Acquisitions are simply a quick way to grow your wealth.

In this episode, Dan speaks to Guy Bartlett. Guy is a friend of Dan's and there is nothing he likes to do more than an acquisition! They discuss how Guy started getting into acquisitions, what he enjoys about them and the key things you need to think about if you want to start buying businesses.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

• As a child, Guy remembers watching many people across the business world and news buying and acquiring businesses and it always seemed at exciting to him. In the mid 90s he got a job to help grow a group of businesses and in doing so he realised he enjoyed the growth process and figured out that there must be a better way. He spoke to a friend who grew his wealth very quickly and he asked him how, it was acquisition that made his friend rich and it got Guy thinking.
  
  
• Guy suffered a spinal injury and it made him question what the universe was telling him. It was the catalyst for him to decide to give acquisitions a go. He bought two businesses and created a small group making 2.7 million overnight and could pay himself a good income at the same time.
  
  
• 85% of businesses fail in the first 5 years. It's so important that if you are acquiring businesses you ensure they are past this point.
  
  
• Both Guy and Dan aren't fans of acquiring distressed businesses. Guy believes that they are often distressed for a multitude of reasons so even if you have a lot of cash it can be at best complex and at worst impossible, to turn them around.
  
  
• Instead, Guy focuses on businesses that have been around for some time, perhaps aren't very good at marketing themselves but have a loyal customer base who depend on them and with owner who have achieved what they set out to achieve so are comfortably complacent.
  
  
• You don't want to buy a job, you want to buy a business, so getting the right size business is key. Small to medium companies are perfect for acquisition, they usually have between 10-50 staff or 50-250 staff.
  
  

• The other key thing to look at is what is the gross profit performance historically. Any business that make less that 30% gross profit will mean you struggle to make the numbers work in acquisition.
  
  
• There are various ways you can source funding and investment for your acquisitions. Linkedin is a great way to network and to find the right kind of people for the right businesses. But one way of sourcing that is often overlooked is your own existing network, family and friends often know someone who would be interested in what you have to offer.
  
  
• Never stop investigating and do not allow your ego to lead you on a deal. You need to do your due diligence and realise every day you are learning.

BEST MOMENTS 

“It made me think, what is the universe telling me?”

“Why bother starting a business when you can acquire one”

“It's not cool, it's not sexy, they want to be a laptop millionaire somewhere in Bali”

“I really like simple business models”

“The worst thing was we lost a year of our lives trying to set up something that was destined to fail…that was my ego driving that deal”

ABOUT THE GUEST

Guy Bartlett

Guy and Dan run a clubhouse room together each Friday at 1pm!

Guy's Company Website: https://thefidelisgroup.co.uk

Guy's personal experience of acquiring owner-managed businesses is extensive, having worked on over 150 deals and acquiring revenues of his own business portfolio of over £26M in the process.

He also advises and consults on both acquisitions and business sales for other entrepreneurs. He has experience of a wide range of business sectors and deal structures including hedge funds, venture capital, private equity and commercial debt and finance.

In addition to growth by acquisition, Guy has also built three separate businesses from scratch to over 7 figures in sales, so he understands in detail the challenges and effort that owner-managers put into their businesses.

ABOUT THE HOST

Dan Taylor

Dan has completed over 36 transactions with a value in the tens of millions, though more importantly, he has added significant value by combining creative commercial property strategies and business buying strategies.

Working with existing property investors and SSAS Pension owners. Dan helps accelerate your income, grow your wealth and reclaim your time to live life on your terms.

Dan believes acquisitions are simply the fastest route to create cash flow and generational wealth.

Dan loves to help investors create cash flow and grow their wealth by investing with him.

Dan and his team do the deals so you don't have to.

Do you have a SSAS Pension or cash that's not producing income and simply don't have the time to do it yourself, then get in touch and if you qualify you may be able to invest with us acquiring businesses and commercial property.

CONTACT METHOD

Website

Linkedin

 Facebook

Instagram

 Sociatap

 Clubhouse: @taylorcapital

This show was brought to you by Progressive Media

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.