$60m Roll-Up That Started With an SBA Acquisition

We did our first acquisition in 2021 and we've done five acquisitions to date. So we are growing a platform called htl. We have a brokerage division.

We also have a managed services division. And what we do is we help manufacturers and distributors move their products from point A to point B. You know, cheaper, faster, and more efficient.

So were you guys already partnered? What do you mean? You called an emergency meeting? In what capacity? Very good question.

So we were in the same classroom, like we had the same cohort in business school. So we, you know, me and Brian, like, we weren't the best of friends in, in business school, but we had shared interests. You know, we, we were both entrepreneurial and we both like taking risk and we didn't think the corporate world was where we wanted to spend the rest of our lives.

So we had, we had the shared interest. So we, you know, we became relatively close and just talking about what we want to accomplish post MBA program. So we had the same class, the EPE class, the entrepreneurship through acquisition class.

And I remember it was like yesterday, it was like one, like it was a key class. It was a key session that just lit a light bulb in our heads and we looked at each other and you know, I went home, I thought about it and then I sent the text and said, hey, let's meet at my house and let's have a conversation. I think there's an opportunity here.

So he came and we talked about, you know, potentially going out to do this thing ourselves. And I said, hey, like there's this website called Biz by Sell where you have an opportunity to go out and find businesses. And you know, we were just amazed to see the plethora of businesses in different industries all on this website that are looking for, you know, new owners.

So that was where that was the start. And you know, it, it sounded good to him. And we were off to the races.

Myself and Brian, we, we have a bias towards action. So like I said, two months later, we're literally, literally on the plane. We were still in school, by the way, and I, I, I think, you know, we, we, we got the flights in New Jersey and we had class like on Monday or something like that.

It was something ridiculous. But we flew up to New Jersey, we had a conversation with the, with the potential seller, first conversation with a seller. Like we didn't know what the hell we were doing, but we, I guess you call it fake it so you'll make it.

But it was a good conversation and we continued getting reps and we just continue filling up the pipeline for, you know, potential acquisition targets. Great.