The HoldCo King: “Here’s Everything I Know About Buying 24 Companies and Looking At 1000s"

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 100m+ - Spends plenty of time with family and children 1. Pay for Quality of Earnings even on small deals. 2. The best way to find a CEO for a business is to ask the seller who has asked about buying it in the past. 3. 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 Portcos 00:00 - Intro 00:31 - Most “bad” things that happen to you are not as important as they feel at the time 04:29 - Selling Apple and Nvidia in 2011 and Google in 2008. “Don’t be me.” 08:27 - Consistency for physical activity matters more than maximal excursion 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 them 20:27 - Owner operated businesses are super efficient. Owner does six jobs. You will probably spend more to professionalize 29:40 - Look for rich owners as there are a lot of small business owners who are not that rich 37:34 - Make sure management only gets paid bonuses when they distribute cash flow to owners 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 past 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 services 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/PrivatEquityGuy⁠⁠ Join 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/XavierHelgesen This podcast is for informational purposes only and should not be relied upon as a basis for investment decisions.