How I Bought 24 Companies And Here's Everything I Learned Looking At 1000s | Xavier Helgesen Interview
How I Bought 24 Companies And Here's Everything I Learned Looking At 1000s | Xavier Helgesen Interview  
Podcast: Buyers and Builders
Published On: Mon Jun 03 2024
Description: If you are ever considering buying or investing in a profitable small business…Or you want to build a holding company where each company is run by a CEO...Here's my talk with Xavier Helgesen (co-founder of Enduring Ventures), where he shares everything he knows about buying businesses after 20+ acquisitions and looking at 1000s- Currently 17 companies in the portfolio- Revenue $100 million+- Spends plenty of time with family and children"Pay for Quality of Earnings even on small deals.""The best way to find a CEO for a business is to ask the seller who has asked about buying it in the past.""Look for the smallest, weirdest niches. Less competition, greater margins."We discuss:– Everything he knows about buying businesses after 20+ acquisitions and looking at 1000s– His MEMO to his 25-year-old self that he posted on his 45th birthday– The biggest risks and rewards of buying small businesses– What makes Nick Huber one of the best entrepreneurs he’s ever met– Finding the best CEO for Portcos00:00:00 - Intro00:00:31 - Most “bad” things that happen to you are not as important as they feel at the time00:04:29 - Selling Apple and Nvidia in 2011 and Google in 2008. “Don’t be me.”00:08:27 - Consistency for physical activity matters more than maximal excursion00:13:36 - Your most important mission in your 20s is to surround yourself with the most talented people in the world in your chosen craft and learn from them00:20:27 - Owner operated businesses are super efficient. Owner does six jobs. You will probably spend more to professionalize00:29:40 - Look for rich owners as there are a lot of small business owners who are not that rich00:37:34 - Make sure management only gets paid bonuses when they distribute cash flow to owners00:41:19 - The best way to find a CEO for a business is to ask the seller who has asked about buying it in the past00:43:35 - Most CEOs and entrepreneurs have no idea how to build an audience that they can use to raise capital or sell products and services00:56:46 - Don’t fall too in love with the business. You’ve always got to be ready to walk away.Follow PrivatEquityGuy on Twitter: ⁠⁠https://twitter.com/PrivatEquityGuy⁠⁠Join HoldCo Builders weekly newsletter on finding deals, raising capital, and growing small profitable niche businesses: ⁠⁠⁠https://privatequityguy.beehiiv.com/⁠Xavier on Twitter: https://twitter.com/XavierHelgesenThis podcast is for informational purposes only and should not be relied upon as a basis for investment decisions.