From Searcher to Sponsor: How to Buy a $22m Business | Yan Vinarskiy Interview

Today's guest was looking for the standard target of a self-funded searcher, $750k to $1.5m in SDE. When he first learned about the business he would go on to buy, the seller characterized it as "north of $1m in EBITDA." Check! It was a fit. Well after going onsite and falling in love with the business, our hero Yan Vinarskiy learned that in fact the business was closer to $4m in EBITDA. At first Yan was deflated, recognizing it as a far larger business than an SBA loan could approach, even with pari passu debt. But then he had a call with Niklas James, my own partner in Minds Capital. Niklas, a veteran of the independent sponsor world and himself a sponsor, said, "Yan, I think is an independent sponsor deal." That 30-minute call changed the trajectory of Yan's journey to buy a business. And today he is an independent sponsor having bought that very business, Floorguard, a Chicago-based manufacturer of floor coating solutions. So today's interview will teach you how to acquire a much larger business, should you happen to find one, using the independent sponsor model. Yan's story is a wonderful case study; I am thrilled to bring it to you. Here he is, Yan Vinarskiy, CEO of Floorguard. ❤️ Enjoy this interview? SUBSCRIBE for more: https://shorturl.at/zaP1m Chapters: 00:00 Yan’s background 14:00 Discovery and overview of Floor Guard 29:56 Transition from search to independent sponsor model 34:50 Deal structure and financing details 48:48 Working with a board and investor dynamics 01:10:01 Evolution of Floor Guard's business model 01:19:58 Growing the installation business unit 01:26:44 Exit strategy and future plans CONNECT with the Acquiring Minds podcast, socials, etc. 🎧 Podcast on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/2vZrl0u... 🎧 Podcast on Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast... 👉 Get notified of new interviews: https://acquiringminds.co 👉 Follow host Will Smith on Twitter:   / whentheresawill   👉 Connect with host Will Smith on LinkedIn:   / willsmithsf   ABOUT Acquiring Minds Acquiring Minds is a podcast about buying businesses. Acquiring an existing business is an awesome opportunity for many entrepreneurs, and host Will Smith talks to the people who do it. New episodes 2x per week. Credits: Edited by Anton Rohozov Produced by Pam Cameron #business #acquisitions #buyingbusiness