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Before You Buy or Sell a Business

Before You Buy or Sell a Business

Jared W. Johnson 68 Episodes Aug 12, 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

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
Inside the Marketplace: How Empire Flippers Screens Listings, Matches Buyers, and Closes Online Business Deals
Inside the Marketplace: How Empire Flippers Screens Listings, Matches Buyers, and Closes Online Business Deals Dec 16, 2025 42:20 Jared Johnson sits down with Andy Allaway, CEO of Empire Flippers, one of the largest marketplaces for buying and selling online businesses. Andy shares how the company built a global platform that lists only 5 percent of submitted businesses, vets every seller, verifies every buyer, and has facilitated thousands of acquisitions ranging from high five figure deals to eight figure exits.Andy explai
Saying Yes to a 48-Year Legacy: Jordan Hood’s Journey from Art School to Bridal Shop Owner
Saying Yes to a 48-Year Legacy: Jordan Hood’s Journey from Art School to Bridal Shop Owner Dec 2, 2025 44:39 Jared Johnson sits down on location with Jordan Hood, the new owner of Low’s Bridal, a regionally known 48-year bridal institution in rural Arkansas. Jordan shares how a childhood on a Mississippi farm, an art and photography degree from Parsons, early digital marketing work in New York, and five years raising money for St. Jude all shaped the way she eventually stepped into owning a historic 22,0
Digital Asset Transfer, AI Ownership, and Cleaning Up Your Tech Stack with Paige Wiese
Digital Asset Transfer, AI Ownership, and Cleaning Up Your Tech Stack with Paige Wiese Nov 11, 2025 33:18 Jared Johnson sits down with Paige Wiese, founder of Tree Ring Digital, a 16-year full-service digital marketing and web agency, to unpack the part of buying or selling a business that almost nobody plans for: digital asset transfer. Paige explains why domains, hosting, email, social accounts, analytics, third-party tools, brand files, and even AI/GPT logins often sit in personal inboxes or with o
Niche Wins: Broker Relationships, Working Capital Reality, and Operating a Legacy Window Restoration Business with Tahir Zaman Hussain and Neilab Rahimzada | Ep. 56
Niche Wins: Broker Relationships, Working Capital Reality, and Operating a Legacy Window Restoration Business with Tahir Zaman Hussain and Neilab Rahimzada | Ep. 56 Oct 28, 2025 40:31 Jared Johnson sits down with husband and wife operators Tahir Zaman Hussain and Neilab Rahimzada to unpack an 18-month search that started in London and New York, survived a failed first deal, and ended with the acquisition of a hyper niche window restoration company with decades of brand equity. They explain why calling brokers directly beat scrolling listings, how a prior LOI on a fire sprinkler

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