-$350k → $13M/Yr: From failed acquisition to HVAC rollup | Nathan Lenahan episode artwork

EPISODE · Nov 14, 2025 · 53 MIN

-$350k → $13M/Yr: From failed acquisition to HVAC rollup | Nathan Lenahan

from The SMB Deal Hunter Podcast · host Helen Guo

Your first business acquisition wipes out your life savings.Your brother has to sell his house to cover the debt. You sell a property just to get back to zero.Most people would never touch a business deal again.Nathan Lenahan bought 4 more and built a $13M/year HVAC business.His story involves 5 acquisitions, 1 catastrophic failure, and 4 wins that took him from broke to $13M/year.Here's what makes it worth watching...🔥 He lost everything on his first $350K acquisition of a Diesel Repair business in 2018. (The seller stole from customers, violated non-competes, and falsified the lease)🔥 He was making so little on his first HVAC acquisition that he started a recruiting business that did $350K year one, $600K+ year two. He’s now working 3-4 hours per week on it.🔥 He grew his HVAC business from ~ $1M to $13M in revenue in ~3.5 years. And some of his most insightful lessons: ❓ The 5 deadly mistakes he made on his first deal ❓ His integration playbook after 4 HVAC acquisitions ❓ Why he's spent "more time on compensation plans than anything" (and how he's evolved pay structures every single year)And unforgettable moments like..."That was our life savings. All our money was gone…My brother had to sell his house to take care of the debt. I had to sell one of my properties as well to kind of get back to zero... The hard thing is, I would do it again."— Nathan-------------------------------👉 Subscribe to the SMB Deal Hunter Newsletter — free weekly deals & insights: https://join.smbdealhunter.xyz🤝 Work with me and my team 1-on-1 to find, finance, and close your acquisition in 6–12 months: https://pro.smbdealhunter.xyz

Your first business acquisition wipes out your life savings.Your brother has to sell his house to cover the debt. You sell a property just to get back to zero.Most people would never touch a business deal again.Nathan Lenahan bought 4 more and built a $13M/year HVAC business.His story involves 5 acquisitions, 1 catastrophic failure, and 4 wins that took him from broke to $13M/year.Here's what makes it worth watching...🔥 He lost everything on his first $350K acquisition of a Diesel Repair business in 2018. (The seller stole from customers, violated non-competes, and falsified the lease)🔥 He was making so little on his first HVAC acquisition that he started a recruiting business that did $350K year one, $600K+ year two. He’s now working 3-4 hours per week on it.🔥 He grew his HVAC business from ~ $1M to $13M in revenue in ~3.5 years. And some of his most insightful lessons: ❓ The 5 deadly mistakes he made on his first deal ❓ His integration playbook after 4 HVAC acquisitions ❓ Why he's spent "more time on compensation plans than anything" (and how he's evolved pay structures every single year)And unforgettable moments like..."That was our life savings. All our money was gone…My brother had to sell his house to take care of the debt. I had to sell one of my properties as well to kind of get back to zero... The hard thing is, I would do it again."— Nathan-------------------------------👉 Subscribe to the SMB Deal Hunter Newsletter — free weekly deals & insights: https://join.smbdealhunter.xyz🤝 Work with me and my team 1-on-1 to find, finance, and close your acquisition in 6–12 months: https://pro.smbdealhunter.xyz

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-$350k → $13M/Yr: From failed acquisition to HVAC rollup | Nathan Lenahan

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Your first business acquisition wipes out your life savings.Your brother has to sell his house to cover the debt. You sell a property just to get back to zero.Most people would never touch a business deal again.Nathan Lenahan bought 4 more and built...

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