2 Years, 100+ P&Ls, and 1 Near-Miss: What It Really Takes to Buy a Business | Ep. 57

In this episode, Tim sits down with Ryan James, a successful business owner, real estate investor, and lifelong entrepreneur, to talk through the messy, real-world process of buying a business. Ryan shares why he shifted from starting businesses to buying an existing one, what he learned from a two-year search, why off-market deals are harder than they sound, and how the right broker can make or break a transaction. Tim is an entrepreneur who believes everyone should explore the opportunities that business and real estate can provide on the path to financial freedom. He owns and operates a wine & liquor store, a software startup, a consulting company, and a growing portfolio of commercial and residential real estate. Tim's passion for independent business has led him to support dozens of other business owners. For over a decade, he has worked with businesses on strategy, processes, finances, and marketing. These experiences, along with analyzing dozens of other businesses for potential acquisition, have provided Tim with an immense knowledge base to pull from. Tim has appeared on multiple top-tier podcasts in the financial space, such as Bigger Pockets Money and The Freedom Chasers Podcast. 00:00 – 03:07 | Why Ryan Chose Buying Over Starting 03:07 – 07:27 | The Two-Year Business Search 07:27 – 14:29 | Ryan's Entrepreneurial Background 14:29 – 18:34 | Defining the Acquisition Criteria 18:34 – 27:36 | Off-Market Search and Broker Relationships 27:36 – 38:06 | Deals That Fell Apart 38:06 – 43:44 | The Distribution Business Opportunity 43:44 – 54:45 | Valuation, SDE, and Deal Structure 54:45 – 01:10:02 | SBA Financing, Closing, and Final Lessons Guest Bio Ryan James is a successful business owner, real estate investor, and entrepreneur with experience across banking, wealth management, financial planning, public insurance adjusting, virtual assistant recruiting, and business acquisition. Ryan has started multiple businesses throughout his life, including a public adjusting company and a VA recruiting company that connects Filipino virtual assistants with U.S. businesses. Connect with Ryan: Email: ryansemail813@gmail.com Connect with Tim and the community on social media for more tips and updates: Website: https://www.powerofbiz.com YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@powerofbiz Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/timtdelaney/ Threads: https://www.threads.com/@timtdelaney LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/timothytdelaney/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/timtdelaney Tweetable Quotes "You're never going to have it all. If you have just enough, you'll figure everything else out." — Ryan James "There's a million and one different ways you can structure a deal." — Ryan James "Getting the reps in is important, but eventually you need to take that plunge." — Tim Delaney