Episode 82: Buy a Biz – Flip a Biz

Ace bought his first business when he was nineteen. It was an online stock market simulator called CoolWallStreet. After selling it and seeing the benefits in buying a business over starting one, he caught the business buying bug. Since then he has bought and sold over thirty businesses and has helped his clients all over the world buy over one hundred businesses. Rescuing small businesses is all the rage on television, whether it’s Jon Taffer with Bar Rescue or Tabitha Coffey’s Salon Takeover. Despite the fact that none of them do it, these TV shows are fueling interest in a new trend. Move over Real Estate Flippers, Ace Chapman is building a nationwide group of business flippers. Ace bought his first business at 19 with some savings from a summer job and caught the business buying bug. He leveraged $3,000 he saved working the summer before college into buying a business for $70,000. Over the last 16 years, he has bought 40 businesses. Everything ranging from a Mortgage Company to a Clothing Retailer. And right now he is seeing an explosion in the market for businesses under $2,000,000. “There are millions of Baby Boomer business owners who will bring their business to market in the next decade so they can retire. During the recession, many baby boomers wanted to sell their company but decided to hold off until better economic times.” At the same time, many entrepreneurs are realizing the risks associated with starting from scratch are too high and are deciding to buy an existing profitable business instead. Business sales saw a spike in 2013. While we saw a 68% increase in 2013 according to BizBuySell.com, business brokers expect 2014 to be even bigger. And while private equity firms are well positioned to take advantage of this increase in inventory, very few are paying attention to what Ace calls the Micro­Private Equity Market. Ace began working with first-time business buyers of business buyers and helping them find, do due diligence, and finance small business acquisitions. “I have had a lot of people who find me and ask to invest in my deals. I’d rather show you what I am doing than take your money and have to split my returns.” What you’ll learn about in this episode: Ace’s background The story behind the 1st business that Ace bought – an internet-based business, called CoolWallStreet Why Ace targets deals under two million dollars Seeking out businesses that are already producing income What Ace looks for in businesses that he is considering buying Ace talks about his worst and best deals Finding a good business & partnering on a deal Why some of the best people to work with have a background in real estate Why you need to stay true to yourself Resources: REInvestorSummit.com/ace REInvestorSummit.com/capital REInvestorSummit.com/noteservicing REInvestorSummit.com/coaching REInvestorSummit.com/aof REInvestorSummit.com/101