Profits & Pints Recap — October 2025
- Strategic Business Coaching
- Nov 14
- 4 min read
Growth Through Acquisition
Strategy First Expert Panel
Watch the Full Workshop Replay
Couldn’t make it to this month’s Profits & Pints?
Good news — we recorded the entire panel discussion for you. Hear directly from local experts as they break down what growth through acquisition really looks like, what to expect at each stage, and how to avoid costly mistakes along the way.
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Another full house at Sixth Street Grill! This month we hosted our very first Profits & Pints panel discussion, and the room was buzzing.
With so many owners thinking about expansion, this topic couldn’t have been more timely: How can small and mid-sized businesses grow faster and smarter — not by building from scratch, but by buying?
SBC’s own Samantha Doyle kicked off the evening by framing the opportunity: over the next few years, tens of thousands of business owners will be transitioning out — many without a formal exit plan. That creates a massive opening for growth-minded owners who want to scale strategically, add capabilities, or expand into new markets.
Whether you’re a first-time buyer or already have acquisitions under your belt, this session offered a roadmap for doing it right.
Why Grow Through Acquisition?
Before the experts took the stage, Samantha shared the strategic “why” behind acquisitions:
You’re buying time — and traction.
When you buy a business, you’re not just acquiring equipment or revenue. You’re gaining cash flow, customers, and a trained team on day one. For most owners, that took years (or decades) to build the first time.
You can leapfrog capabilities.
Need a new certification? A specialized team? A new service line? Buying can get you there instantly — bypassing the slow, messy process of building from zero.
It reduces risk, not increases it.
Despite the myth, buying is often more predictable than starting something new. With the right strategy, you’re stepping into something with a track record, not a blank slate.
Panel Highlights: What Every Owner Should Know
Our panel consisted of seasoned experts — a broker, banker, CPA, and attorney — each offering practical, real-world insights. Here are the biggest takeaways:
🔹 1. Start With Strategy — Not Shopping
Before talking to a broker or seller, know exactly why you’re buying.
Is it for geography? A service line? A competitor? A vendor? A marketing asset?
Your strategy becomes your filter — and prevents “shiny object” acquisitions that drain time, money, and energy.
🔹 2. Most Sellers Are Underprepared — and That’s an Opportunity
Many retiring owners have no formal exit plan. They care deeply about their team and legacy, but don’t always know the process or valuation.
This means confidential, thoughtful approaches are often welcomed, not resisted — and can create real win-win outcomes.
🔹 3. The Eight Types of Acquisition
The panel walked through the most common ways owners grow through buying:
Geographic expansion
Service expansion
Competitors (buying market share)
Vendors (vertical integration)
Customers (downstream integration)
Marketing assets (blogs, content libraries, lists)
Capabilities/certifications
Team acquisition — sometimes the most valuable asset of all
Each one creates different synergies — from efficiencies and redundancies to jump-start revenue and pricing power.
🔹 4. Before the LOI: Build Credibility Early
Brokers see it all — including buyers who show up without clarity.
The advice?
Be lender-ready before you’re broker-ready.
Know your numbers, your capacity, your operational strengths, and what specific value you hope to unlock through the acquisition.
Prepared buyers get taken seriously.
Unprepared buyers don’t.
🔹 5. Use Advisors — and Don’t Skip Steps
One of the strongest messages of the night:
Don’t let excitement make you skip due diligence.
Bankers, CPAs, attorneys, and brokers each play a different role in keeping the deal clean, safe, and aligned with your goals. Skipping a step because things “feel right” is one of the fastest paths to regret later.
🔹 6. Unsophisticated Sellers Need a Leader — That Can Be You
A surprising insight:
Most sellers are doing the largest financial transaction of their lives and are scared.
If you come to the table with knowledge, resources, and a calm approach, you can lead the conversation in a way that builds trust and moves the deal forward — without taking advantage of anyone.
🔹 7. The Biggest Mistake? Getting Emotional
Owners fall in love with a deal. They bond with the seller. They want to “make it work.”
The panelists agreed — this is where deals go sideways.
Let the numbers, advisors, and process protect you from buying something you want instead of something that actually works.
Action Steps You Can Take
Here are the panel’s top recommendations if you’re considering buying a business:
✔️ Clarify your acquisition strategy before you start looking.
✔️ Get lender-ready: know how your business makes money and what you can leverage.
✔️ Start conversations early — relationships matter.
✔️ Lean on advisors, especially during due diligence.
✔️ Ask questions. Lots of them. Sellers appreciate thoughtful buyers.
Upcoming Events + Workshops
Next Profits & Pints - 📅 November 18
Plan to Win 2026: Identifying Your Biggest Constraint Before Setting Strategy
Same time, same place — 4pm at Sixth Street Grill.
Workshops Coming Up:
Samantha also announced two upcoming small-group workshops:
Scaling Up to Finish Strong
A FREE virtual exit-planning and valuation workshop (Nov 17)
Acquisition Ready Masterclass
Deep-dive training for owners ready to explore buying as a strategic growth path.
Thank you to everyone who joined us for this packed session — and to our incredible panel of experts for sharing their wisdom, stories, and hard-earned lessons.
Until next time, cheers to smart moves and great conversation.
— Samantha & the SBC Team 🍻
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