The Strategy Behind $20M Exit and the Buy-and-Build Playbook No One Talks About

The Strategy Behind $20M Exit and the Buy-and-Build Playbook No One Talks AboutPeter Michels scaled his accounting and tax advisory firm from 0 to €20 million in yearly revenue. Through organic growth, a buy-and-build strategy, and multiple acquisitions, before successfully exiting the business. In this new episode of the Amsterdam Founders Club podcast, Marcel sits down with Peter to unpack the full journey. From washing cars door-to-door at age 11 to building a multi-million euro firm. Including what it really takes to find and acquire the right businesses.   What you'll learn: - How to build a business from 0 to €20M using a buy-and-build approach - Why Peter registered his company the same day his daughter was born - The acquisitions playbook - Why he never sells and what he does instead - How to recognize when you're stuck and what to do about it - The difference between goals and habits   Timestamps: 00:00 What you'll learn today 00:25 Welcome to Amsterdam Founders Club 01:02 Was Peter always an entrepreneur? 01:31 First business at age 11: car washing door-to-door 01:53 Second business: stringing tennis rackets 04:30 Starting the accounting firm 05:33 His wife pushed him to go for it 06:07 He registered the business the same day his daughter was born 06:44 On financial risk and the entrepreneur identity 07:43 First acquisition: €30K in clients, quadrupled within a year 08:33 How he found deals through his network 08:53 "I'm never selling, I'm always telling my story" 10:01 Hustling for clients: Chamber of Commerce lists and cold letters 11:12 On being good at sales without it feeling like sales 12:44 The SIMPLE framework 13:46 Focus on income first, everything else comes after 14:28 From solo to first team member 16:01 The fear of hiring and why you have to push through it 16:41 What Peter kept focusing on as the company grew 17:33 Culture change as you scale and what to do about it 18:56 Why first hires matter and how to get them right 19:29 Hire for what you're bad at, not a version of yourself 20:16 When to bring in your first manager 21:21 The four keys to growing a business: passion, plan, mindset, fun 23:19 How to write a job offer that actually attracts the right people 25:00 Sell the story to potential employees, not just the job 26:15 When it's not a fit: having the hard conversation early 28:56 The Formula of Happiness and letting people go with respect 30:21 The journey to private equity: feeling stuck pre-COVID 31:07 The moment he decided to sell 34:13 The Sunday that changed everything 35:18 Meeting the PE partners who shared his vision 36:31 How the deal was structured: cash, shares, and staying involved 37:26 Why he said no to the first buyer 38:41 Shared vision over price: what made this deal work 39:51 Advice on equity vs. cash deals for founders 41:13 How to value your business 43:07 Life inside the buy-and-build: scaling toward €50-70M 44:41 What they learned from acquiring businesses that were too small 47:16 How to choose the right businesses to acquire 48:22 Why people resist change after acquisitions -- and how to handle it 49:46 Should you be transparent with the team during acquisitions? 52:04 Preparing your business to sell makes it better to run anyway 52:50 Key lessons from 15+ acquisitions 55:15 Why Peter didn't want to be CEO  58:06 "Don't become the manager" 58:48 What Peter is working on now: growth coaching for founders 61:21 What "stuck" actually looks like for an entrepreneur 63:24 Zoom out to see what you're missing 64:09 Peter's 5-year vision: speaking at Ahoy 65:23 His upcoming book: working title revealed 65:39 One message to every founder in the world   Connect with Peter Michels:  Instagram :  https://www.instagram.com/petermichels010/   Connect with Marcel Wijermars: Superconnectedfounder.com Amsterdamfoundersclub.com https://linktr.ee/marcelwijermars   Apply to join Amsterdam Founders Club: https://amsterdamfoundersclub.com/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/amsterdamfoundersclub/   The podcast is produced by 301 Studios and Marcus Engel: https://www.instagram.com/themarcusengel/ - [email protected]