# He Bought His First Business at $17M and 2x'd It in 5 Years

Page: https://stenobird.com/podcast/the-smb-deal-hunter-podcast-7541224/he-bought-his-first-business-at-17m-and-2x-d-it-in-5-years
Text version: https://stenobird.com/podcast/the-smb-deal-hunter-podcast-7541224/he-bought-his-first-business-at-17m-and-2x-d-it-in-5-years.md
Podcast: [The SMB Deal Hunter Podcast](https://stenobird.com/podcast/the-smb-deal-hunter-podcast-7541224)
Published: 2026-05-01T19:48:32+00:00
Episode link: https://share.transistor.fm/s/f4fb2d1c
Audio file: https://media.transistor.fm/f4fb2d1c/fbfdeaea.mp3
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JSON: https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/the-smb-deal-hunter-podcast-7541224/episodes/he-bought-his-first-business-at-17m-and-2x-d-it-in-5-years
Duration seconds: 3144

## Resource

In this episode, Adam breaks down the unusual deal structure that pulled him off the fence, why running a $20M business was harder than running a $150M one, and the single biggest lever he pulled to double the profits. ◼️ The CEO-on-salary trial structure that let him run the business for 6 months before he committed to buying it ◼️ The construction-to-service flip that doubled EBITDA on a 50% revenue lift ◼️ Why running a $150M company was easier than running a $20M one ◼️ The year-one near-disaster that nearly cost him his largest equipment distributor ◼️ Why he managed to EBITDA, never to revenue, from day one Subscribe to the SMB Deal Hunter newsletter (200,000+ subscribers): https://join.smbdealhunter.xyz/ Want help buying a business? Learn about SMB Deal Hunter Pro: https://pro.smbdealhunter.xyz/ Follow Helen: Twitter: https://x.com/HelenGuo _ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/helen-guo-06674523/

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## Transcript

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