Jordan Evans, an accidental M&A Roll-Up entrepreneur, shares his journey of acquiring his family's language service business and turning it into a successful roll-up strategy. He discusses the importance of earning and learning while working for someone else, the value of self-teaching and optimizing for roles that provide real-world experience. Jordan emphasizes the need to be willing to do every role in a small business and the importance of understanding cash flow and financials. He also shares his experience with buying multiple businesses, the challenges and successes of the roll-up strategy, and the importance of building relationships with brokers and sellers. In this conversation, Jon Stoddard discusses his experience with acquiring and integrating multiple businesses. He shares insights on the challenges and strategies involved in the acquisition process, including finding the right deals, managing integration and personnel changes, and dealing with difficult sellers. He also emphasizes the importance of focusing on people and building trust with the acquired companies. Jon highlights the benefits of outsourcing and hiring overseas, particularly in Latin America, to reduce labor costs and improve cash flow. He also discusses the role of off-the-shelf software in streamlining operations and maximizing efficiency. Jon concludes by sharing his plans for future acquisitions and the potential for growth in the fragmented service industry.

Keywords

roll-up strategy, language service business, acquiring a business, earning and learning, self-teaching, real-world experience, cash flow, financials, buying businesses, challenges, successes, relationships with brokers and sellers, acquisitions, integration, personnel, outsourcing, cash flow, software, growth

Chapters

00:00 Introduction and Background
02:38 Transitioning from Employee to Entrepreneur
08:26 The Benefits of Buying a Business
14:44 Lessons Learned and Challenges Faced
29:45 Creating Generational Wealth
36:18 The Importance of Sales and Representation
37:14 Navigating the Acquisition Process
39:06 Building Trust and Maintaining Goodwill
40:05 Maximizing Cash Flow through Outsourcing
44:16 Expanding the Scope of Acquisitions
48:03 Challenges with Working Capital
52:46 The Benefits of Off-the-Shelf Software
56:06 Overcoming Blind Spots and Evolving as a Leader
01:02:43 The Journey of Finding the Right Deals
01:04:40 Walking Away from a Deal
01:06:01 Reassessing Capital Allocation

The Accidental M&A Roll-Up Entrepreneur

Top M&A Entrepreneurs