{"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":"How He Went From $0 to $1B/yr in ONLY 5 Years","slug":"how-he-went-from-0-to-1b-yr-in-only-5-years","published_at":"2026-05-15T18:13:36+00:00","page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/the-smb-deal-hunter-podcast-7541224/how-he-went-from-0-to-1b-yr-in-only-5-years","show_page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/the-smb-deal-hunter-podcast-7541224","url":"https://share.transistor.fm/s/607e0ccf","audio_url":"https://media.transistor.fm/607e0ccf/0888d35e.mp3","summary":"Want help buying a business? https://smbdealhunter.link/pro-yt In this episode, Steven Carroll breaks down how he turned his first HVAC acquisition into a $1B+ business in 5 years, the partnership model behind 32 more deals, and the $10 billion target he's chasing now. ◼️ Why three general managers in a row walked away from his very first attempt to buy a business ◼️ The $1.5 million hole on a $2 million profit business that nearly broke him in year one ◼️ The one seller who said yes after a year of pitches, and the model that unlocked 32 more deals ◼️ How he closes 8 to 10 acquisitions a year while processing 350 to 400 deals through his team Subscribe to the SMB Deal Hunter newsletter (200,000+ subscribers): https://join.smbdealhunter.xyz/ Follow Helen: Twitter: https://x.com/HelenGuo_ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/helen-guo-06674523/","meta_description":"Want help buying a business? https://smbdealhunter.link/pro-yt In this episode, Steven Carroll breaks down how he turned his first HVAC acquisition into a…","key_points":[],"chapters":[],"topics":[],"duration_seconds":3836,"processing_state":"not_requested","actions":[{"name":"request_transcript","method":"POST","url":"https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/the-smb-deal-hunter-podcast-7541224/episodes/how-he-went-from-0-to-1b-yr-in-only-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/how-he-went-from-0-to-1b-yr-in-only-5-years.md","description":"Read the agent-friendly Markdown representation of this episode resource."}]}}