Business Buying Strategies from The Dealmaker's Academy

In this episode of Business Buying Strategies, Jonathan interviews Simon, an Inner Circle member who has successfully acquired seven businesses without using his own cash.

Simon begins with his background in PR and his search for faster business growth, which led him to acquisitions. Simon shares insights and detailed stories of his seven deals, including successes and lessons from a failed acquisition.

He emphasises the importance of low-risk strategies, cultural fit, and leveraging expertise from the Inner Circle. Listeners will gain valuable knowledge on structuring deals, maintaining low risk, and navigating the complexities of business acquisitions.

Key moments

01:00 Simon's Journey: From Jargon PR to Inner Circle 02:42 First Acquisition: Vantage Marketing 04:53 Debunking Myths: Buying Businesses Without Risk 08:04 Second Acquisition: Expanding to Manchester 11:56 Lessons Learned: The Failed Third Acquisition 15:43 Pelican Communications Acquisition 16:32 Integration and Earnout Details 17:55 Inner Circle and Mastermind Groups 19:04 Fifth Acquisition in Basingstoke 21:04 Industry Insights Group Expansion 22:26 Acquisition Strategies and Deals 26:24 Future Prospects and Opportunities 27:49 Marbella Event and Final Thoughts

** Looking for a great acquisition lawyer in the UK? Use mine! **

If you are looking for a lawyer in the UK to help you get the deal over the line, then use my own lawyer, John Andrews. You can phone his office at (0345) 2412494 or email him at [email protected].

Ready to get started?

Here’s how you can start your business buying journey...

Download our free Business Buying Toolkit https://dealmakers.co.uk/business-buying-toolkit

Join our Business Acquisition FastTrack programme https://www.dealmakers.co.uk/fast

Already bought a business?

if you've already bought a business, you should be part of my Inner Circle group where we discuss raising capital, integration management, and exiting. Email Maria on [email protected] for more information.

In this episode, Jonathan Jay meets Nathan Winch, a former biologist turned successful entrepreneur, to discuss his transition into the business world and his acquisition experience. Nathan shares some of the most interesting deals he has secured, as well as his criteria for searching for businesses to acquire. He also talks about the characteristics of sellers he looks out for and why he prefers not to use a broker in his acquisitions.

Nathan shares his insights on why larger deals are easier than smaller ones and the challenges he encountered. He offers valuable tips to those undertaking their first acquisition and shares some of the acquisition tips he has gained along the way.

[01:13] How Nathan transitioned from a biologist into an entrepreneur

[06:03] Some of the most interesting deals accrued out

[08:20] Nathan’s criteria when undertaking an acquisition

[08:54] Characteristics of sellers that Nathan looks out for

[10:32] Advantages of not using a broker in the first acquisitions

[16:04] Why larger deals are easier than smaller deals

[16:50] Challenges encountered by Nathan in his entrepreneurial journey

[19:02] Tips to people undertaking their first acquisition

[24:01] Acquisition tips that Nathan has gained along the way

[26:22] Advice to people interested in buying a business but have not made the first step

• I think you control the narrative. I think that's important. We obviously display our credibility. So it's not the credibility of a broker. I often say that brokers tend to be the graveyard of selling businesses.
• If I'm looking at a return on investment in terms of a return on spend, the bigger deals are the better investments, and like, often, a lot of the lenders we work with have minimum lending anyway course.
• To get some good advice. Don't just trust anybody you speak to, like with the accountants. And I just think about taking the leap. So long as you manage your risk correctly, it can be really life-changing.
• If you want to break something off and sell it, or there's a buyer that wants this but doesn't want that, if it's laid out correctly, it's very easy and tax efficient.

Resources

Buying a business is only the start, which is why we are now teaching what happens next on the Mastermind program. Now, if you've already bought a business, you should be part of my Inner Circle group where we discuss raising capital, integration management, and exiting. Email Maria on [email protected] for more information.

If you are looking for a lawyer in the UK to help you get the deal over the line, then use my own lawyer, John Andrews. You can phone his office at (0345) 2412494 or email him at [email protected].

If you would like to take the next step to learn the best ways of buying a business, without risking your own cash, you can access my free training at: www.dealmakerspodcast.co.uk

Watch my Webinar Training Video: https://www.dealmakerspodcast.co.uk

You can also request a free copy of my book at: https://www.thedealmakersacademy.com/free-book-giveaway/

If you want to jump straight to my live Zoom FastTrack course, please go to: https://www.thedealmakersacademy.com/fast

Connect with Jonathan Jay at: Website: https://www.thedealmakersacademy.com/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jonathan-jay-3556b230/ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/TheDealmakersAcademy

In this episode, Jonathan Jay interviews Sam Turner, a former professional footballer turned dealmaker. Sam shares his journey from a successful corporate career to his decision to buy businesses. He explains how he found his first acquisition through networking and discusses the importance of credibility and clear focus in the acquisition process.

Sam emphasizes his philosophy of maintaining autonomous business units within a group and avoiding trying to oversimplify back-office synergies.

[00:44] Sam’s background

[04:34] What Sam did after the Zoom course

[07:34] Factors to consider when deciding on the type of business to buy

[09:14] The role of credibility in a business venture

[12:14] How Sam undertook his first deal

[14:00] How networking can aid in getting deals

[15:20] Time frame between first contact with the business owner to owning it

[18:40] How Sam got access to a lender

[22:14] How too many changes can lead to a decline in the value of a business

[24:05] Sam’s plan for the future

• In the beginning, when you haven't done this for the first time, there is a credibility piece that is helpful to have somebody.
• Whether there's that, there will be best practices and stuff, but I'm not going to, probably not at least at the beginning, or let's merge all the back offices together. We may end up going down that road, but it will be because of a discussion with each of the sort of balances and the business.
• The money is secondary to me, and I also have very clear plans of what I would do with that to help others. But I think there is a great opportunity you have to work out whether it's for you or it's not. And if it is, then go for it.

Resources

Buying a business is only the start, which is why we are now teaching what happens next on the Mastermind program. Now, if you've already bought a business, you should be part of my Inner Circle group where we discuss raising capital, integration management, and exiting. Email Maria on [email protected] for more information.

If you are looking for a lawyer in the UK to help you get the deal over the line, then use my own lawyer, John Andrews. You can phone his office at (0345) 2412494 or email him at [email protected].

If you would like to take the next step to learn the best ways of buying a business, without risking your own cash, you can access my free training at: www.dealmakerspodcast.co.uk

Watch my Webinar Training Video: https://www.dealmakerspodcast.co.uk

You can also request a free copy of my book at: https://www.thedealmakersacademy.com/free-book-giveaway/

If you want to jump straight to my live Zoom FastTrack course, please go to: https://www.thedealmakersacademy.com/fast

Connect with Jonathan Jay at: Website: https://www.thedealmakersacademy.com/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jonathan-jay-3556b230/ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/TheDealmakersAcademy

Welcome to the last Business Buying Strategies episode of 2022. This week we've picked out twelve highlights from the year - one for each month.

So in January, I talked with Richard Bundock, one of my dealmaking clients. Richard had started a successful business, but wasn’t able to grow it organically as quickly as wanted to, so he turned to acquisitions instead.

In February, I met Sam Turner, who gave up a lucrative and successful corporate career to become a dealmaker in the heating and ventilation sector.

In March, I caught up with Nick Manuel, who graduated from my programme with the right attitude, determination and most importantly the right strategy to make successful acquisitions.

In April, we met Peter Lidgitt, who bought nine UK businesses in 2020, totalling £20m in revenue – all whilst being locked down for most of the year at his home in France.

In May, I talked with legendary jewellery entrepreneur Gerald Ratner who grew his global business almost entirely through acquisition.

In June, we met John Richardson, whose expertise is in acquiring coffee retail businesses, and establishing a chain a coffee shops.

In July, I spoke with Graeme Carling, who spent a decade building a substantial property portfolio, before buying a well known Scottish construction company out of administration.

In August, we met Aled Davies, who runs a printing and textile printing family business. Aled had been trying to grow this business organically - but having listened to this podcast, and joining me on the Fasttrack Program, has now made his first acquisition.

In September, I was joined by Phil Hunt, one of my private clients. Although Phil has a full-time job as an HR director of a city bank in London, this hasn’t stopped him from making his first two acquisitions.

In October, Jo Bell joined us to talk about her first five business acquisitions and the lessons that she has learnt along the way.

In November, I met James Gardner, for whom a chance meeting led to the acquisition of a funeral care business, and has now become a group through acquisition.

Finally, earlier in December, I caught up with Andy Doyle, who joined my very first business acquisition mastermind program nearly five years ago, back in 2018. Five years on and he has made several acquisitions, and has ambitious plans for the years ahead.

Resources

If you are looking for a lawyer in the UK to help you get the deal over the line, then use my guy, John Andrews. You can phone his office at (0345) 2412494 or email him at [email protected].

If you would like to take the next step to learn the best ways of buying a business, without risking your own cash, you can access my free training at: https://www.dealmakersvideo.co.uk

Watch my Webinar Training Video: https://www.dealmakerspodcast.co.uk

You can also request a free copy of my book at: https://www.thedealmakersacademy.com/free-book-giveaway/

If you want to jump straight to my live Zoom FastTrack course, please go to: https://www.thedealmakersacademy.com/fast

Connect with Jonathan Jay at: Website: https://www.thedealmakersacademy.com/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jonathan-jay-3556b230/ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/TheDealmakersAcademy

In this week’s episode of the podcast, we feature highlights from peak performance coach Nigel Risner’s presentation at our last Dealmakers Retreat on how to get deals done and negotiate with vendors.

During the presentation, Nigel delivers a masterclass on why some people are more effective than others in a negotiation, how to connect with and understand the other party to get the best deal and why you need to go deeper to understand why you’re not getting the results you want.

This is packed with valuable insights and practical suggestions that will make a difference in your next negotiation.

Here is what you will discover...

👉 The No.1 reason why people go to work (and how understanding this helps you negotiate better)

👉 Why money is not the biggest motivator for vendors (and why focusing on money is a bad idea)

👉 Why your past behaviour is the biggest driver of your future behaviour (and how to change it)

👉 Why you need to be 100% present with a vendor to close deals successfully

👉 The #1 thing that gets in the way of connecting with a vendor (this kills more deals than you know)

Key timings:

01:34 Nigel Risner's Insights on Personal Needs in Business

03:16 Understanding the Importance of Personal Needs in Negotiations

04:52 The Power of Being Present and Engaged

08:30 Overcoming the Past to Create a New Future

11:04 The Impact of Beliefs and Communication on Success

13:48 Seizing Opportunities and Simplifying Deals

15:59 The Psychology of Online Shopping

16:47 Learning from Giants: Amazon and McDonald's

17:53 The Power of Face-to-Face Communication

18:29 Mastering Communication Styles

19:34 Understanding Your Business Zoo

20:01 Navigating the Business Zoo: Monkeys, Lions, Elephants, and Dolphins

25:22 Becoming an Effective Zookeeper in Business

28:49 The Importance of Trust and Self-Belief

** Looking for a great acquisition lawyer in the UK? Use mine! **

If you are looking for a lawyer in the UK to help you get the deal over the line, then use my own lawyer, John Andrews. You can phone his office at (0345) 2412494 or email him at [email protected].

Ready to get started?

Here’s how you can start your business buying journey...

Download our free Business Buying Toolkit

https://dealmakers.co.uk/business-buying-toolkit

Join our Business Acquisition FastTrack programme

https://www.dealmakers.co.uk/fast

Already bought a business?

if you've already bought a business, you should be part of my Inner Circle group where we discuss raising capital, integration management, and exiting. Email Maria on [email protected] for more information.