The Contrarian Bet on a Digital Agency

Today's guest made a contrarian bet with his acquisition. Contrarianism is something we don't often see in our world, where risk is more acute owing to the high leverage we use to buy businesses. George Stern bought an SEO agency As you might guess, the perception is that traditional search engine optimization is very much in flux as ChatGPT changes consumer searching habits for the first time in…

The dominance of Google's Blue Links is in question. George's bet is that SEO will stabilize around new practices and business models that incorporate answer engines like ChatGPT and will ultimately thrive. And he will have entered the industry with a great team and at a good price when the future was uncertain and the bear case?

Well, even if SEO does decline, that gradual process will take many years. Consumer habits as they pertain to George's marketing agency will persist for much longer than people think. What do you think? Please enjoy this interview with George Stern, owner of Growth Marketing Media.

One of the very first things that business buyers think about is which industry. Well, tomorrow, Tuesday, January 20th, Connor Groce will host a webinar talking through different industries, comparing and contrasting them, and helping you understand which industries in 2026 could make sense for you and your search.

Connor is a franchise consultant who specializes in entrepreneurship through acquisition, so tomorrow's session will have a franchise theme, but the characteristics and variables discussed will help any searcher find clarity around industry selection.

Even if you're not looking for a franchise acquisition, that is tomorrow, Tuesday, January 20th noon Eastern Register at the link right at the top of this episode's show notes or on the Acquiring Minds homepage acquiringminds Co. Then on Thursday, January 22, due diligence office hours, Max Lummis and his team at LCS return for a live webinar on net working capital and net debt. Notoriously…

Max and team will share mistakes first time buyers commonly make in LOIs and closing mechanics and how to avoid them. You'll learn what really moves purchase price and why Net working capital and net debt are often where buyers unintentionally overpay. You'll learn what should and should not be treated as debt, especially around leases, bonuses, deferred revenue, tax items.

And you'll walk away with a practical framework you can use in diligence negotiations and closing. Even if you're not a finance professional. LCS is a forensic accounting firm that does the quality of earnings for dozens of search acquisitions every year.

So come learn from the best that is this Thursday, January 22, noon Eastern Register at the link at the top of this episode's show notes or on the Acquiring Minds homepage. Acquiring Minds 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 Looking to secure an SBA loan to buy a business?

Meet Pioneer Capital Advisory your go to partner for sophisticated buyers who want deals closed quickly and on the best possible terms, the Pioneer team has closed more than 100 SBA loans, averaging timelines well below industry standards. Founder and owner Matthias Smith and COO Valerie Stash bring over two decades of SBA lending experience. Matthias and Valerie have built a team that…

You'll have a full bench working on your behalf, sales associates who streamline onboarding M and a financial analysts who craft investor grade lender decks and an operations team that manages every step of the closing process with institutional level rigor. Pioneer is not a single person, but your true deal team. Visit pioneercap.com or click the link in the notes. Welcome to Acquiring Minds.