Business Buying Strategies from The Dealmaker's Academy

In this episode, Jonathan speaks to Nick, one of his mastermind clients, to get to know how his recent acquisitions have transformed his existing business. Nick joins us to share what his normal day is like. Nick talks about the lessons he has learned since he made his first acquisition. We also understand how Nick's thinking has changed since this acquisition. Key Highlights [05:12] The history of the company [07:05] About the acquisition of the balloon company [08:27] How did the acquisition make changes to the sales process [10:07] Lessons learned from past acquisitions [12:53] where was the business size and client base before you bought it? [15:38] Points when one starts losing clients [16:42] How Nick's thinking has changed since the acquisition Notable Quotes I think one of the main things I've learned is about the first acquisition; for meI love to do things the hard way; I tend to throw myself into the deep end. It's challenging to get into many clients because they can buy it if we've sent it cheaper. So you have to add a lot of value at that point. And it's quite a hard sell. 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

It's the nerve center of a business – the books are critical to a company's financial health and prosperity. But how do you know how your business will perform when it comes time to buy another? In this episode, we talk to Johan Goree, the managing director of on-point accounting firm. He shares his tips on what to look at when presented with a set of accounts and more accounting insights for potential business buyers. Johann also shares some words of advice to those interested in purchasing their businesses and haven't owing to some fears. Key Highlights [00:14] What Johan does in his accounting firm [02:14] Top three things that Johan looks at when presented with a set of accounts [06:06] How to deal with vendors of businesses who don't have up-to-date information and blame it on accountants [10:36] Acquisitions done by Johan [13:54] How to deal with business owners who say they have fixed assets of a certain value, they've got stock of a certain value, and they want 100% of that value [18:20] Johan's take on the purchase of business without including the firm's assets [25:304] How to finance business acquisitions [27:47] Advice to the people who want to buy businesses but they haven't Notable Quotes Profit is a figure that can be moved on paper. What's more important is how's the cash flow. If you're looking to sell your business, you want to have instant accessible financial data, and you want it to be live so you can get the best value for your business because the accounts that are two or three months old on 12 months old may not be the true reflection of where your business is now. If you are trying, if you're a vendor, and you're trying to sell your business, you need to start planning ahead. So if you know, in the next year, you want to sell your business, talk to your accountant about getting cloud systems. If you've got a slow solicitor and you've got a slow vendor or a slow acquirer, then don't start financial due diligence until you are comfortable that you are within a month of the close of the business. If you are planning on raising finance on this company that you're going to buy, so you can finance the deal, then get the, get the lenders to do most of your financial due diligence. If you don't take that first step, you're not going to get it. I think there is a joint responsibility between accountants and business owners to have modern accounting systems and processes. So if you know, in the next year, you want to sell your business, talk to your accountant about getting cloud systems. 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

Ian Leslie's 40 years of Buying, Building, and Selling Businesses In this episode, Jonathan is joined by Ian Leslie, Company Director, pilot and professional photographer specializing in high-quality, stunning photography and video. With over forty years in business, Ian has built, grown, and exited more than eight businesses. He joins us to share his story, how he started acquiring businesses, his subsequent acquisitions, and he also shares some words of advice to people who want to start dealmaking. Key Highlights [00:14] How Ian ventured into business [01:58] What Ian has learned over the 40 years in business [04:16] Ian's first business acquisition [05:51] Deals negotiation process [10:51] The development of the business after the first acquisition [12:21] The best people to buy a business from [18:26] How much money is enough for a one to live a satisfying life [21:12] Who else would you add to your deal team? [22:51] Importance of having the right people in a deal [27:13] Ian's advice to prospective business buyers Notable Quotes Go with your gut. Absolutely. And if you want to do something, go for it. Find a way to do it. Don't procrastinate. Having a figure in mind at all times if somebody came along and knocked on your door, so I will give you X for your business; if that figure matches, go, just take the money and run. The beauty of being in business is you've got the ability to, I'll use the word passive income, because that, but it's never passive. But you've you've built a business that's generating an income. And if you get the right management team in there, they will be able to sustain so it almost becomes a pension. Read, learn, digest, and ask questions. My view through life is always learning. I've always been curious. And it's an interesting one because it's never been part of my published valleys that we've written. And I've actually thought curious people make progress. 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

Scale up your business Part 2 In this week's episode, I'm joined once more by Paul Avins, an award-winning business growth coach, speaker, and mentor. Paul has been involved in the business buying and selling field for over 17 years. He joins us to talk about acquiring and growing a business and when it's time to exit. We'll talk about what you need to know if you want to buy a business but aren't sure where to start. He also shares his thoughts about entrepreneurs who have held into a business for so long and shares some tips that help business owners create real Shareholder Value. Key Highlights [00:30] Paul's advice when it comes to hiring staff [01:50] Paul's thoughts on entrepreneurs holding to businesses for too long [05:45] Advice to entrepreneurs about selling businesses [07:50] Why people tolerate businesses they are not passionate about [10:14] About optimism bias [11:08] Knowing when to exit a business [13:00] Why people massively overestimate how much money they need [16:12] Language of a business [17:00] Journey to owning a business [17:35] Advice to people interested in buying businesses but haven't Notable Quotes At some point, you have to know how much is enough for me to achieve the next level of the game; well, whatever I want to do for myself. So if you get the right offer and that's what you want, get out. Well, there is a saying that the best offer is the one that's being presented to you right at that very moment. Being a business owner and being anything you want to be successful in life is more about maths than we want to admit. The biggest lie we tell ourselves is, I've got time. You can replace the money, and you can get your energy back, but you can't get your time back. Whatever it is, start today, you know, the great Zig Zigler used to say that you don't have to be great to get started, but you do have to start to get great. 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

Scale up your business Part 1 In this week's episode, I'm joined by Paul Avins, a business growth coach, speaker, and mentor. Paul shares some of the most important things with those who want to buy or sell a business. Paul talks about the most important thing to get a business off the ground. He details how one can develop good ideas for marketing and selling their businesses. He also shares strategies for finding good employees and what matters when selling or buying a business. Key Highlights [00:00] Paul's grown-up business concept [02:36] What most people aspire [03:54] Success According to some people [04:50] Biggest things where people make mistakes [05:34] Reasons why vendors associate the value of a business with the number of years they have run it [05:54] What matters when selling a business [10:24] Tips for Building Grown-Up business for exit [11:14] How you value your own business [12:30] Questions that most people fail to ask [14:00] How to come up with the best ideas [18:30] Biggest challenge when you buy a business Notable Quotes I think some of the biggest robberies in history have happened in boardrooms over pieces of paper, where it looked very innocuous, and people thought, oh, I'm getting a good deal. Don't get seduced by the numbers all because you are having a bad month or a bad quarter. I often say that your next great idea won't come while you sit behind your desk. Never right. You have to get out of your environment. The biggest challenge when you buy a business isn't the P and L stuff. Actually, you can manage all of that. It's actually the people. 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

Interview with John Hood In this episode, I'm joined by entrepreneur John Hood. John and I met many years ago when I acquired a digital marketing agency I was gearing up to sell. By 27, John already had a furniture, distribution, and IT business. We later met in 2019 after he identified Home Improvement and construction as ideal for following my buy and build strategy. John joins us to share his background, how he made his first home improvement and construction acquisition, and possible mistakes in this journey. Key Highlights [01:33] About John Hood [02:03] John's background and his first acquisition [05:21] Business acquisition mistakes made by John [09:04] How people approach business buying deals [11.52] John's plans and goals [16:06] So are you saying that your ambitions have grown? [17:34] The process of running one's business [19:04] John's advice to those who want to buy their businesses [21:00] Reinvesting profit generated from the acquired business [24:00] Nature of business ventures [25:55] John's parting shots Notable Quotes If you don't understand your motive, then your motivation will never be there. I haven't quite had the courage to encourage people not to use lawyers because that's got connotations in the future, but we always encourage them to use lawyers. I think the first step and the action you want to take is to go out and get the inquiry to provide yourself with the lead, the deal flow, the needs, or whatever you want to call to give you a major choice. 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

Interview with Phil Hunt In today's episode, I'm joined by Phil Hunt. Despite having a full-time job as an HR director of a city bank in London, this hasn't stopped Phil from following the Dealmakers Academy program and making his first two acquisitions. Phil has recently acquired two hairdressing salons, and he joins us to share his experience, highs and lows, and some of his best tips on acquiring one's business. Key highlights from the call [01:06] About Phil Hunt [02:50] Freedom of owning a business [03:28] When you were watching my videos, what was going through your head? [04:11] Likable moments in Fasttrack Program [08:28] How many conversations did you have before you found your first business acquisition target? [11:33] Did you use a lawyer? [12:10] How long did it take to complete the transaction? [12:41] Negotiation strategies [14:35] Hunt's second acquisition [16:25] Tell me why this was a share purchase [19:08] Phil's plans [19:49] What is the profit margin in this sector? [25:48] Advice to listeners Notable Quotes The perfectionism then comes when you engage with the accountant and the lawyer to make sure that the deal is what you need it to be. I think there's very little risk here. So it's definitely worth doing the courses that you provide because they give you it's not just the confidence, you've got to have that internally, but they kind of unlock the confidence if it's a little bit backward going forward. Just go out there and do it. What on earth do you have to lose here, and nothing you lose affects business? I'd spent the first nine months trying almost not to send the letters out; I was thinking, well, that word won't be right. And I've got the right address? And what about if the person doesn't like to be addressed like that? And I thought, you know, if they don't like it, they're not going to reply. 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 on +03452412494 or email him at johandrew.dolawyers.jmw.co.uk. To join the Fasttrack Program, you can connect with Jonathan Jay on Dealmakers Academy, follow him on LinkedIn, or get his videos on YouTube.

Interview with Jamie Simpson In this episode, I talk to Jamie Simpson. When I first met Jamie he had been interested in buying a business for some time, but nothing has taken shape yet. Since then, Jamie bought three businesses without risking his own cash. Jamie joins us to share his journey and how he has managed to buy his businesses. He also shares some inspirational tips for those who want to buy their own business and haven't started yet. Key Highlights [01:01] About Jamie Simpson [01:36] When did you think buying a business was a good idea? [03:14] What do you feel different about the deal hanging around for four years and what you have done in four months? [03:48] Would you have approached it differently knowing what you know now? [04:25] Did you lose that money, though? [05:36] When did you do your Fasttrack program? [07:10] How long did you take to feel as though you were speaking confidently to business owners? [13:15] Some of the things learned from Jonathan Jay that helped in business acquisition [15:00] Strategies used to talk to business sellers [16:18] Are you doing your work? [19:45] Lessons learned about business buying [21:00] About the Numbers game [25:38] Parting tips to listeners Notable Quotes I feel like I've got two options here. I can be like the tortoise in the shell. If you put your head out of the shell and something goes to bite, you can stay in the shell for the rest of your life or put your head down. I was hearing people say oh, we send 200 letters out, and we'll test the water and see what happens. And I was thinking they were my competition. So if they're going to test the water on, I'm just going to blitz the water. And I sent out about three to four thousand letters straightaway. A lot of people feel like they need to do their homework on the industry before they start sending letters. But actually, I found the sellers to be one of the greatest sources of information about the industry. Training to collect the data, trying to send the moves out in bulk like it's just not practical. So outsourcing to the experts is the way forward because it frees up your time to focus on what you want to do and where your skill sets lie. I would say follow the steps given in the FastTrack program. Don't feel like, you know, better. If you don't know the industry, or you've never purchased the business before, you learn as you go. 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 on +03452412494 or email him at johandrew.dolawyers.jmw.co.uk. To join the Fasttrack Program, you can connect with Jonathan Jay on Dealmakers Academy, follow him on LinkedIn, or get his videos on youtube.

Moving beyond the mindset of organic growth In this episode, I am joined by Aled Davies, who runs a printing and textile printing family business. Aled had been trying to grow this business organically before listening to this podcast and joining me on one of my business acquisitions, Fasttrack Programs, in 2020. Through this program, Aled got a whole new perspective on growing his business and has since made his first acquisition. In this episode, Aled shares how he came about and how he got to make his first acquisition. He also shares some words of wisdom with those interested in buying their own business. Key Highlights [01:03] About Aled Davies [04:15] Motivation towards buying his own business [05:18] When you heard other people do what you wanted to do, did that motivate you? [06:09] Likable moments in the Fasttrack program [07:34] How did you go about your first call with the business owner of the business you eventually bought? [08:39] Would you have grown your business by 10-15% in the next 12 months? [09:25] The negotiation process [12:56] Were you interested in his website traffic, inquiries, and existing customer list? [17:20] Signifier of the worth of a business [18:33] Business acquisition principles used [20:32] Plans for the future [21:56] Tips to listeners Notable Quotes It was surprisingly easy to do when you have started to get some idea of what you are doing. If a deal doesn't feel right or doesn't look like it's going to be the right one for you, you can always walk away if you don't want to do it anyway. The first step is to get started and give it a go because you never know what will come out of it. All we did was make a few phone calls, went to see the guy, agreed on everything, and that was it. It was as simple as that. 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 on +03452412494 or email him at johandrew.dolawyers.jmw.co.uk. To join the Fasttrack Program, you can connect with Jonathan Jay on Dealmakers Academy, follow him on Linkedin, or get his videos on youtube.

Hello this is Jonathan Jay - and welcome to episode 190 of the Business Buying Strategies podcast. This week we meet Nigel Wilkinson, who set up a digital marketing agency in 2000. Nigel acquired one of his competitors in September 2019, and then joined my five day dealmakers academy training programme last year. He has made a couple more acquisitions since, although as you'll hear it hasn't all been plain sailing. Find more details of the next Fasttrack programme at: www.thedealmakersacademy.com/FAST Follow or connect with Jonathan on LinkedIn https://bit.ly/2S3Xzxw Watch our YouTube Channel The Dealmaker's Academy https://bit.ly/3b86OFI

Hello this is Jonathan Jay - and welcome to episode 189 of the Business Buying Strategies podcast. This week I talk with Graeme Carling, who we first met in episode 76 of the podcast – Now Graeme had spent a decade building a substantial property portfolio, before buying a well known Scottish construction company out of administration. I asked Graeme to relay his story to a private audience in London earlier this month. Find more details of the next Fasttrack programme at: www.thedealmakersacademy.com/FAST Follow or connect with Jonathan on LinkedIn https://bit.ly/2S3Xzxw Watch our YouTube Channel The Dealmaker's Academy https://bit.ly/3b86OFI

Hello this is Jonathan Jay - and welcome to episode 188 of the Business Buying Strategies podcast. Now this week I am talking with Jack Baker, who a year ago was working in construction, thinking that there must be more to life than this, and wishing he could be his own boss. He started watching the business buying videos on my YouTube channel, listened to this podcast, and joined my Fast Track online training programme. And as a direct result, he has completed the acquisition of his first healthcare business, which has consistently delivered a £200K annual profit. Here's Jack talking about his background leading up to when he started to get interested in buying a business … Find more details of the next Fasttrack programme at: www.thedealmakersacademy.com/FAST Follow or connect with Jonathan on LinkedIn https://bit.ly/2S3Xzxw Watch our YouTube Channel The Dealmaker's Academy https://bit.ly/3b86OFI

Hello this is Jonathan Jay - and welcome to episode 187 of the Business Buying Strategies podcast. Now this week I am talking with two of my private clients, catching up with their recent progress. First we hear from Tony Egan, who is keen to acquire a number of veterinary practices. And then we talk with Nick Passmore, who has found his first acquisition through a chance conversation with a family friend. And it looks as though he might have struck gold. Let's find out more. Find more details of the next Fasttrack programme at: www.thedealmakersacademy.com/FAST Follow or connect with Jonathan on LinkedIn https://bit.ly/2S3Xzxw Watch our YouTube Channel The Dealmaker's Academy https://bit.ly/3b86OFI

Hello this is Jonathan Jay - and welcome to episode 186 of the Business Buying Strategies podcast. This week we're going to talk MONEY - The fact is that when I run one of my training programmes, I get asked about how to negotiate the price of an acquisition more than almost any other topic. So here I am, talking to my audience about how to strengthen your negotiating position - How to reach agreement on the price of a business with the current owner - And the steps to follow to put a deal together. I hope you enjoy it. Find more details of the next Fasttrack programme at: www.thedealmakersacademy.com/FAST Follow or connect with Jonathan on LinkedIn https://bit.ly/2S3Xzxw Watch our YouTube Channel The Dealmaker's Academy https://bit.ly/3b86OFI

Hello this is Jonathan Jay - and welcome to episode 184 of the Business Buying Strategies podcast. This week, we meet another of my mastermind clients, Hari Krishnadasan. Now Hari had actually bought a business a few years ago without realising that growing through acquisition could be a viable business strategy. But when COVID forced Hari to diversify, he made two new acquisitions and is now fully signed up to the principal of buy and build. Find more details of the next Fasttrack programme at: www.thedealmakersacademy.com/FAST Follow or connect with Jonathan on LinkedIn https://bit.ly/2S3Xzxw Watch our YouTube Channel The Dealmaker's Academy https://bit.ly/3b86OFI

Hello this is Jonathan Jay - and welcome to episode 183 of the Business Buying Strategies podcast. This week we meet John Richardson, whose expertise is acquiring coffee retail businesses and building a chain of coffee shops. Find more details of the next Fasttrack programme at: www.thedealmakersacademy.com/FAST Follow or connect with Jonathan on LinkedIn https://bit.ly/2S3Xzxw Watch our YouTube Channel The Dealmaker's Academy https://bit.ly/3b86OFI

Hello this is Jonathan Jay - and welcome to episode 181 of the Business Buying Strategies podcast. Now a couple of weeks ago, I introduced one of my online audiences to two of the most prolific dealmakers I know. You might have heard the name Peter Lidgitt before - because he was on the podcast just a couple of months ago. But since then, during one visit to the Burgundy region in France, he has managed to acquire three businesses - including a sausage factory - and has his sights on another two. Another dealmaker who has joined me on the podcast previously is Gavin. Now Gavin's experience is in the printing sector - and he first approached me when he had built up his businesses to a turnover of £900K - but was struggling to get it over the £1m he'd set as a target. By changing from growing organically to acquiring other businesses and then joining them together, everything changed for Gavin. He and I discussed the skills and personality traits needed of a successful dealmaker. Find more details of the next Fasttrack programme at: www.thedealmakersacademy.com/FAST Follow or connect with Jonathan on LinkedIn https://bit.ly/2S3Xzxw Watch our YouTube Channel The Dealmaker's Academy https://bit.ly/3b86OFI

Hello this is Jonathan Jay - and welcome to episode 180 of the Business Buying Strategies podcast. Back in November last year I introduced you to one of my mastermind students, Kris Bark. At the time, Kris ran a software business that he had started with a business partner several years ago. Having bought out the partner, and after attending my programme, Kris realised that growth by acquisition was the way to go - and so began a rapid succession of acquisitions. Eight months on and Kris is well on his way to his target of 60 acquisitions, with a combined turnover of £60 million within the next two years. Earlier in May, I invited him to meet my current intake of virtual students, and we talked about his methods for deal flow, negotiation, financing deals and ways to exit. Find more details of the next Fasttrack programme at: www.thedealmakersacademy.com/FAST Follow or connect with Jonathan on LinkedIn https://bit.ly/2S3Xzxw Watch our YouTube Channel The Dealmaker's Academy https://bit.ly/3b86OFI

Hello this is Jonathan Jay - and welcome to episode 179 of the Business Buying Strategies podcast. This week I talk with a legendary jewellery entrepreneur who grew his global business almost entirely through acquisition. Gerald Ratner left school at 16 with no qualifications, and went to work in his father's jewellery business. In 1984, he took over the business - and after just six years in charge he had created the world's largest jewellery retail company - with 2,500 stores, 25,000 employees, annual sales of £1.2 billion. Last month I invited Gerald to share the lessons he has learned with my private audience. Afterwards, I joined him on stage to talk about each of the significant acquisitions Gerald made. Find more details of the next Fasttrack programme at: www.thedealmakersacademy.com/FAST Follow or connect with Jonathan on LinkedIn https://bit.ly/2S3Xzxw Watch our YouTube Channel The Dealmaker's Academy https://bit.ly/3b86OFI

Hello this is Jonathan Jay - and welcome to episode 178 of the Business Buying Strategies podcast. This week I am talking with Michael Girdley, Executive Chairman and Co-Founder of US based Dura Software – and last year, Michael completed the acquisition of 6Connex – a technology company specialising in large scale virtual events - a great acquisition that in 2020 was definitely a case of 'right time right place' - and it was the fifth acquisition he'd made since 2018. Find more details of the next Fasttrack programme at: www.thedealmakersacademy.com/FAST Follow or connect with Jonathan on LinkedIn https://bit.ly/2S3Xzxw Watch our YouTube Channel The Dealmaker's Academy https://bit.ly/3b86OFI

Hello this is Jonathan Jay - and welcome to episode 177 of the Business Buying Strategies podcast. Now this week we're going to talk about buying businesses that are exclusively online - and as this is not my area of expertise, I'm going to be talking to Australian dealmaker Jaryd Krause about the specific skills required to acquire an online business. Find more details of the next Fasttrack programme at: www.thedealmakersacademy.com/FAST Follow or connect with Jonathan on LinkedIn https://bit.ly/2S3Xzxw Watch our YouTube Channel The Dealmaker's Academy https://bit.ly/3b86OFI

Hello this is Jonathan Jay - and welcome to episode 176 of the Business Buying Strategies podcast. Now you may remember that a few episodes ago, I described dealmaker Nick Manuel as someone who just 'gets' dealmaking - and repeatedly implements the ideal strategy to make successful acquisitions. A while back I met up with another of my students with the same drive and commitment common to every successful dealmaker. Ray Burke grew his business by 680% - with three acquisitions - in just 12 months. Yes, you heard me correctly. Ray's business ballooned from £500,000 to £3.4M in just a year. I hope you enjoy his story. Find more details of the next Fasttrack programme at: www.thedealmakersacademy.com/FAST Follow or connect with Jonathan on LinkedIn https://bit.ly/2S3Xzxw Watch our YouTube Channel The Dealmaker's Academy https://bit.ly/3b86OFI

Hello this is Jonathan Jay - and welcome to episode 175 of the Business Buying Strategies podcast. Now several years ago I was introduced to Robin Pugh - and I was so taken with his calm and measured approach to buying a business that I couldn't wait to introduce him to my group of mastermind students. He turned out to be one of our most popular guest presenters A few months later I invited him onto the podcast to talk about his business experience, and in particular his belief that it's always the people in a business that represent the largest opportunity - and also, in some cases, the biggest risks. I started by asking Robin for a career summary to date. Find more details of the next Fasttrack programme at: www.thedealmakersacademy.com/FAST Follow or connect with Jonathan on LinkedIn https://bit.ly/2S3Xzxw Watch our YouTube Channel The Dealmaker's Academy https://bit.ly/3b86OFI

Hello this is Jonathan Jay - and welcome to episode 174 of the Business Buying Strategies podcast. Now as much as I enjoy talking with many of the dealmakers who have made successful acquisitions after joining my programme, I also enjoy being interviewed myself. Last year it was a pleasure to be interviewed by Rob Craven, the managing director of the Directors Center. Rob advises clients on running and growing a business - So he was keen to learn about buying and selling businesses from my own perspective. Now it's a forty-five minute interview, a little bit longer than our usual podcast episodes, but we didn't want to edit anything out because it felt like such a great interview. So sit back and enjoy it. Find more details of the next Fasttrack programme at: www.thedealmakersacademy.com/FAST Follow or connect with Jonathan on LinkedIn https://bit.ly/2S3Xzxw Watch our YouTube Channel The Dealmaker's Academy https://bit.ly/3b86OFI

Hello this is Jonathan Jay - and welcome to episode 173 of the Business Buying Strategies podcast. Back in October 2020, that's episode 104, I talked with serial business buyer Peter Lidgitt. Peter 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. Eighteen months on, I was keen to hear what Peter has been up to since. Now for the first couple of minutes of our discussion, our broadband signal was extremely patchy. So rather than inflict that on you, we'll pick up our conversation at the point where I asked Peter about the effect that the pandemic had on the flower business he owned when we first met. Find more details of the next Fasttrack programme at: www.thedealmakersacademy.com/FAST Follow or connect with Jonathan on LinkedIn https://bit.ly/2S3Xzxw Watch our YouTube Channel The Dealmaker's Academy https://bit.ly/3b86OFI

Hello this is Jonathan Jay - and welcome to episode 172 of the Business Buying Strategies podcast. From time to time, I meet someone who just 'gets' dealmaking - and who then graduates from my programme with the right attitude, determination and most importantly the right strategy to make successful acquisitions. Nick Manuel is a really good example. He's actually been on the podcast before - back when he was just starting out on his business buying journey. Recently, I invited him to one of my live mastermind group meetings to tell his story, and to bring me up to date with his progress. Find more details of the next Fasttrack programme at: www.thedealmakersacademy.com/FAST Follow or connect with Jonathan on LinkedIn https://bit.ly/2S3Xzxw Watch our YouTube Channel The Dealmaker's Academy https://bit.ly/3b86OFI

Hello this is Jonathan Jay - and welcome to episode 171 of the Business Buying Strategies podcast. Now back in episode 117 of the podcast, in January of last year, we met mergers and acquisitions specialist Rob Goddard - and talked about what it takes to sell a business quickly and effectively. Since then, Rob has been applying his skills and knowledge of selling businesses to acquiring them - and has just completed his first acquisition - a large accountancy practice with 45 staff and a turnover of £2m. This week Rob and I talk about how he pulled the deal off. Find more details of the next Fasttrack programme at: www.thedealmakersacademy.com/FAST Follow or connect with Jonathan on LinkedIn https://bit.ly/2S3Xzxw Watch our YouTube Channel The Dealmaker's Academy https://bit.ly/3b86OFI

Hello this is Jonathan Jay - and welcome to episode 170 of the Business Buying Strategies podcast. This week, we're going to tune in to one of my live mastermind group meet ups, where I invited Andy Doyle to speak. Now Andy was on my business acquisition mastermind program a couple of years ago, and we're going to discover how he's bought five businesses since then and how he's taken his turnover from 600,000 a year to 2.3 million pounds a year at the same time. Find more details of the next Fasttrack programme at: www.thedealmakersacademy.com/FAST Follow or connect with Jonathan on LinkedIn https://bit.ly/2S3Xzxw Watch our YouTube Channel The Dealmaker's Academy https://bit.ly/3b86OFI

Hello this is Jonathan Jay - and welcome to episode 169 of the Business Buying Strategies podcast. This week, we're going to go behind the scenes of one of my live mastermind group meet ups, where I invited some of the audience up to the front of the room to tell everyone how their business acquisitions are progressing. Our students find it incredibly motivating to learn from others, and to hear about the strategies that have worked, as well as the mistakes they make along the way. Find more details of the next Fasttrack programme at: www.thedealmakersacademy.com/FAST Follow or connect with Jonathan on LinkedIn https://bit.ly/2S3Xzxw Watch our YouTube Channel The Dealmaker's Academy https://bit.ly/3b86OFI

Hello this is Jonathan Jay - and welcome to episode 168 of the Business Buying Strategies podcast. This week we continue our discussion about the legal aspects of acquiring a business with Jonathan's go to lawyer, John Andrews. Find more details of the next Fasttrack programme at: www.thedealmakersacademy.com/FAST Follow or connect with Jonathan on LinkedIn https://bit.ly/2S3Xzxw Watch our YouTube Channel The Dealmaker's Academy https://bit.ly/3b86OFI

Hello this is Jonathan Jay - and welcome to episode 167 of the Business Buying Strategies podcast. This week, and in next week's episode, we consider the legal aspects of acquiring a business with Jonathan's go to lawyer, John Andrews. Find more details of the next Fasttrack programme at: www.thedealmakersacademy.com/FAST Follow or connect with Jonathan on LinkedIn https://bit.ly/2S3Xzxw Watch our YouTube Channel The Dealmaker's Academy https://bit.ly/3b86OFI

Hello this is Jonathan Jay - and welcome to episode 166 of the Business Buying Strategies podcast. This week, Jonathan talks with Sam Turner, who gave up a lucrative corporate career to become a dealmaker in the HVAC sector. Find more details of the next Fasttrack programme at: www.thedealmakersacademy.com/FAST Follow or connect with Jonathan on LinkedIn https://bit.ly/2S3Xzxw Watch our YouTube Channel The Dealmaker's Academy https://bit.ly/3b86OFI

Hello this is Jonathan Jay - and welcome to episode 165 of the Business Buying Strategies podcast. Just before Christmas I met up online with John Corney, another of my mastermind clients. When I first met John, he had just sold his internet services businesses to a large aggregator for a considerable sum - but it had taken him nearly 25 years to reach that milestone. And whilst John was in no mood to retire, he was looking for a new business, one that could grow much faster and with less direct input from him. The thought of dealmaking appealed to John and the rest, as they say is history. Find more details of the next Fasttrack programme at: www.thedealmakersacademy.com/FAST Follow or connect with Jonathan on LinkedIn https://bit.ly/2S3Xzxw Watch our YouTube Channel The Dealmaker's Academy https://bit.ly/3b86OFI

Hello this is Jonathan Jay - and welcome to episode 164 of the Business Buying Strategies podcast. This week, we meet up for a second time with Richard Bundock, one of my dealmaking clients. Now, Richard is a great example of someone who started a successful business, but wasn't able to grow it organically as quickly as his ambition demanded. Now he has a couple of acquisitions under his belt, his whole outlook has changed. Find more details of the next Fasttrack programme at: www.thedealmakersacademy.com/FAST Follow or connect with Jonathan on LinkedIn https://bit.ly/2S3Xzxw Watch our YouTube Channel The Dealmaker's Academy https://bit.ly/3b86OFI

Hello this is Jonathan Jay - and welcome to episode 163 of the Business Buying Strategies podcast. Just before Christmas I met up online with another of my dealmaking students - Clayton Shaw. Now Clayton already had an acquisition under his belt when we first met - he bought a computer company with a friend some years ago - but since joining my programme in February 2021, he has made a series of real estate sector acquisitions - and has ambitious plans for more in 2022. Find more details of the next Fasttrack programme at: www.thedealmakersacademy.com/FAST Follow or connect with Jonathan on LinkedIn https://bit.ly/2S3Xzxw Watch our YouTube Channel The Dealmaker's Academy https://bit.ly/3b86OFI

Hello this is Jonathan Jay - and welcome to episode 162 of the Business Buying Strategies podcast. Earlier this week, Jonathan met up online with another mastermind student, Kris Bark. Now Kris has run his software business for many years - and acquiring competitors and related businesses has been something he has thought of doing for the last five years. But it was only after he bought out his business partner that it became a priority. And having attended our course at the start of last year, Kris started targeting businesses to acquire. As you'll hear, he has made tremendous progress. Find more details of the next Fasttrack programme at: www.thedealmakersacademy.com/FAST Follow or connect with Jonathan on LinkedIn https://bit.ly/2S3Xzxw Watch our YouTube Channel The Dealmaker's Academy https://bit.ly/3b86OFI

Hello this is Jonathan Jay - and welcome to episode 161 of the Business Buying Strategies podcast. This week, Jonathan talks with entrepreneur and dealmaker Charlie Norton. Find more details of the next Fasttrack programme at: www.thedealmakersacademy.com/FAST Follow or connect with Jonathan on LinkedIn https://bit.ly/2S3Xzxw Watch our YouTube Channel The Dealmaker's Academy https://bit.ly/3b86OFI

Hello this is Jonathan Jay - and welcome to episode 160 of the Business Buying Strategies podcast. This week, we discuss invoice and asset financing with finance expert Neil Curtis; we meet serial dealmaker Paul Green; and we talk about the power of LinkedIn with expert Andy Gwynne. Find more details of the next Fasttrack programme at: www.thedealmakersacademy.com/FAST Follow or connect with Jonathan on LinkedIn https://bit.ly/2S3Xzxw Watch our YouTube Channel The Dealmaker's Academy https://bit.ly/3b86OFI

Hello this is Jonathan Jay - and welcome to episode 159 of the Business Buying Strategies podcast. This week, we meet former tax inspector Chris O'Hara, who now specialises in helping companies negotiate tax investigations, overdue payments and other challenges with HMRC. Find more details of the next Fasttrack programme at: www.thedealmakersacademy.com/FAST Follow or connect with Jonathan on LinkedIn https://bit.ly/2S3Xzxw Watch our YouTube Channel The Dealmaker's Academy https://bit.ly/3b86OFI

Hello this is Jonathan Jay - and welcome to episode 158 of the Business Buying Strategies podcast. Now if you are a regular listener to the podcast you'll know that at the start of recent episodes I have opened up my little black book and given the contact details of the lawyer who I recommend and use for my own acquisitions in the children's day nursery sector. Last year, I invited John Andrews onto the podcast to talk about the role that the solicitor plays in a merger or acquisition of a business. Now I meet a fair number of dealmakers who say that if a deal of their goes wrong, it's usually the solicitor who has messed things up - so I started by asking John if there was any truth in that at all. Find more details of the next Fasttrack programme at: www.thedealmakersacademy.com/FAST Follow or connect with Jonathan on LinkedIn https://bit.ly/2S3Xzxw Watch our YouTube Channel The Dealmaker's Academy https://bit.ly/3b86OFI

Hello this is Jonathan Jay - and welcome to episode 157 of the Business Buying Strategies podcast. Now whenever I meet or talk with regular listeners to the show, most tell me how much they love - and how useful they find - the episodes where I talk in depth with a single dealmaker about the acquisitions they have made. I'm pleased to hear this - because I love them too! And from time to time, I meet dealmakers who have so much energy, and who are so keen to get started, that I want to bottle their enthusiasm and vitality and sell it! This week, I want to listen again to one such dealmaker, who was a guest on the podcast at the beginning of last year. His name is John Graves, and having decided to focus on acquiring distressed businesses, he bought his first company - a hotel and golf club in receivership - in a deal that took just seven days to complete. Find more details of the next Fasttrack programme at: www.thedealmakersacademy.com/FAST Follow or connect with Jonathan on LinkedIn https://bit.ly/2S3Xzxw Watch our YouTube Channel The Dealmaker's Academy https://bit.ly/3b86OFI

Hello this is Jonathan Jay - and welcome to episode 156 of the Business Buying Strategies podcast. This week, we have one of our regular highlights episodes, where I look back at some of the insights and interesting conversations I have had over the most recent ten episodes. Find more details of the next Fasttrack programme at: www.thedealmakersacademy.com/FAST Follow or connect with Jonathan on LinkedIn https://bit.ly/2S3Xzxw Watch our YouTube Channel The Dealmaker's Academy https://bit.ly/3b86OFI

Hello this is Jonathan Jay - and welcome to episode 155 of the Business Buying Strategies podcast. So this week, I talk with Ed, the producer of this podcast, about my new Mastermind programme, which starts in January. Find more details of the next Fasttrack programme at: www.thedealmakersacademy.com/FAST Follow or connect with Jonathan on LinkedIn https://bit.ly/2S3Xzxw Watch our YouTube Channel The Dealmaker's Academy https://bit.ly/3b86OFI

Hello this is Jonathan Jay - and welcome to episode 154 of the Business Buying Strategies podcast. So this week, I want you to meet entrepreneur John Hood - now John and I first met many years ago, at a time when I had acquired a digital marketing agency that I was gearing up to sell. John is no stranger to the world of acquisition. By the age of 27, John had already either started or acquired a furniture business, a distribution business and an IT business. Our paths only crossed again in 2019, after John had identified home improvement and construction as a sector that was ideal for following my buy and build strategy. Here's John talking about his background, and how with his first home improvement business acquisition, he made just about every mistake it was possible to make. Find more details of the next Fasttrack programme at: www.thedealmakersacademy.com/FAST Follow or connect with Jonathan on LinkedIn https://bit.ly/2S3Xzxw Watch our YouTube Channel The Dealmaker's Academy https://bit.ly/3b86OFI

Hello this is Jonathan Jay - and welcome to episode 153 of the Business Buying Strategies podcast. So this week, my guest is James Gardner - an entrepreneur who started a business with his brother 20 years ago, grew it, expanded into the USA and then sold it, with James retained by the business's new owners. Now last year James was one of a dozen or so lucky people to spend the day with me, on a business excursion to Amsterdam, when I was able to advise him one to one about the next steps he should take to acquire his next business. As you'll here, his acquisition opportunity came about following a casual, throwaway conversation he had with a business owner in a barber's shop. Here's James telling his story. Find more details of the next Fasttrack programme at: www.thedealmakersacademy.com/FAST Follow or connect with Jonathan on LinkedIn https://bit.ly/2S3Xzxw Watch our YouTube Channel The Dealmaker's Academy https://bit.ly/3b86OFI

Hello this is Jonathan Jay - and welcome to episode 152 of the Business Buying Strategies podcast. This week I want you to meet Michal Bereslavsky, who buys, builds and sells online businesses. As some of you will know, this is anything but my own area of expertise - so I am always interested to learn about business sectors that I don't personally understand. But Michael's business is fascinating - he specialises in virtual businesses - usually involving affiliate marketing and selling. As he himself explains, the business may be virtual, but the money is real! Find more details of the next Fasttrack programme at: www.thedealmakersacademy.com/FAST Follow or connect with Jonathan on LinkedIn https://bit.ly/2S3Xzxw Watch our YouTube Channel The Dealmaker's Academy https://bit.ly/3b86OFI

Hello this is Jonathan Jay - and welcome to episode 151 of the Business Buying Strategies podcast. This week we hear from another of my dealmaking students - Isaac Smith-Jones. Isaac is as an experienced online marketing consultant - specialising in generating leads via Facebook. He'd been considering acquiring a business for some time, and my mastermind programme provided just the incentive he needed to get started. Isaac started by talking about his background and explaining why he felt drawn to the idea of buying a business. Find more details of the next Fasttrack programme at: www.thedealmakersacademy.com/FAST Follow or connect with Jonathan on LinkedIn https://bit.ly/2S3Xzxw Watch our YouTube Channel The Dealmaker's Academy https://bit.ly/3b86OFI

Hello this is Jonathan Jay - and welcome to episode 150 of the Business Buying Strategies podcast. This week I want you to meet Rob Schut, who after working in the aircraft parts and machinery business for a number of years decided to build for his future by acquiring businesses. Interestingly, despite Rob's considerable business experience, he found the negotiation of the price and payment terms for his first acquisition the most challenging part of the process. We'll hear what he did to overcome his negotiating reticence shortly - but I started by asking Rob what attracted him to acquiring a business in the first place. Find more details of the next Fasttrack programme at: www.thedealmakersacademy.com/FAST Follow or connect with Jonathan on LinkedIn https://bit.ly/2S3Xzxw Watch our YouTube Channel The Dealmaker's Academy https://bit.ly/3b86OFI

Hello this is Jonathan Jay - and welcome to episode 149 of the Business Buying Strategies podcast. This week we meet another dealmaker - Teddy Velkov. Now Teddy came to the UK from his native Bulgaria when he was in his twenties - and he knew no one here, and spoke not a word of English at the time. We're going to hear how Teddy acquired a series of window cleaning businesses in London - and is now one of the city's largest. Find more details of the next Fasttrack programme at: www.thedealmakersacademy.com/FAST Follow or connect with Jonathan on LinkedIn https://bit.ly/2S3Xzxw Watch our YouTube Channel The Dealmaker's Academy https://bit.ly/3b86OFI

Hello this is Jonathan Jay - and welcome to episode 148 of the Business Buying Strategies podcast. This week we have a really interesting case study - I'd like you to meet Akram Abdullah, who in the space of just eight months acquired a business, fixed it, and then sold it to the manager he had recruited to run it for him. Find more details of the next Fasttrack programme at: www.thedealmakersacademy.com/FAST Follow or connect with Jonathan on LinkedIn https://bit.ly/2S3Xzxw Watch our YouTube Channel The Dealmaker's Academy https://bit.ly/3b86OFI