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In this episode, Derrick breaks down why a laid-off finance guy bought a Seattle landscaping business, how he picked the industry by betting on what AI can't easily replace, and what the brutal first six months of ownership actually taught him.

◼️ The part of the business he never saw coming until he took over, and found himself doing four people's jobs at once

◼️ Why he closed the deal without the seller financing he'd always been taught to require, and what made him trust it anyway

◼️ How he lost this deal to another buyer, then won it back a month later

◼️ The AI tools and field software he used to run the business leaner than its previous owner ever did

◼️ Why the first six months had him asking why anyone does this, and the hire that finally turned it around

Follow Helen:
Twitter: https://x.com/HelenGuo_
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/helen-guo-06674523/

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In this episode, Deborah breaks down why AI pushed her to start looking for a business of her own, how she and her husband closed on an $887K bath and kitchen remodeling company after 15 lenders turned her down, and what the first three months of actually owning it looked like.

◼️ The 18% drop in revenue that made 15 lenders in a row say no, and what she found when she pushed the seller for the real reason

◼️ Why she had ruled out franchises completely, and the one that changed her mind

◼️ How she put the down payment together, and the move that kept a lien off her house

◼️ Why the day she took over was one of the worst days for the people already working there

◼️ The two hours she spent building an AI setup that cut her proposal time in half

Follow Helen:
Twitter: https://x.com/HelenGuo_
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/helen-guo-06674523/

Want help buying a business? https://smbdealhunter.link/pro-yt

Subscribe to the SMB Deal Hunter newsletter (260,000+ subscribers): https://join.smbdealhunter.xyz/

In this episode, Ronnie breaks down why he walked away from the company he'd run for 18 years to buy one that was finally his own, how he bought a $3.5M flooring company in Charleston without putting his wife or their paid-off home on the loan, and what it took to keep it running when the man who ran everything quit a month after closing.

◼️ The man who ran the entire company quit one month after closing, and why they now call it the best thing that could have happened

◼️ Why they spend nothing on marketing and still can't get the phone to stop ringing

◼️ How they closed their SBA loan one day before the government shutdown froze new SBA lending across the country

◼️ The imported tile that forced them to rip out a finished backsplash at their own cost, and the rule they made so it never happens again

◼️ What a longtime flooring rep told Ronnie he was doing that people with 20 years in the trade weren't

Follow Helen:
Twitter: https://x.com/HelenGuo_
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/helen-guo-06674523/