuss: Traditional Search vs. Self-Funded Search Raising Capital and Managing a Search Fund Lessons Learned from Failed Acquisitions and Due Diligence Proprietary Deal Sourcing and Building Relationships with Sellers Acquiring and Operating a Vacation Rental Management Business The Realities and Challenges of Small Business Operations Growing Through Organic Expansion and Strategic Acquisitions Leveraging AI to Improve Efficiency and the Customer Experience Building a Team and Scaling a Business for Long-Term Success Connect with Megan McGee: Email: [email protected] Megan advises students and alumni on entrepreneurship through acquisition at the University of Virginia's Darden School of Business. Additional Resources: Access our archive of video interviews on YouTube. Get in touch with show hosts Casey Minshew and Feras Moussa at [email protected]. Looking to invest in M&A opportunities or partner with an advisor to acquire, scale, or sell your business? Visit Equity Launchpad. About The M&A Launchpad: The M&A Launchpad provides insights into acquiring, investing in, and selling profitable businesses in the lower to middle market. Whether you are a business owner, investor, or aspiring entrepreneur, we will provide you with the knowledge, guidance, and capital to navigate the world of mergers and acquisitions. The M&A Launchpad presents a series of weekly podcast episodes and hosts an annual M&A Launchpad Conference tailored to the M&A community. Connect with M&A Launchpad: 🎧 Podcast on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0mW6i4ooujqC7eOPWmguU7 🎧 Podcast on Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/m-a-launchpad/id1740382586 🎟️ Attend Upcoming M&A Launchpad Conference: http://malaunchpad.com/

In this episode of the M&A Launchpad Podcast, hosts Casey Minshew and Feras Moussa sit down with fellow Houstonian Ian Reynolds of Thesis Capital Partners. Ian shares how he bought his first business, scaled it from about 15 to more than 200 employees in four and a half years, and turned that experience into an operations-focused independent sponsor named one of Axial's top 20 independent sponsors two years running.  In this episode, we discuss:  Ian's path from startups and Houston energy finance to buying a software services business through a self-funded search  Why Ian partners with proven operators first, then builds an investment thesis and finds the business around them  What a clear seller catalyst looks like, and why most deals need one to negotiate a reasonable price  Building the capital stack under $100M TEV: under-levering, over-equitizing, and using banks, SBICs, and BDCs  Seller alignment through notes, rollover equity, and earnouts (typically 25% to 30% of purchase price)  How independent sponsors get paid: deal fees, management fees, the 6% to 8% pref, carried interest tiers, and management incentive pools  Guest Contact Information  Ian J.H. Reynolds  Founder & Managing Partner, Thesis Capital Partners  LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ianjhreynolds/  Email: [email protected]  Website: https://www.thesiscapital.com  Additional Resources  Thinking about buying a business? Connect with the Equity Launchpad team to learn more about acquisition entrepreneurship and upcoming opportunities.  Contact Casey Minshew and Feras Moussa: [email protected]  Explore more: https://www.equity-launchpad.com   About The M&A Launchpad: The M&A Launchpad provides insights into acquiring, investing in, and selling profitable businesses in the lower to middle market. Whether you are a business owner, investor, or aspiring entrepreneur, we will provide you with the knowledge, guidance, and capital to navigate the world of mergers and acquisitions. The M&A Launchpad presents a series of weekly podcast episodes and hosts an annual M&A Launchpad Conference tailored to the M&A community. Connect with M&A Launchpad: 🎧 Podcast on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0mW6i4ooujqC7eOPWmguU7 🎧 Podcast on Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/m-a-launchpad/id1740382586 🎟️ Attend Upcoming M&A Launchpad Conference: http://malaunchpad.com/

In this episode of the M&A Launchpad Podcast, hosts Casey Minshew and Feras Moussa sit down with Sarah Andrews, SBA Senior Business Development Officer at Northwest Bank, who reviews 200 to 300 acquisition deals a year with her partner Lisa Forrest. Sarah shares what lenders look for in buyers, how to pitch a deal to your bank, and what the latest SBA rule changes mean for acquisition entrepreneurs.  In this episode, we discuss:  Why lenders now weigh the buyer as heavily as the business, and why grit matters  How to stand out to a lender with a one-to-four slide summary instead of the broker's CIM  New SBA rules on QoE for deals of $3M or more, the 10% equity requirement, seller notes, and investor distributions  Loan deferrals, the 75% SBA guarantee, and the 20% rule for trusts in the cap table  Guest Contact Information  Sarah Andrews  SBA Senior Business Development Officer, Northwest Bank  LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sarah-andrews-22a78364/  Email: [email protected]  Office Hours: Every Wednesday at noon, covering all things SBA and the Northwest process  Additional Resources  Thinking about buying a business? Connect with the Equity Launchpad team to learn more about acquisition entrepreneurship and upcoming opportunities.  Contact Casey Minshew and Feras Moussa: [email protected]  Explore more: https://www.equity-launchpad.com    About The M&A Launchpad: The M&A Launchpad provides insights into acquiring, investing in, and selling profitable businesses in the lower to middle market. Whether you are a business owner, investor, or aspiring entrepreneur, we will provide you with the knowledge, guidance, and capital to navigate the world of mergers and acquisitions. The M&A Launchpad presents a series of weekly podcast episodes and hosts an annual M&A Launchpad Conference tailored to the M&A community. Connect with M&A Launchpad: 🎧 Podcast on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0mW6i4ooujqC7eOPWmguU7 🎧 Podcast on Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/m-a-launchpad/id1740382586 🎟️ Attend Upcoming M&A Launchpad Conference: http://malaunchpad.com/

In this episode of the M&A Launchpad Podcast, hosts Casey Minshew and Feras Moussa sit down with Antoine Campbell, founder of CEO 929 Business Solutions, to talk about building the back end of a service business so it's ready to scale, take on capital, or sell. Antoine has been a full-time entrepreneur since 2013, starting with a tag and title agency that grew to three locations, then moving into real estate before launching CEO 929 to build marketing systems, custom CRMs, and software for established service businesses.  The conversation covers the low-hanging marketing fruit most new owners miss, why recurring revenue should be the first lever you pull, and a real case study: an AI-powered quoting and checkout tool built for a plumber who specializes in hot water heaters. Antoine also shares how he's now applying that playbook to acquisitions through his new firm, Maurant Ventures  including an automated underwriting system and a three-part strategy for sourcing deals directly from sellers.  In this episode, we discuss:  Why understanding your customer and increasing lifetime value comes before spending more on acquisition  Turning one-off customers into recurring revenue with continuity offers, from plumbing maintenance plans to flat-rate slow-day pricing at a barbershop  Moving off generic, out-of-the-box software and building custom CRMs and lead-capturing tools tailored to the business  A case study: an AI tool that scans a water heater's data plate, recommends replacements, and gives customers an all-in, out-the-door price they can pay on the spot  Building an automated underwriting system that screens deals for seasonality, cash reserves, and treasury management before you sink weeks into them  Three ways to source deals: marketplace scanning, direct-to-seller outreach drawn from real estate, and an education funnel for owners who aren't yet ready (or financeable) to sell  Guest Contact Information  Antoine Campbell  Founder, CEO 929 Business Solutions  Website: ceo929.com  Instagram: @ceo929  Additional Resources  Thinking about buying a business? Connect with the Equity Launchpad team to learn more about acquisition entrepreneurship and upcoming opportunities.  Contact Casey Minshew and Feras Moussa: [email protected]  Explore more: https://www.equity-launchpad.com About The M&A Launchpad: The M&A Launchpad provides insights into acquiring, investing in, and selling profitable businesses in the lower to middle market. Whether you are a business owner, investor, or aspiring entrepreneur, we will provide you with the knowledge, guidance, and capital to navigate the world of mergers and acquisitions. The M&A Launchpad presents a series of weekly podcast episodes and hosts an annual M&A Launchpad Conference tailored to the M&A community. Connect with M&A Launchpad: 🎧 Podcast on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0mW6i4ooujqC7eOPWmguU7 🎧 Podcast on Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/m-a-launchpad/id1740382586 🎟️ Attend Upcoming M&A Launchpad Conference: http://malaunchpad.com/

Hazem Ahmed co-founded a bank in 2007, grew it to $800M, and sold it. Then he did it again — building Integrity Bank, SSB from scratch into a $360M institution in just 23 months, one of only seven de novo bank charters approved nationwide in 2024.  In this episode, Hazem breaks down what it really takes to charter a bank (an 1,800-page application, a 14-15 month approval process, a $40-50M capital raise) and why he measures success in relationships and reputation, not just the balance sheet.  In this podcast episode, we discuss:  Hazem's path from a reluctant banking intern to a 25-year career banker, building and selling the original Integrity Bank (2007, grown to ~$800 million, sold to a North Texas regional bank)  What it actually takes to charter a de novo bank: an ~1,800-page regulatory application, 14-15 months to conditional approval, and raising a $40-50 million minimum capital target amid a shifting 2024 market  Being one of only seven de novo banks chartered nationwide, opening in October 2024, and reaching ~$360 million in total assets by month 23  Why “familiarity” and local ownership are Integrity Bank's edge over national institutions, and how Hazem measures success through relationships and reputation rather than just balance sheet growth  Guest Contact Info:  Hazem Ahmed, Founder & President, Integrity Bank, SSB  LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/hazema/  Additional Resources:  Thinking about buying a business? Connect with the Equity Launchpad team to learn more about acquisition entrepreneurship and upcoming opportunities.  Contact Casey Minshew: [email protected]  Explore more: https://www.equity-launchpad.com  Save the Date: M&A Launchpad Conference is coming May 8, 2027. Learn more at malaunchpad.com    About The M&A Launchpad: The M&A Launchpad provides insights into acquiring, investing in, and selling profitable businesses in the lower to middle market. Whether you are a business owner, investor, or aspiring entrepreneur, we will provide you with the knowledge, guidance, and capital to navigate the world of mergers and acquisitions. The M&A Launchpad presents a series of weekly podcast episodes and hosts an annual M&A Launchpad Conference tailored to the M&A community. Connect with M&A Launchpad: 🎧 Podcast on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0mW6i4ooujqC7eOPWmguU7 🎧 Podcast on Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/m-a-launchpad/id1740382586 🎟️ Attend Upcoming M&A Launchpad Conference: http://malaunchpad.com/

In this episode of the M&A Launchpad Podcast, hosts Feras Moussa and Ben Suttles sit down with Jason Hunt, founder and CEO of Ink Insurance, to unpack one of the biggest hidden risks in small business acquisitions: the personal guarantee. Jason's path here started in restructuring during the 2008 financial crisis, continued through buying and selling his own education company, a decade in tech at Reverb, Amazon, and QuickNode, and finally hit a wall in 2024 when he went to buy another business and got stopped cold by the size of the PG he'd have to sign. With no personal guarantee insurance product on the market, he built one.  The conversation covers how SBA 7(a) loans work without much business collateral, why that makes the personal guarantee so much larger and riskier for buyers of cash-flow-based businesses like professional services and trades, and how Ink Insurance's coverage, claims process, and pricing actually work. Jason also shares how his company (which recently raised $2.2 million) is backed by an A-rated, AM Best–rated carrier, and how the product is starting to solve a newer problem: sellers who roll equity and get stuck personally guaranteeing a loan on a business they no longer control.  In this episode, we discuss:  Why SBA loans require a personal guarantee when a business doesn't have $2M+ in EBITDA or enough hard collateral, and why that hits cash-flow acquisitions (professional services, trades) hardest  How Ink Insurance's coverage works: targeting roughly 80% of the loan amount, the claims process after a default and business liquidation, and why full coverage (100%) can actually reduce an owner's incentive to fight for the business  Pricing: about 2% of the coverage amount per year, based on risk scoring from SBA industry/location default data, personal credit, and deal metrics like DSCR  Deal sizing: Ink Insurance covers SBA 7(a) loans from $350,000 up to $5 million, with plans to expand into 504 loans and eventually non-SBA products like real estate  Using PG insurance as a negotiating chip in a deal (similar to reps and warranties insurance) and as a solution for sellers now required to personally guarantee rolled equity for two years after close  Being backed by an A-rated, AM Best–rated carrier with a $5–6 billion balance sheet, Ink Insurance's role as the MGA, and the company's recent $2.2 million capital raise  What happens to buyers who previously defaulted and went through bankruptcy, and why paying off a prior SBA loan in full (even after default) keeps the door open for future financing  Guest Contact Information  Jason Hunt  Founder & CEO, Ink Insurance  LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jasonchrishunt/  Website: https://inkinsurance.com  Apply: https://apply.incinsurance.com  Additional Resources  Thinking about buying a business? Connect with the Equity Launchpad team to learn more about acquisition entrepreneurship and upcoming opportunities.  Contact Feras Moussa and Ben Suttles: [email protected]  Explore more: https://www.equity-launchpad.com    About The M&A Launchpad: The M&A Launchpad provides insights into acquiring, investing in, and selling profitable businesses in the lower to middle market. Whether you are a business owner, investor, or aspiring entrepreneur, we will provide you with the knowledge, guidance, and capital to navigate the world of mergers and acquisitions. The M&A Launchpad presents a series of weekly podcast episodes and hosts an annual M&A Launchpad Conference tailored to the M&A community. Connect with M&A Launchpad: 🎧 Podcast on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0mW6i4ooujqC7eOPWmguU7 🎧 Podcast on Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/m-a-launchpad/id1740382586 🎟️ Attend Upcoming M&A Launchpad Conference: http://malaunchpad.com/

In this episode of the M&A Launchpad Podcast, hosts Casey Minshew and Ben Suttles sit down with Joseph Cruz, who left a decade-long career in leveraged finance and investment banking at Fifth Third to acquire a sewer and water distributor in the Chicagoland area. Joseph walks through how he found the business on BizBuySell, structured the deal with an SBA loan, seller note, and a side-letter earnout, and what he's learned in less than two years of ownership — from underestimating seasonal cash flow to building toward a broader infrastructure platform.  The conversation is a candid, ground-level look at self-funded search: what it actually takes to structure an SBA deal, why buyers should expect a post-close “J-curve,” and how a search that started industry-agnostic ended up in a defensible, unglamorous niche.  In this episode, we discuss:  Making the leap from Fifth Third's leveraged finance group to a self-funded search, and finding the deal on BizBuySell after starting industry-agnostic  How the deal was structured: a $536,000 purchase price, a $550,000 SBA loan, a seller note, a holdback, and an off-books earnout tied to the general manager's retirement  Real lessons from year one: underestimating seasonal working capital, living through the post-acquisition “J-curve,” and staying resourceful when a general manager departs weeks before closing  The long-term vision: pivoting from commoditized distribution toward a defensible infrastructure platform spanning manufacturing, distribution, and equipment service  Guest Contact Information  Joseph Cruz  President, A&A Equipment and Supply Co.  Website: aa.equipment  LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/joseph-cruz-47472150  Additional Resources  Thinking about buying a business of your own, whether through a self-funded search or an independent sponsorship model? The Equity Launchpad team helps entrepreneurs navigate every stage of acquisition, from search to close. Reach out at [email protected] to start the conversation.  Explore more resources at: equity-launchpad.com    About The M&A Launchpad: The M&A Launchpad provides insights into acquiring, investing in, and selling profitable businesses in the lower to middle market. Whether you are a business owner, investor, or aspiring entrepreneur, we will provide you with the knowledge, guidance, and capital to navigate the world of mergers and acquisitions. The M&A Launchpad presents a series of weekly podcast episodes and hosts an annual M&A Launchpad Conference tailored to the M&A community. Connect with M&A Launchpad: 🎧 Podcast on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0mW6i4ooujqC7eOPWmguU7 🎧 Podcast on Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/m-a-launchpad/id1740382586 🎟️ Attend Upcoming M&A Launchpad Conference: http://malaunchpad.com/

In this episode of the M&A Launchpad Podcast, hosts Casey Minshew and Feras Moussa sit down with Mike Krupit, founder of Trajectify, to talk about mentoring and coaching leaders through the stages of scaling a business — from one to two, two to five, and five to ten — and what it really takes to shift from a founder-led mindset to a CEO-led one. A software engineer turned COO turned CEO across eight Silicon Valley startups over 25 years, Mike walked away from operating companies 13 years ago to build a leadership and organizational development practice instead. The conversation also digs into the acquisition side, including two very different horror stories: a forced take-private during the dot-com bust, and a $1 million company that turned an $8 million offer into a $25 million sale after a bidding war.  In this episode, we discuss:  Why Mike chose coaching and advisory work over buying a business himself, and the networking exercise (75 meetings in three months) that helped him find his lane  The four jobs of a real CEO — visionary, right people in the right seats, fiduciary accountability, and the outside voice of the company — and the "not-to-do list" that gets founders out of the day-to-day  Building an accountability chart (not an org chart) and using fractional executives to delegate without adding headcount  Spotting the "sweet spot" between an underprepared and an over-prepared acquisition target  Two acquisition stories from opposite ends of the spectrum: a chaotic forced sale during the dot-com bust, and a $1 million company that became a $25 million sale after being shopped around  Why mastering difficult conversations — not tactics — is the real skill buyers need before, during, and after a deal  Guest Contact Information  Mike Krupit  Founder, Trajectify  LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mkrupit/  Website: https://www.trajectify.com  Additional Resources  Thinking about buying a business? Connect with the Equity Launchpad team to learn more about acquisition entrepreneurship and upcoming opportunities.  Contact Casey Minshew and Feras Moussa: [email protected]  Explore more: https://www.equity-launchpad.com  About The M&A Launchpad: The M&A Launchpad provides insights into acquiring, investing in, and selling profitable businesses in the lower to middle market. Whether you are a business owner, investor, or aspiring entrepreneur, we will provide you with the knowledge, guidance, and capital to navigate the world of mergers and acquisitions. The M&A Launchpad presents a series of weekly podcast episodes and hosts an annual M&A Launchpad Conference tailored to the M&A community. Connect with M&A Launchpad: 🎧 Podcast on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0mW6i4ooujqC7eOPWmguU7 🎧 Podcast on Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/m-a-launchpad/id1740382586 🎟️ Attend Upcoming M&A Launchpad Conference: http://malaunchpad.com/

This is a milestone episode of the M&A Launchpad Podcast — Episode 100. In lieu of a guest interview, hosts Casey Minshew and Feras Moussa look back on how they got started in acquisition entrepreneurship and use the milestone to unpack the capital stack in plain terms. They walk through the three main paths buyers take into the lower middle market — the traditional search fund model, the self-funded search model, and the independent sponsor model — and explain how debt, equity, seller rolls, seller notes, earnouts, SBA loans, and SBICs fit together to get deals done.  This conversation is especially useful for anyone trying to figure out which buying model fits them, and for buyers and sellers alike who want a clearer picture of how modern lower middle market deals are actually financed and structured.  In this episode, we discuss:  Search fund vs. self-funded vs. independent sponsor — Casey and Feras break down the three main paths into a buy-side deal and how to pick the right one for your situation  What an independent sponsor actually is — fundless sponsors, typical deal size ($2–10M EBITDA), and how equity and management fees get structured  What an SBIC is — how these SBA-backed funds bridge the gap between SBA lending and traditional private equity in the lower middle market  How to build the full capital stack — mezzanine debt, seller rolls, seller notes, and earnouts, and why understanding your financing options (SBA vs. banks vs. SBICs) matters before you negotiate  Additional Resources  Thinking about buying a business? Connect with the Equity Launchpad team to learn more about acquisition entrepreneurship and upcoming opportunities.  Contact Casey Minshew and Feras Moussa: [email protected]  Explore more: https://www.equity-launchpad.com    About The M&A Launchpad: The M&A Launchpad provides insights into acquiring, investing in, and selling profitable businesses in the lower to middle market. Whether you are a business owner, investor, or aspiring entrepreneur, we will provide you with the knowledge, guidance, and capital to navigate the world of mergers and acquisitions. The M&A Launchpad presents a series of weekly podcast episodes and hosts an annual M&A Launchpad Conference tailored to the M&A community. Connect with M&A Launchpad: 🎧 Podcast on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0mW6i4ooujqC7eOPWmguU7 🎧 Podcast on Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/m-a-launchpad/id1740382586 🎟️ Attend Upcoming M&A Launchpad Conference: http://malaunchpad.com/

In this episode of the M&A Launchpad Podcast, hosts Casey Minshew and Feras Moussa sit down with John Blanchard and Nick Saloom of Engineered Tax Mitigation to unpack how business owners can dramatically reduce the tax hit on a sale. John and Nick explain how they work alongside a seller's existing CPA and legal team to compress effective tax rates, why depreciation recapture catches so many sellers off guard, and how getting involved years before a sale can also boost a company's valuation.    The conversation includes a real case study: a $25 million business sale where proactive tax planning took the blended tax rate from 27% down to 11%, putting an extra $4.2 million in liquid proceeds in the sellers' pockets.    In this episode, we discuss:  Why tax planning needs to start years before a liquidity event, not at closing  How personal expenses run through the business quietly suppress EBITDA and valuation  Why depreciation recapture (Section 1245/1250) surprises sellers who assume they only owe capital gains  A real case study: compressing a $25M sale from a 27% blended tax rate to 11%  Deferred Sales Trusts vs. Deferred Sales Trust Plus, and how they compare to a compressed-rate strategy  Why buyers, not just sellers, can benefit from bringing in a tax mitigation team    Guest Contact Information  John Blanchard, Engineered Tax Mitigation  LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/johnblanchard/  Nick Saloom, CPA, MBA, Engineered Tax Mitigation  LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nick-saloom-7abb27a4/  Website: etmwealth.com  Phone: 888-799-0288    Additional Resources  Thinking about buying a business? Connect with the Equity Launchpad team to learn more about acquisition entrepreneurship and upcoming opportunities.  Contact Casey Minshew and Feras Moussa: [email protected]  Explore more: https://www.equity-launchpad.com    About The M&A Launchpad: The M&A Launchpad provides insights into acquiring, investing in, and selling profitable businesses in the lower to middle market. Whether you are a business owner, investor, or aspiring entrepreneur, we will provide you with the knowledge, guidance, and capital to navigate the world of mergers and acquisitions. The M&A Launchpad presents a series of weekly podcast episodes and hosts an annual M&A Launchpad Conference tailored to the M&A community. Connect with M&A Launchpad: 🎧 Podcast on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0mW6i4ooujqC7eOPWmguU7 🎧 Podcast on Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/m-a-launchpad/id1740382586 🎟️ Attend Upcoming M&A Launchpad Conference: http://malaunchpad.com/

In this episode of the M&A Launchpad Podcast, hosts Casey Minshew and Feras Moussa sit down with Mark Hartmann, Lower Middle Market M&A Advisor and Business Broker at HartmannRhodes and author of *The Sweat Equity Payday*. Mark spent years building a medical claims cost containment company, sold it for eight figures at 42 without hiring a broker, and made every mistake in the book along the way — including not knowing what "working capital" meant until it cost him roughly a million dollars. That expensive lesson, plus his Certified Exit Planning Advisor credential and IBBA training, turned him into a broker who now runs sell-side and buy-side deals in the $1M–$25M enterprise value range, with a specialty in getting sellers deal-ready years before they ever list. In this episode, we discuss: • The "catastrophic mistake" that may have cost him a million dollars: selling his own company without a broker and not understanding the working capital peg or adjustment • What a broker actually does after the LOI is signed • Mark's three pieces of advice for first-time buyers and sellers Guest Contact Information: Mark Hartmann M&A Advisor / Business Broker, HartmannRhodes LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/markhartmann/ Website: https://www.hartmannrhodes.com Book: *The Sweat Equity Payday* — Amazon bestseller, available in hardcover, paperback, and Kindle (audiobook forthcoming) Additional Resources: Thinking about buying a business? Connect with the Equity Launchpad team to learn more about acquisition entrepreneurship and upcoming opportunities. Contact Casey Minshew and Feras Moussa: [email protected] Explore more: https://www.equity-launchpad.com   About The M&A Launchpad: The M&A Launchpad provides insights into acquiring, investing in, and selling profitable businesses in the lower to middle market. Whether you are a business owner, investor, or aspiring entrepreneur, we will provide you with the knowledge, guidance, and capital to navigate the world of mergers and acquisitions. The M&A Launchpad presents a series of weekly podcast episodes and hosts an annual M&A Launchpad Conference tailored to the M&A community. Connect with M&A Launchpad: 🎧 Podcast on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0mW6i4ooujqC7eOPWmguU7 🎧 Podcast on Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/m-a-launchpad/id1740382586 🎟️ Attend Upcoming M&A Launchpad Conference: http://malaunchpad.com/

In this episode of the M&A Launchpad Podcast, hosts Casey Minshew and Feras Moussa sit down with Betsy Kauffman, Founder & CEO of Cross Impact, a Charlotte-based leadership coaching and organizational development firm, and author of the new book The Fix. Betsy has spent two decades coaching leadership teams through acquisitions, integrations, and everyday dysfunction — and she's also lived the buyer's side of the table herself. She walks through the near-acquisition of a $50M commercial design firm that collapsed on a $14M deal just before closing, the systems-and-process blind spots she sees over and over in newly acquired businesses, and why “the person's not a fit” is usually the wrong diagnosis.  In this episode, we discuss:  Betsy's path from corporate program manager to founding Cross Impact in 2014, and the TED Talk (“4 Tips to Kickstart Honest Conversations at Work”) that grew out of her coaching work  How her practice evolved from agile/technology team coaching into full leadership development after clients kept asking for help with alignment, not just execution  Why she wrote The Fix, a business fable built around a core idea: people usually aren't broken — the systems and processes around them are  The common pitfalls she sees in newly acquired businesses: no real decision-making process, and no shared language for what basic terms even mean  Her own near-acquisition: partnering to buy a $50M commercial design firm for roughly $14M, and getting “a little over our skis” on a first deal  The red flag that should have ended it sooner — missed monthly forecasts — and the 11th-hour collapse when the valuation dropped and the sellers wouldn't renegotiate  What she'd have fixed post-close: no go-to-market strategy, an earmarked new leader ready to run it, and plans to divest a “shiny object” division  The leadership nugget she repeats in every session: alignment does not always equal agreement  Why a good coach exists partly to force the tough, lingering decision that everyone already knows needs to be made  Guest Contact Information  Betsy Kauffman  Founder & CEO, Cross Impact  LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/betsykauffman  Website: https://crossimpact.co  Book: The Fix — available on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and Spotify Audiobooks  Additional Resources  Thinking about buying a business? Connect with the Equity Launchpad team to learn more about acquisition entrepreneurship and upcoming opportunities.  Contact Casey Minshew and Feras Moussa: [email protected]  Explore more: https://www.equity-launchpad.com    About The M&A Launchpad: The M&A Launchpad provides insights into acquiring, investing in, and selling profitable businesses in the lower to middle market. Whether you are a business owner, investor, or aspiring entrepreneur, we will provide you with the knowledge, guidance, and capital to navigate the world of mergers and acquisitions. The M&A Launchpad presents a series of weekly podcast episodes and hosts an annual M&A Launchpad Conference tailored to the M&A community. Connect with M&A Launchpad: 🎧 Podcast on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0mW6i4ooujqC7eOPWmguU7 🎧 Podcast on Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/m-a-launchpad/id1740382586 🎟️ Attend Upcoming M&A Launchpad Conference: http://malaunchpad.com/

In this episode of the M&A Launchpad Podcast, hosts Casey Minshew and Feras Moussa sit down with Sequoya Borgman, Founder & CEO of Borgman Capital, a Milwaukee-based independent sponsor firm that has completed over 20 acquisitions in roughly a decade. Sequoya shares how he left an 18-year career in public accounting — rising to Partner at a Big Four firm — to launch Borgman Capital in 2017 with nothing but a deal under LOI that promptly fell apart a week before close. He breaks down how the independent sponsor model actually works, why the first deal makes or breaks your track record, how people problems quietly tank more investments than anything else, and what Borgman looks for in the food and equipment rental spaces that keep them coming back.  In this episode, we discuss:  Why Sequoya walked away from a Partner-track career at a Big Four firm after 18 years in public accounting — and what finally pushed him to make the jump  The gut-punch of his first deal: an LOI lined up before he quit his job that collapsed a week before close when the seller chose his son instead  How he closed his first deal nine months after launching — a material handling manufacturer — and why that exit five years later set Borgman Capital up for everything that followed  The 2026 deal market reality: why only about 50% of deals are closing, big funds competing down market, and what that means for independent sponsors chasing $4–7M EBITDA businesses  Why the biggest risk in any lower middle market deal isn’t the business model — it’s the leadership hire, and how you usually know within the first 30 days if you got it wrong  The independent sponsor structure explained: deal-by-deal Reg D funds, over 500 LPs, co-sponsorship terms, and when Borgman brings in a mezzanine partner  Why food and equipment rental are Borgman’s favorite verticals — and why he’s closing on another equipment rental business tomorrow  How to reach Borgman Capital whether you’re a seller, a deal-finder looking to co-sponsor, or an investor looking to participate  Guest Contact Information  Sequoya Borgman  Founder & CEO, Borgman Capital  LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sequoya-borgman-8a6057a/  For business owners and deal partners: https://www.borgmancapital.com  For investors: https://www.passthehat.com  Additional Resources  Thinking about buying a business? Connect with the Equity Launchpad team to learn more about acquisition entrepreneurship and upcoming opportunities.  Contact Casey Minshew and Feras Moussa: [email protected]  Explore more: https://www.equity-launchpad.com  About The M&A Launchpad: The M&A Launchpad provides insights into acquiring, investing in, and selling profitable businesses in the lower to middle market. Whether you are a business owner, investor, or aspiring entrepreneur, we will provide you with the knowledge, guidance, and capital to navigate the world of mergers and acquisitions. The M&A Launchpad presents a series of weekly podcast episodes and hosts an annual M&A Launchpad Conference tailored to the M&A community. Connect with M&A Launchpad: 🎧 Podcast on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0mW6i4ooujqC7eOPWmguU7 🎧 Podcast on Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/m-a-launchpad/id1740382586 🎟️ Attend Upcoming M&A Launchpad Conference: http://malaunchpad.com/

In this episode of the M&A Launchpad Podcast, hosts Feras Moussa and Ben Suttles sit down with Christopher Burke — Australian entrepreneur, founder of Brickendon Consulting and HybridHero, and Managing Partner of Aduvo — to talk about what 25 years of building companies from the inside actually teaches you. Christopher shares how he scaled Brickendon to 300+ professionals across four countries before executing a management buyout, how he launched HybridHero before COVID validated the workplace management software thesis, and why he now works alongside founders at Aduvo to help them avoid the structural traps that stop growth in its tracks. This conversation covers the people problems that stall every growing company, the mechanics of a UK Employee Ownership Trust, the $13M deal that tripled Brickendon’s revenue overnight, and why founders who are central to every decision don’t actually have a sellable business.  In this episode, we discuss:  Why the systems, processes, and people architecture — not the market — are what stop businesses from scaling  The two revenue thresholds (~$10M and ~$30M) where founders most often become the bottleneck  How to hire only A players and build a culture that self-selects for top talent  The org chart exercise every founder should do: put your name in every box, then figure out which ones to hand off  Why being irreplaceable in your business makes it unsellable — and what to do about it  How Brickendon’s management buyout worked, including the data room, warranties, and share purchase agreement  The UK Employee Ownership Trust (EOT): selling your company tax-free to your staff and why it beat private equity  What Aduvo does for founders looking to scale, acquire, or exit — and why outside perspective changes what you can see  Guest Contact Information  Christopher Burke  Managing Partner, Aduvo  LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/chris-burke-uk/  Website: https://theaduvo.com/  Additional Resources  Thinking about buying a business? Connect with the Equity Launchpad team to learn more about acquisition entrepreneurship and upcoming opportunities.  Contact Feras Moussa and Ben Suttles: [email protected]  Explore more: https://www.equity-launchpad.com    About The M&A Launchpad: The M&A Launchpad provides insights into acquiring, investing in, and selling profitable businesses in the lower to middle market. Whether you are a business owner, investor, or aspiring entrepreneur, we will provide you with the knowledge, guidance, and capital to navigate the world of mergers and acquisitions. The M&A Launchpad presents a series of weekly podcast episodes and hosts an annual M&A Launchpad Conference tailored to the M&A community. Connect with M&A Launchpad: 🎧 Podcast on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0mW6i4ooujqC7eOPWmguU7 🎧 Podcast on Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/m-a-launchpad/id1740382586 🎟️ Attend Upcoming M&A Launchpad Conference: http://malaunchpad.com/

In this episode of the M&A Launchpad Podcast, hosts Casey Minshew and Feras Moussa sit down with Andrew Kurzrok, owner-operator of Hopewell Sheet Metal Manufacturing in Hagerstown, Maryland. Andrew shares his unconventional path from national security to Fortune 500 manufacturing executive to self-funded searcher — and how he closed on a 45-year-old business with a 17-year average employee tenure. He breaks down why he chose a self-funded SBA deal over the independent sponsor route, how he found Hopewell through cold outreach, and what the first seven months of ownership actually look like.  In this episode, we discuss:  Why Andrew chose self-funded search over independent sponsor or PE-backed acquisition  How he structured his search: cold outreach vs. broker deals, and what actually worked  The deal structure behind Hopewell — SBA financing, equity strategy, and why he deliberately over-equitized  What it was like to buy a 45-year-old business with a 17-year average employee tenure  The biggest surprise in the first 30 days (hint: it’s HR paperwork)  Why Hopewell’s “best value” positioning mirrors the connector industry he came from  Plans to implement EOS and lean manufacturing — and why the team’s expertise is the real asset  Guest Contact Information  Andrew Kurzrok  Owner-Operator, Hopewell Sheet Metal Manufacturing  LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/akurzrok/  Additional Resources  Thinking about buying a business? Connect with the Equity Launchpad team to learn more about acquisition entrepreneurship and upcoming opportunities.  Contact Casey Minshew and Feras Moussa: [email protected]  Explore more: https://www.equity-launchpad.com  About The M&A Launchpad: The M&A Launchpad provides insights into acquiring, investing in, and selling profitable businesses in the lower to middle market. Whether you are a business owner, investor, or aspiring entrepreneur, we will provide you with the knowledge, guidance, and capital to navigate the world of mergers and acquisitions. The M&A Launchpad presents a series of weekly podcast episodes and hosts an annual M&A Launchpad Conference tailored to the M&A community. Connect with M&A Launchpad: 🎧 Podcast on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0mW6i4ooujqC7eOPWmguU7 🎧 Podcast on Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/m-a-launchpad/id1740382586 🎟️ Attend Upcoming M&A Launchpad Conference: http://malaunchpad.com/