Member results

People who bought a business,
in their own words.

Real Acquisition Ace members who closed real businesses. No actors, no re-enactments.

Trustpilot 4.7 out of 5

186members closed

$101M+in deals closed

$1.66Maverage deal size

Story 01

From superintendent of schools to owner of a $1.5M/year pool company.

Melissa spent a decade as a superintendent running a district of about 500 employees. She wanted out of the education system and into ownership. Six months after she started looking, she closed on a commercial pool service company in Myrtle Beach that resurfaces, repairs and maintains pools. She had to call the broker roughly ten times before he took her seriously.

Purchase price

$995K (appraised $1.75M)

Financing

~90% SBA · ~$100K down

Revenue / SDE

$1.5M · ~$400K

Year-one return

~3x cash-on-cash

“I think I called this broker ten times before he actually took me seriously.”

Story 02

He bought a $1.8M business, including the real estate, for about $25K out of pocket.

Mario found a specialty retail business in the Dallas-Fort Worth area, Texas homecoming mums plus party and craft supplies, listed at $2M. He closed at $1.8M with the real estate included by pairing a 25-year SBA loan with a large seller note on full standby. His total out of pocket landed under $30K. He kept his W2, works 15 to 20 hours a week, and the seller's son stayed on for about two years.

Purchase price

$1.8M + real estate

Structure

SBA 25-yr + ~35% seller note

Revenue / SDE

~$900K · ~$300K

Out of pocket

~$25K all-in

“I literally bought a $2 million business for under $30,000.”

Story 03

Zero down. A million dollars a year in cash flow. His first deal.

Adam bought 81% of a digital marketing agency doing growth marketing for small-business tech, with EBITDA north of $1.1M and a run rate climbing toward $1.8M. Because the sellers' 20% note counted as the required equity injection, he went in with zero down and only about $10K in fees. The two founders stayed on as 19% partners. He closed roughly six months after first meeting them.

Valuation

~$4M (3.5x EBITDA)

Structure

SBA · seller note = injection

Stake acquired

81% ownership

Down payment

Zero down (~$10K fees)

“On my way to making a million dollars in cash flow on my first deal. That is truly life-changing.”

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In their own words

More members, more structures that actually worked.

Louisiana · oil-field services

Kris B.

Bought a niche oil-field pump repair business with no local competition. It nets him roughly $250K a year after debt at about 10 hours a week, and he kept his Chevron job.

~$250K/yr after debt~10 hrs/week166% year one

Near Tacoma, WA · pet care

Troy T.

Bought a doggy daycare with no bank and almost no cash, using a 75% seller note over 12 years plus a small hard-money loan. All-in under $30K, and three managers run it for him.

No bankUnder $30K all-in$150-200K SDE~8x year one

Las Vegas · commercial cleaning

Whitney H.

Bought a B2B commercial cleaning company, negotiated down from $2.5M to $2M with $150K of working capital left in. It runs on about $650K SDE.

$2M price$650K SDE2.2x cash-on-cash

Auto glass

Brian & Anne B.

Won a $2.3M auto glass company against higher bids with a personal letter to the seller, and funded the down payment with a ROBS 401(k) rollover. SDE is tracking from $400K toward $600K.

$2.3M pricewon with a letterSDE $400K to $600K

SaaS

Darwin C.

Bought a $1.3M niche SaaS company with $0 of his own cash. An investor funded the down payment and the seller rolled 7.5% equity, and a partner-CEO runs it while Darwin acts as chairman about an hour a week.

$0 own cash~$350K SDE~1 hr/week

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“The fastest way to generational wealth
is to buy a business.” Ben Kelly, Founder, Acquisition Ace

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People who bought a business,in their own words.