The Hub - Main Street Weekly M&A

Your go-to source for Main Street M&A industry insights, expert analysis, and the latest news.

February 14, 2023

We’re working hard for you, finding lots of good stuff this week; let’s get started.

In the Pods …

Colin and Brent discuss Andrew Wilkinson and Chris Sparling going public and how to structure a holding company with LLCs, C-Corps, QSBS, and more. - Why should you listen? Tiny Capital is using a reverse merger to accomplish this. Listen Here: (30:00)

Steve Baker - Vice President, The Great Game of Business, Inc. Steve coauthored Get in the Game as well as the update of the number one bestseller, The Great Game of Business—20th Anniversary Edition.

Steve covers how he got started and how these concepts have led to the successful turnaround of many companies, he’s worked with. He’ll share the basics of this business system used worldwide. As an M&A example, the parent company SRC Holdings, founded by Jack Stack, author of the Great Game Of Business has bought and/or spun off over 69 companies since 1983, many of them turn arounds. Listen Here: (55:05)

Today, they share the amazing news they have been working for the last 16 years to pass a law to prove the role of brokers and intermediaries in M&A transactions, called the Small Business Mergers and Acquisition Sales and Brokerage Simplification Act, and it has finally happened. In this episode, Andy and Jessica are approaching this matter with two experts, Mike Ertel and Shane Hansen, who are talking about how this law impacts small business owners and the business community at large. Listen Here 58:43

Shannon started her career as a school teacher, but as a pastor's wife in need of more income, Shannon and a co-founder opened their first children's and maternity consignment event in Tulsa, Oklahoma. They successfully grew their single-location business, and in 2003, they decided to begin selling franchises of their concept all across the country.

Shannon and her team built the Just Between Friends franchise in 31 states with more than 151 locations. In 2022, just between friends, revenue surpassed $41 million. Like for many entrepreneurs, the pandemic brought on a variety of business and personal challenges. So when Shannon was approached to be purchased, she knew it was time to sell. Listen Here 53:09

Buy Then Build: Making an Offer & Closing the Deal

Walker Deibel is the Author of the best-selling book "Buy Then Build: How Acquisition Entrepreneurs Outsmart the Startup Game," and in this video, he covered the issues buyers must contemplate when buying a business to be successful. Walker provided his insights, guidance, and war stories. This discussion is great for individuals looking to buy a business now or in the future. Listen Here 25:43

In the News …

Flippa, the largest online marketplace for buying and selling businesses, has launched the first-ever AI-powered recommendation engine for the M&A industry. The new feature will leverage data to deliver custom recommendations for buyers and sellers based on their search behavior and interests. The engine will also improve the user experience by offering an easy-to-use interface and seamless search capabilities. The AI engine is a game-changer for M&A professionals and is expected to increase the efficiency and accuracy of the search process. Read more (200 words)

Tiny Capital will acquire WeCommerce Holdings in a reverse merger transaction for CAD 290 million. The post-merger company will be named Tiny Ltd. Tiny co-founders will be the co-CEOs, and the board of directors will remain unchanged. The transaction is subject to approvals and is expected to close in April 2023. Read More (200 words)

The Author, David Tobin is the founder and Managing Partner of TobinLeff, an M&A advisory and exit planning consulting firm. In this article he covers the eight best practices for managing your business for your exit payday. Read More (1100 words)

In the Knowledge

It’s out… If You’re Reading this newsletter, you should read this annual report.

The BizBuySell Insight Report is a nationally recognized economic indicator that tracks the health of the U.S. small business economy. Each quarter, BizBuySell analyzes the sales and listing prices of small businesses across the United States based on approximately 50,000 businesses for sale and those recently sold, reporting changes in closed transaction rates, valuation multiples, and other economic indicators for the small business transaction market. Read More

Outside the normal traffic, sales, recurring revenue, SDE, EBITDA talk, this article building a large and active social media presence, building in social proof from the start, getting the press to cover your brand, and more. If you are buying, have bought, or just thinking of acquiring an e-commerce business Read More (3200 words)

In the BIG Guys Corner … (middle market and above)

From mega-mergers to matchmaking, here are a few of the deal-making trends that bear watching as the healthcare and health IT industries continue to navigate an era of disruption and change. Read more …

In the calendar …

Ours Truly (Ronald Skelton - Host of How2Exit podcast) will be in the lineup of speakers talking about Sourcing Off Market Deals, and 11 other awesome speakers will be covering topics such as The Investor’s Perspective, Preparing for Sale, Understanding Cashflow Levels as a Buyer, Keeping a Good Management Team in Place, the 3 Pillars for Due Diligence, Change of Business Owner Financing with the SBA 7(a), Legal considerations and much more - Check it out

Triple Your Sales, Bank More Profit, and Build a Plan To “Exit” Your Business In the Next 12 - 18 Months (Even If You Have ZERO Desire To Sell It) - Check it out

A twice-monthly networking meeting where acquisitions entrepreneurs come together online to build teams, share ideas and resources, and help each other succeed. The first and Third Tuesday of each month. Check it out 

The official “Un-Conference” of micro-PE. Where Holding Companies Meet, Learn, Scale, and Grow. Check it out

A live gathering of SMB, Micro-PE, and ETA Owners, operators, and Investors. Check it out

In the Sosh … who to follow this week

Andrew Wilkinson

Why you should follow: He started out like you and I and is now either a billionaire (via company valuations) or damn close to it. (featured above about his reverse merger):

Andrew Wilkinson is a Canadian entrepreneur, co-founder of Tiny Capital, and an active investor in various technology companies. He regularly shares insights about entrepreneurship, investing, and productivity. As the co-founder of Tiny Capital, he has been involved in acquiring and investing in several successful software companies, including Dribbble, MetaLab, and Pixel Union. Tiny Capital's website showcases their investment philosophy and the companies they have acquired. Andrew's business success and investment strategies demonstrate his sharp business acumen and an eye for identifying successful software businesses. Follow Andrew - Twitter 

Shaquille O'Neal, or simply Shaq

Yes, the former NBA player turned successful entrepreneur, actor, and media personality. Plus, the man has a huge heart…

With over 15 million followers on Twitter, Shaq has a large social media presence and uses his platform to promote his various business ventures. He owns and operates several businesses, including a car wash franchise called "Big Diesel's Car Wash," a Krispy Kreme franchise in Atlanta, Papa Johns, Big Chicken, and investments in various technology companies, including Google and Apple. He is also the founder and owner of "Shaquille's," a fine-dining restaurant chain. Shaq's business success demonstrates his diverse skills and his ability to succeed beyond the basketball court. Follow “Shaq”: Twitter | TikTok

Marty M. Fahncke

As The Adventurist Marketer, Marty leads teams and business owners to help them reach new heights of success. Using effective and innovative forms of marketing and strategic investments, he has grown companies to over a Billion dollars in revenue.

Do you have a competitor who is driving you crazy? Are they out-performing you in one or more ways? Do they have strengths where you have weaknesses? Instead of continuing to battle them, perhaps you should consider ACQUIRING them! That's right, today's video is “Don't Beat Them, Buy Them!”

A quick case study how I grew two businesses from doing $3.5 million/year while battling head to head...to generating $30 million/year (very profitably) by buying the competition instead of trying to beat them!

Oh, and in case you think you need a big pile of cash to acquire your competition, you may be surprised to know that I have over 230 ways of funding an acquisition...and I may be able to help you acquire your competition for literally not one penny out of your own pocket! Connect with Marty … 

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Connect with Gia Cilento - Editor & Co-Founder — LinkedIn Twitter

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