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Before You Buy or Sell a Business

Before You Buy or Sell a Business

Jared W. Johnson 68 Episodes Oct 6, 2026

Jared W. Johnson, a high-performing SBA lender specializing in business acquisitions, hosts this podcast about buying and selling businesses. He interviews industry experts on both sides, including brokers, attorneys, escrow officers, and those seeking to buy or sell. Listeners also hear from actual buyers and sellers about their experiences before and after the transaction. The show aims to provide the information needed for a successful business transfer.

Episodes

Buying a Business for Freedom: Jaryd Krause on Due Diligence, Deal Risk, and Knowing When to Walk Away
Buying a Business for Freedom: Jaryd Krause on Due Diligence, Deal Risk, and Knowing When to Walk Away Oct 6, 2026 38:36 Jared Johnson sits down with Jaryd Krause, founder of Buying Online Businesses, to talk about how Jaryd went from working as a plumber in Australia to buying three businesses in three years and eventually building a career helping other entrepreneurs acquire companies. Jaryd shares how buying his first businesses allowed him to replace his income, leave plumbing, and build the lifestyle he wanted,
What a Quality of Earnings Report Really Tells You Before Buying a Business
What a Quality of Earnings Report Really Tells You Before Buying a Business Sep 22, 2026 46:54 This episode was recorded a few days before the SBA released its new rules taking effect October 1, including the requirement for a quality of earnings report on business acquisitions with a purchase price of $3 million or more. Because the conversation predates that announcement, it is not an explanation of the new SBA requirement. For a breakdown of the updated rules, listen to the previous epis
New SBA SOP Changes: What Business Buyers Need to Know Before October 1 with Top SBA 7(a) Lender Jared Johnson
New SBA SOP Changes: What Business Buyers Need to Know Before October 1 with Top SBA 7(a) Lender Jared Johnson Sep 8, 2026 01:08:52 Jared Johnson breaks down the latest SBA Standard Operating Procedure changes during a live presentation at Acquire Fort Worth. Drawing on nearly two decades of SBA lending experience, Jared explains how acquisition financing has evolved, why the SBA continues to revise its guidelines, and what the newest rules could mean for buyers, sellers, investors, and lenders.Jared begins with the history of
What 5,000 Business Sales Taught Dennis Hayes About Buying and Selling Companies
What 5,000 Business Sales Taught Dennis Hayes About Buying and Selling Companies Aug 25, 2026 45:05 Jared Johnson sits down with Dennis Hayes, co-owner of WCI Business Sales, the oldest business brokerage firm in Arizona. Dennis shares what he has learned from a firm with 60 years in business and more than 5,000 closed transactions, what he is seeing in today’s competitive market, and how his perspective changed when he went from representing sellers to buying an 80-year-old business with his so
Inside Business Brokerage: How Buyers Stand Out, Sellers Choose, and Deals Get Done | Live From Acquire Fort Worth with Layne Kasper
Inside Business Brokerage: How Buyers Stand Out, Sellers Choose, and Deals Get Done | Live From Acquire Fort Worth with Layne Kasper Aug 12, 2026 01:02:24 Jared Johnson sits down with Layne Kasper of Kasper & Associates for a live episode recorded at Acquire Fort Worth. With nearly three decades in business brokerage, Layne shares an inside look at how brokers prepare businesses for sale, identify qualified buyers, protect sellers throughout the process, and navigate an increasingly competitive acquisition market.Layne explains how sellers typic
Inside M&A from a Soldier's Perspective: How Guy Bartlett Built a 170 Million Dollar Track Record Buying and Selling SME Businesses
Inside M&A from a Soldier's Perspective: How Guy Bartlett Built a 170 Million Dollar Track Record Buying and Selling SME Businesses Jul 28, 2026 48:13 Jared Johnson sits down with Guy Bartlett, founder of The Business Buyers Club and Fidelis Advisory, a fractional M&A service based in the UK. Guy shares how 42 years in the British Army Reserve shaped his approach to acquisitions, how he stumbled into his first share sale in the late 1990s, and how that experience led him to complete over 150 transactions and personally acquire 13 companies s
Treat Your ETA Search Like a Startup | Richard Chance at Acquire Fort Worth
Treat Your ETA Search Like a Startup | Richard Chance at Acquire Fort Worth Jul 14, 2026 42:02 In this special episode of Before You Buy or Sell a Business, we're sharing a presentation from Acquire Fort Worth, Jared Johnson's monthly event for entrepreneurs through acquisition (ETA), buyers, operators, and investors.Richard Chance, Professor at Tarrant County College and founder of the ETA Accelerator Program, shares the lessons he's learned from working with hundreds of aspiring business
The Five Cs Every Business Buyer and Seller Should Understand with Mark Sims
The Five Cs Every Business Buyer and Seller Should Understand with Mark Sims Jun 30, 2026 45:26 Jared Johnson sits down with Mark Sims, Managing Partner at Consult MSG, to discuss what separates businesses that create lasting value from those that create unnecessary risk during an acquisition. Drawing on decades of experience in consulting, corporate leadership, M&A, and post-acquisition transformation, Mark introduces his framework for evaluating businesses through the "Five Cs" of valu
ETA Reality Check: Jared Johnson and a Special Guest on SBA Lending, Buyer Mistakes, Deal Killers, and the Truth About Buying a Business
ETA Reality Check: Jared Johnson and a Special Guest on SBA Lending, Buyer Mistakes, Deal Killers, and the Truth About Buying a Business Apr 28, 2026 29:38 Jared Johnson takes a different seat in this episode as he gets interviewed and answers real questions from buyers and sellers about entrepreneurship through acquisition. The conversation cuts straight through the hype and focuses on what it actually takes to buy and run a business.Jared explains why ETA has become so popular in recent years and why much of what people see online does not match re
Customer Due Diligence in Action: Ivy Millman on Revenue Sustainability, Customer Stickiness, Anonymous Feedback, and Better B2B Acquisitions
Customer Due Diligence in Action: Ivy Millman on Revenue Sustainability, Customer Stickiness, Anonymous Feedback, and Better B2B Acquisitions Mar 24, 2026 41:55 Jared Johnson sits down with Ivy Millman, CEO of WHIZDOM, to explore a missing piece in many lower middle market acquisitions: customer due diligence. Ivy shares how her background in accounting, Stanford, Apple, and decades of business-customer research led her to build a firm focused on helping buyers, investors, and operators understand what financial, legal, and technical diligence often miss.
When Acquisitions Go Wrong: Christine McDannell on a Failed Deal, Hidden Costs, Working Capital Risk, and the Reality Behind “Easy” ETA
When Acquisitions Go Wrong: Christine McDannell on a Failed Deal, Hidden Costs, Working Capital Risk, and the Reality Behind “Easy” ETA Feb 24, 2026 47:50 Jared Johnson sits down with M&A advisor and serial entrepreneur Christine McDannell, founder of The Magnolia Firm, to unpack a deal that did not go as planned. Christine shares how an acquisition of a dance and fitness studio moved from seemingly profitable to cash-flow negative once she took over operations. They walk through what she missed because of speed, compressed diligence, and incomp
Inside the Broker’s Playbook: Greg Kovsky on Valuation Integrity, Buyer Fit, and Retirement-Driven Deal Flow | Ep. 60
Inside the Broker’s Playbook: Greg Kovsky on Valuation Integrity, Buyer Fit, and Retirement-Driven Deal Flow | Ep. 60 Jan 20, 2026 50:12 In today’s M&A market, the difference between a clean transaction and a painful one often comes down to pricing discipline, seller integrity, and how prepared the buyer is before the first call.In this episode of Before You Buy or Sell a Business, Jared Johnson sits down with Greg Kovsky, President and CEO of International Business Associates (IBA), the Pacific Northwest’s largest and oldest b

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