Acquisition Lab

The industry's largest vetted network of acquisition entrepreneurs with $1B+ in enterprise value purchased.

[Acquisition Lab @Acquisition_Lab]

Sign up free: https://t.co/3KV6W8zwqM

Register: https://t.co/yLkMRsjy4e

[Acquisition Lab @Acquisition_Lab]

The Acquisition Lab Platform is live. Free for every searcher.

Every public U.S. deal, a buyer profile, and a CRM built for acquisition entrepreneurs.

See it live Monday 11/9 at 4pm ET, a free walkthrough and open Q&A.

#AcquisitionLab #OwnYourFuture #ETA #SMB

[Acquisition Lab @Acquisition_Lab]

No income. No other assets. Quit the job anyway.

Joe Wechsler: “It’s a leap knowing that the net will appear.”

Watch the full episode here: https://t.co/oGofQ0V4TO

#AcquisitionLab #HowIBoughtABusiness #BuyThenBuild #ETA #EntrepreneurshipThroughAcquisition

[Acquisition Lab @Acquisition_Lab]

Acquisition Lab Capital just invested $1.4M in California Air Conveying.

Founded 1978. 450+ customers. 200+ relationships spanning 20+ years.

Rick P. in as CRO. Growth plan in motion.

Congratulations Rick. Own your future.

#AcquisitionLab #OwnYourFuture #ETA #MainStreet

[Acquisition Lab @Acquisition_Lab]

We’re not anti‑AI or anti‑bots in a search. They can absolutely help you triage and surface patterns. But there’s still a long list of judgment calls you can’t outsource: operator fit, deal structure, seller psychology, your own conviction. What you're proposing is definitely doable; you just shouldn’t mistake it for a substitute for doing the real work yourself.

[Acquisition Lab @Acquisition_Lab]

Chad Lacek quit his job to search full time. Finite runway. Real stakes.

He brought three deals to Acquisition Lab before closing the right one. Each time someone found what he had missed.

Seven months post close, he still goes back for advice.

The biggest benefit? Peace of mind.

https://t.co/vrAzsyRR3I

#AcquisitionLab #OwnYourFuture #ETA #SMB #BuyThenBuild

[Acquisition Lab @Acquisition_Lab]

Episode 6 of “How I Bought a Business” is out now.

This episode: Joe Wechsler, CEO of VirtuAlly and Partner at Blueline Ventures.

He did not have a lot of cash. No cushion. If it did not work, he was at zero.

He bought anyway.

Watch the full episode here: https://t.co/mh1kKWUTXn

#AcquisitionLab #HowIBoughtABusiness #BuyThenBuild #ETA #EntrepreneurshipThroughAcquisition

[Acquisition Lab @Acquisition_Lab]

@MichaelKeck Totally agree, Michael. Having a room of experienced buyers and operators pressure-test each deal before you burn runway is one of the most valuable aspects of our membership.

[Acquisition Lab @Acquisition_Lab]

Months of cold emails to brokers. No responses.

He joined Acquisition Lab, showed up prepared, and the broker called him back the same day.

If you are who you think you are, you will be able to do it.

Watch the full episode here: https://t.co/sCHJqY138X

#AcquisitionLab #OwnYourFuture #ETA #SMB #BuyThenBuild

[Acquisition Lab @Acquisition_Lab]

@BizExplorer_us Glad you liked Heather's breakdown. We're sure these small clarifications are very helpful for people starting their search.

[Acquisition Lab @Acquisition_Lab]

Not all businesses handle cash the same way and it changes your entire valuation.

Working capital negative: customers prepay. Working capital positive: the business spends before it collects.

Know which one you are buying before you make an offer.

https://t.co/vrAzsyRR3I

#AcquisitionLab #OwnYourFuture #ETA #SMB #BusinessAcquisition

[Acquisition Lab @Acquisition_Lab]

@trowbridge_n Agreed!

[Acquisition Lab @Acquisition_Lab]

John R. just closed on A.W. Bergey and Sons Floor Coverings. Founded 1950.

75+ years in business.

17 months of searching. SBA financed. Done.

Every failed deal prepares you for the right one. That is choosing your hard.

#AcquisitionLab #OwnYourFuture #ETA #MainStreet

[The Deall Show @thedeallshow]

How much do you need in personal savings to acquire a company?

Walker Deibel, in his famous book, Buy Then Build (published 2018), recommended having an average of $65,000 in personal savings before searching for a business to buy.

Walker also founded @Acquisition_Lab , whose current CEO is @jordanfliegel .

I got to sit down with Jordan recently to ask him if that is still the case in 2026.

His answer below on the different requirements and paths for searchers depending on where they are in their careers👇

[Acquisition Lab @Acquisition_Lab]

Glad that resonated and you’re right, that’s an important point. Pride can be fuel or a trap. The key is staying emotionally connected to the outcome you want, but brutally objective in diligence and price; fall in love with the deal mechanics and operator fit, not just the idea of being an owner.

[Acquisition Lab @Acquisition_Lab]

There is a deeper satisfaction in owning a business than you can understand before you buy one.

His kids wear the company shirts to bed.

That is what ownership actually feels like.

Watch the full episode here: https://t.co/sCHJqY138X

#AcquisitionLab #HowIBoughtABusiness #BuyThenBuild #ETA

[The Deall Show @thedeallshow]

What risks should you watch out for when you buy a business?

I spoke to @jordanfliegel of @Acquisition_Lab about what to look out for.

His answer especially mattered, as he has personally gone through the process and now helps advise the 120K+ members of the Lab on their own acquisitions.

And those members have done over 480+ acquisitions, surpassing $1 billion in acquisitions.

TL;DR: Jordan had three big elements he mentioned

1. Margin of Safety

Most people go into buying a business as optimists. They look for low-hanging fruit to increase cash flow immediately.

But things don't always work that way. J-curves are real and revenue often dips before recovering post-acquisition.

So Jordan recommends having enough capital to compensate for a potential 20%~30% dip.

Often called a debt service coverage ratio (DSCR) or in other words, how much cash you have available to pay your debt.

2. Flight risk

Alongside the owner, most businesses have a few key employees much of the company's success depends.

It is imperative you identify who those are early in the process and invest in building relationships with them.

Jordan recommends sometimes giving them a slight bonus as well post-acquisition and spending time listening and learning from them to ensure they feel safe and valued under new ownership.

3. Enthusiasm risk

Though much less tangible, Jordan recommends being honest about whether you will wake up every day excited about the business you're acquiring.

Will it require you to live in a city you do not want to be in? Will it allow you to do the things that fulfill you?

Listen to Jordan's full answer below 👇

[Acquisition Lab @Acquisition_Lab]

The number on the listing and the number the bank uses are not the same.

SDE includes the owner's salary. EBITDA deducts it. Lenders work off EBITDA, and you can borrow about 3.75x.

Know the difference before you walk into a lender conversation.

Learn more at https://t.co/vrAzsyRR3I

#AcquisitionLab #ETA #SBALoan #SMB

[The Deall Show @thedeallshow]

@Acquisition_Lab is one of the best programs an acquisition entrepreneur can get into.

The Lab has over 120K members who've completed over $1 billion in acquisitions across 480+ deals. But they don't just accept everyone into the program.

So I interviewed The Lab's CEO, @jordanfliegel , to talk about what they look for in members.

To see what gives them confidence that someone might be able to successfully complete an acquisition.

His answer might surprise you; it was not an MBA or a prestigious degree 👇

[Acquisition Lab @Acquisition_Lab]

Good point; that’s the part most first-time buyers underestimate, and why we never say this is an easy path to pursue. You can earn a great salary once you grow the business, but those first years will definitely be hard in terms of effort and even take-home pay. Brian’s story in this episode is basically a live case study in what happens when debt service and working capital realities hit the “looks good on paper” model, which is why we push so hard on cash flow and stress-testing before close.

[Acquisition Lab @Acquisition_Lab]

Episode 5 of "How I Bought a Business" is out now. Brian Hartman, CEO of Arbor Alliance.

15 hour days. Numbers that looked fine on paper. A bank account that told a different story.

Watch what happened next. Full episode here: https://t.co/sCHJqY138X

#AcquisitionLab #HowIBoughtABusiness #BuyThenBuild #ETA