Acquiring Isn't Always a One-Way Door

Searchers are warned that buying a business is a one way door. Once you're in, you're in. Today's guest went in with the opposite assumption that if it didn't work out, he could sell the business.

And two years later, that is exactly what happened. Gabriel Cruz Avila bought a Houston area remodeling business in early 2024. Katy Tile and Marble is a 30 year old residential remodeler that had endured many cycles and had strong characteristics like favorable working capital dynamics and a network of longtime subs rather than employees.

But Gabriel also stepped into a rockier situation than he realized. The business had just had its worst year in over a decade and the sellers weren't exactly forthcoming about it. Listen for how that shows up in his advice to you searchers.

But the harder story here is personal. Gabriel went through a divorce in his first year of ownership, unraveling the family vision the acquisition was built around working alone seven days a week. He ultimately chose to sell, not to maximize price, but for what he calls emotional health.

This isn't a failure story, and it isn't quite a success story either. It's the middling outcome where, frankly, probably many more ETA stories than we realize land. But Gabriel comes out the other side sharper, seasoned, with two years of intense operating experience.

In his words, a very expensive mba, he's well equipped for whatever comes next. If you want to see Gabriel in person, he'll be on stage at ETA Circle in Houston in a few weeks. On August 24th at 5pm, register@etacircle.com link in the show notes Here he is Gabriel Cruz Avila, former owner of Katy Tile and Marble.

Regular listeners of Acquiring Minds will recognize the name Connor Gross. Connor is the expert at the intersection of franchising and entrepreneurship through acquisition, ETA and In a webinar this Thursday, Connor will lay out the three paths to franchising for acquisition Entrepreneurs. The first, conventional searching the second, the plant your flag strategy and the third, partnership.

Each path looks different, and which one fits depends on your goals, your strengths and your appetite for risk.

Among the topics you'll learn this what the three paths each entail, how acquisition entrepreneurs can pursue each path, the benefits and drawbacks of each, how to determine which one best aligns with your goals, and case studies from entrepreneurs for each of the three the webinar is the Three Paths to Franchising for Acquisition Entrepreneurs and it is this Thursday, August 6th, noon Eastern.

Link to register is right at the top of this episode's show notes or on the Acquiring Minds homepage. Acquiringminds Co. Welcome to Acquiring Minds, a podcast about buying businesses. My name is Will Smith.

Acquiring an existing business is an awesome opportunity for many entrepreneurs and on this podcast I talk to the people who do it. Running payroll, paying your bills, closing your books, and producing financials. These are critical tasks every business owner must do or oversee, but spending time on them distracts you from the leadership in growth work you want to do.

So let system 6 do it for you. Owned and led by a former Searcher, Chris Williams, System 6 is a leading outsourced finance team for hundreds of SMBs, including over 50 searcher acquired businesses. Chris, Tim and the System 6 team understand firsthand the challenges, the opportunities of jumping into a business as its new owner.