About the program
Acquisition Ace is an education company that teaches regular people how to buy small, profitable businesses using SBA financing. Through courses, tools, coaching, and a community, we walk you through finding deals, reading the numbers like a lender does, structuring an offer, and closing.
We are not a lender, broker, or financial advisor, we teach you the playbook so you can run the process yourself.
It's for people who want to own a cash-flowing business instead of building one from scratch. That includes employees who want out of the 9-to-5, first-time buyers, and folks with some savings who want to use SBA leverage to acquire an established, profitable company.
You don't need prior deal experience, but you do need to be willing to do the work.
Pricing is shown on the program page and confirmed on your strategy call, because the right fit depends on where you're starting. There are also free resources, the newsletter, learning guides, and free calculators.
Book a free call to get current pricing and see if it's a fit.
Any refund or guarantee terms are presented at checkout and on the program page before you buy. What we never do is guarantee business or income results, see our earnings disclaimer.
Review the specific terms before enrolling, and ask us on your call if anything's unclear.
It's online: on-demand video training you work through at your own pace, downloadable templates and tools, live sessions and Q&A, and an active community where members share deals and get feedback.
You can go through the whole thing around a full-time job.
Less than most people think. SBA 7(a) loans commonly finance around 90% of a deal, roughly a 10% down payment. On a $500,000 business that's about $50,000, and part of that can sometimes come from a seller note or investors.
You'll also want a cash reserve for working capital. It's not no-money-down, but it's far less than buying outright.
Most members treat it like a serious side project, a few focused hours a week to learn the material and start reviewing listings, ramping up once they're into live deals.
You control the pace. Buying a business is a process measured in months, not a weekend.
Yes, members get a private community of buyers who are actively searching, doing diligence, and closing deals. It's one of the most valuable parts: you can ask real questions and see how others structure and negotiate.
Our public community lives on Skool.
We teach you how to find deals and how to work with SBA lenders, and we point you to the right sources and questions. But we're an education company, not a broker or lender, so we don't sell you deals or issue loans.
You run your own search and apply with lenders, with our frameworks guiding every step.
No. Everything we provide is educational. We're not a financial advisor, law firm, or accounting firm.
Before you act, consult your own licensed attorney, CPA, and lender about your situation. See our earnings disclaimer for the full picture.
Buying a business & SBA loans
The SBA 7(a) is the U.S. Small Business Administration's main loan program. The loan is made by a bank but partially guaranteed by the SBA, which makes lenders more willing to finance business acquisitions.
It's the most common way regular buyers finance an established small business, often about 10% down and a 10-year term for a business without real estate. Learn more in our SBA loans guide.
For an SBA 7(a) acquisition, the minimum equity injection is typically around 10% of total project cost. Part of that 10% can sometimes be covered by a seller note on full standby, if the lender allows.
So on a $1,000,000 deal you'd generally need roughly $100,000 of equity, though requirements vary by lender and deal.
There's no single official cutoff, but most SBA lenders want to see a personal credit score in roughly the high-600s or above, plus a clean history, no recent bankruptcies or defaults on government debt.
Strong credit, relevant experience, and a solid down payment all help you qualify. Requirements vary by lender.
DSCR, Debt Service Coverage Ratio, is a business's annual cash flow divided by its annual loan payments. It's the first number an SBA lender checks. Most require at least 1.15×, and many underwrite to 1.25×, meaning the business must throw off $1.25 for every $1.00 of loan payment.
A higher DSCR means a safer, more bankable deal. Run yours with our free DSCR calculator.
From starting your search to closing, plan on roughly 6 to 12 months, though it can be faster or slower. Finding the right deal is the slow part.
Once you're under a letter of intent, diligence and SBA financing commonly take 60 to 90 days. Patience is part of the process. See the full path in how to buy a business.
Boring, profitable, established businesses with steady cash flow make the best first acquisitions, home services, B2B services, distribution, light manufacturing, and the like.
Look for a multi-year track record of profit, a diversified customer base, systems that don't depend entirely on the owner, and good reasons to believe the cash flow will continue.
Small businesses are usually priced as a multiple of earnings. For owner-operated companies that's typically a multiple of Seller's Discretionary Earnings (SDE), often around 2× to 4× depending on size, industry, and quality. Larger businesses are valued on a multiple of EBITDA.
The multiple reflects risk, growth, and how dependent the business is on the current owner. More in our valuation guide.
Most SBA 7(a) loans are variable, priced as the Wall Street Journal Prime Rate plus a lender spread (commonly around 2.5%, 3%). With WSJ Prime near 6.75% as of July 2026, that puts many SBA acquisition loans roughly in the 9%, 11% range.
Rates move with Prime, so confirm the current number with your lender.
Yes, many first-time buyers have no prior ownership experience. Lenders care most about relevant transferable skills, character, credit, and a deal that clearly covers its own debt.
Buying an established business with existing staff, customers, and systems is often lower risk than starting from zero. Still, do your homework and get advisors.
A seller note is financing provided by the seller: instead of getting all cash at closing, the seller lets you pay part of the price over time, with interest.
It's common in SBA deals because a seller note on full standby can help cover part of your required equity injection, and it signals the seller believes in the business. Terms are negotiated deal by deal.
Keep learning
Dig deeper in our free guides: SBA loans, how to buy a business, and the free calculators. When you're ready for the full playbook, check out the program.
Educational content only, not financial, legal, or tax advice. SBA figures are general and vary by lender and deal; confirm current terms with your lender and advisors.
