In partnership with

The Future of AI in Marketing. Your Shortcut to Smarter, Faster Marketing.

Unlock a focused set of AI strategies built to streamline your work and maximize impact. This guide delivers the practical tactics and tools marketers need to start seeing results right away:

• 7 high-impact AI strategies to accelerate your marketing performance

• Practical use cases for content creation, lead gen, and personalization

• Expert insights into how top marketers are using AI today

• A framework to evaluate and implement AI tools efficiently

Stay ahead of the curve with these top strategies AI helped develop for marketers, built for real-world results.

Download the Free Report

The Real Story of Buying a Business: What They Don't Tell You

How Dan went from tech executive to packaging mogul with $200K down—and why everything you see online is BS

Look, I'm about to tell you something that's going to piss off every business acquisition "guru" on YouTube: buying a business is nothing like what they're selling you.

Those slick videos promising you'll "acquire a $10M business with no money down" and "become financially free in 12 months"? Pure fantasy. The real story is messier, scarier, and way more interesting than anything they're peddling.

I know this because I just spent an hour talking to my college buddy Dan, who actually did it. No clickbait, no affiliate links, no course to sell you. Just the raw, unfiltered truth about what it takes to buy a real business.

Here's what happened when an ordinary tech guy decided to stop watching from the sidelines.

The Guy Who Actually Did It

Dan wasn't some trust fund kid or private equity hotshot. He was a Facebook engineer who became a CTO at a startup called Namely. Smart guy, sure, but he never hit the lottery. No IPO windfall, no golden parachute. Just a regular dude who got laid off and started wondering: "What if I owned my own thing?"

That casual thought turned into a $3.4 million acquisition that's now doing $13 million in annual revenue.

But here's the kicker—he only put down $200,000 of his own money. And before you roll your eyes thinking this is another "leverage other people's money" pitch, let me tell you what that $200K actually cost him.

His house. His wife's 401(k). Every asset they had.

Because unlike the YouTube gurus, Dan understood something crucial: if you're going to bet big, you better be willing to lose big.

The Business That Changed Everything

Fleet Packaging. Ever heard of it? Of course not. It's the most boring business you can imagine—they sell shopping bags and packaging supplies to retail stores.

No sexy SaaS metrics. No viral growth potential. No "disrupting" anything.

Just a 15-year-old company that was quietly making $800,000 a year in profit, serving the same clients month after month, year after year. The kind of business that makes accountants smile and Instagram entrepreneurs yawn.

Which is exactly why Dan bought it.

Framework #1: The Unsexy Advantage

While everyone else was chasing the next Uber or fighting over trendy SaaS businesses, Dan discovered something profound: boring businesses are goldmines.

Here's his framework for finding hidden gems:

The Three Pillars of Boring Gold:

1. Predictable Cash Flow - Clients who need the same thing every month

2. High Switching Costs - Nobody wants to find a new bag supplier

3. Low Sexy Factor - If it doesn't photograph well for Instagram, it's probably profitable

Think about it. When's the last time you saw someone post about their packaging distributor on LinkedIn? Never. But every retail store in America needs bags, and they're not switching suppliers on a whim.

That's the beauty of boring: it's invisible to competitors but essential to customers.

Framework #2: The 100-Day Deep Dive

Here's where Dan's story gets interesting. He didn't just stumble into this deal—he spent 100 days becoming an expert in business acquisitions.

The Dan Method:

• Week 1-2: Learn the language (SIMs, LOIs, seller notes, SBA loans)

• Week 3-6: Study every marketplace (Acquire.com, BizBuySell, Searchfunder.com)

• Week 7-10: Analyze 100+ deals to calibrate your gut

• Week 11-14: Build your financing strategy and team (lawyers, accountants, brokers)

But here's what nobody tells you: the learning never stops. Dan shadowed the seller weekly for months. He didn't just buy a business—he bought an education.

Most people skip this part. They see a deal, fall in love, and rush to close. Dan treated it like studying for the most important exam of his life.

Because it was.

Framework #3: The Risk Mitigation Playbook

Now let's talk about the elephant in the room: risk.

Fleet Packaging had one massive red flag—a single customer represented over 50% of revenue. In startup terms, that's basically a death sentence waiting to happen.

But Dan didn't walk away. Instead, he got creative.

The Seller Note Hack:

Instead of paying the full $3.4M upfront, Dan structured a $1.4M seller note that was forgivable if the business underperformed.

Translation: If that big customer left and revenue tanked, Dan wouldn't be stuck holding the bag for the full purchase price.

This is the kind of creative financing that separates amateurs from pros. Dan turned the deal's biggest weakness into his biggest protection.

The Financing Reality Check

Let's break down exactly how Dan pulled this off:

• Total Price: $3.4M

• Down Payment: $200K (his money + wife's 401k)

• SBA Loan: $1.8M

• Seller Note: $1.4M (performance-based)

That's a 94% leverage ratio. But here's what the gurus won't tell you: leverage amplifies everything. If the business succeeds, you win big. If it fails, you lose everything.

Dan put his house on the line. His wife's retirement. Their entire financial future.

That's not a strategy—that's a bet. And you better make damn sure you're right.

The Opportunities Hiding in Plain Sight

Once Dan's mindset shifted, he started seeing businesses everywhere. That bowling alley you drove past? Someone's making money. The funeral home on Main Street? Probably more profitable than you think.

Dan's Hit List of Overlooked Businesses:

1. Family Entertainment Centers

Remember when malls were dying? Well, some smart operators are turning those dead spaces into laser tag centers, trampoline parks, and climbing gyms. Low labor costs (teenagers), high margins, and millennial parents looking for sober fun.

2. Medical Transport

Boring? Absolutely. Profitable? You bet. Government-subsidized transport for elderly and disabled folks. Predictable demand, steady cash flow, and nobody wants to compete with you.

3. Funeral Homes

Yeah, it's morbid. It's also recession-proof. People die regardless of the economy, and most entrepreneurs are too squeamish to compete. Supply and demand, baby.

4. Balloon Stores

Party City went bankrupt. Local balloon shops are filling the void. Low startup costs, high margins, and surprisingly strong demand. One fireworks store pivoted to balloons and can't keep up with orders.

The Mindset Shift That Changes Everything

Here's the moment Dan's entire worldview flipped: Everything around you is someone's business.

That shopping bag from Target? Someone manufactures it, distributes it, and profits from it. The sign on the restaurant? Someone designed it, printed it, and installed it. The eggs in your fridge? Someone packaged them, shipped them, and marketed them.

Once you see it, you can't unsee it. The world becomes a giant opportunity map.

Most people never make this connection. They see products and services as consumers, not as potential business owners. That's why they stay employees while guys like Dan become millionaires.

How to Actually Do This Yourself

Alright, enough theory. Here's your step-by-step playbook:

Phase 1: Education (Months 1-3)

• Join Searchfunder.com community

• Read "Buying a Business" by Richard Parker

• Study 50+ deals on BizBuySell to calibrate your instincts

• Learn SBA loan requirements and find a broker

Phase 2: Search (Months 4-12)

• Define your criteria (industry, size, geography)

• Build relationships with business brokers

• Analyze 100+ deals (seriously, 100+)

• Walk away from anything that doesn't fit your framework

Phase 3: Diligence (Months 13-18)

• Shadow the seller for weeks, not days

• Hire real lawyers and accountants

• Model different scenarios (best case, worst case, most likely)

• Structure creative financing to minimize risk

Phase 4: Integration (Months 19-24)

• Plan your first 100 days as owner

• Identify quick wins and major risks

• Build relationships with key employees and customers

• Resist the urge to change everything immediately

The Truth About Business Buying

Here's what Dan learned that nobody talks about:

It's not passive. You're not buying a stock—you're buying problems to solve, people to manage, and fires to put out. Dan works 50-60 hours a week, not 4 hours.

It's not quick. Despite making $1.7M in profit last year, Dan pays himself $150K. He's reinvesting everything to grow the business and pay down debt.

It's not guaranteed. That seller note? It exists because there's real risk. If he screws up, he loses everything.

But here's the upside: you own something real. No algorithm changes can kill your business overnight. No platform can ban you. No investor can fire you.

You own the keys to your own castle.

The Bottom Line

Dan's story isn't a get-rich-quick scheme. It's a get-rich-eventually strategy that requires intelligence, discipline, and a stomach for risk.

The gurus selling courses won't tell you about the sleepless nights, the financial colonoscopies, or the very real possibility of losing everything.

But they also won't tell you about the feeling of owning something that generates real profit, serves real customers, and can't be disrupted by the next hot app.

If you're thinking about buying a business, ask yourself: Are you ready to bet everything on yourself?

Because that's exactly what you're doing.

Dan was. And now he owns a business that's tracking toward $100 million in revenue.

The question is: What boring business are you going to buy?

Want to learn more about business acquisition strategies? The real ones, not the YouTube fantasies? Dan's story is just the beginning of what's possible when you stop consuming and start owning.

Full episode we based our notes on