{"podcast":{"title":"The SMB Deal Hunter Podcast","slug":"the-smb-deal-hunter-podcast-7541224","podcast_index_feed_id":7541224,"rss_url":"https://feeds.transistor.fm/the-smb-deal-hunter-podcast","website_url":"http://join.smbdealhunter.xyz","image_url":"https://img.transistorcdn.com/ryVS_4EnnsoNc7YOE4bH5mBUjGvES7GhKayukwR4fuM/rs:fill:0:0:1/w:1400/h:1400/q:60/mb:500000/aHR0cHM6Ly9pbWct/dXBsb2FkLXByb2R1/Y3Rpb24udHJhbnNp/c3Rvci5mbS83ZGJh/YTEwNmZhZTcyYWJk/OWU0OGM3MDM2Mzcy/MmUxNy5qcGVn.jpg","author":"Helen Guo","episode_count":104,"summary":"Every week, Helen Guo interviews successful acquisition entrepreneurs, independent sponsors, and investors who have acquired businesses. Learn how to buy a business rather than starting one from scratch from those who have done it themselves.","last_synced_at":"2026-07-14T08:20:23.718235+00:00","page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/the-smb-deal-hunter-podcast-7541224"},"episode":{"title":"He Bought His First Business at $17M and 2x'd It in 5 Years","slug":"he-bought-his-first-business-at-17m-and-2x-d-it-in-5-years","published_at":"2026-05-01T19:48:32+00:00","page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/the-smb-deal-hunter-podcast-7541224/he-bought-his-first-business-at-17m-and-2x-d-it-in-5-years","show_page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/the-smb-deal-hunter-podcast-7541224","url":"https://share.transistor.fm/s/f4fb2d1c","audio_url":"https://media.transistor.fm/f4fb2d1c/fbfdeaea.mp3","summary":"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/","meta_description":"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 on…","key_points":[],"chapters":[],"topics":[],"duration_seconds":3144,"processing_state":"not_requested","actions":[{"name":"request_transcript","method":"POST","url":"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/transcription-requests","description":"Idempotently request low-priority transcript generation for this episode."},{"name":"read_markdown","method":"GET","url":"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","description":"Read the agent-friendly Markdown representation of this episode resource."}]}}