Buyers and Builders

Operators, independent sponsors, searchers, and lower middle market investors: this episode is about building repeatable deal flow in the $2-15M EBITDA range by making opportunities, talent, and capital come to you.

You’ll learn “relationship compounding” through two lenses: Larry Gagosian - the billionaire art dealer who engineers environments where influential people want to be (all in service of one goal: selling more art) - and TheRealEstateG6 ( https://x.com/TheRealEstateG6 ) on X, whose “yacht” framework shows how to stop restarting from zero and build platforms, venues, and proof that create real gravity.

Show notes:
0:00 Build “inbound” deal flow in the $2-15M EBITDA range
2:58 Why most relationships don’t compound (and how to fix it)
6:44 The first upgrade: become a “regular” and let familiarity stack
10:22 Gagosian’s flywheel: one gatekeeper unlocks the next layer
13:05 Build your “market map” (CRM mindset) before it pays you
16:09 “Create your own yacht”
19:28 Deal flow as a two-sided platform: owners + capital allocators
25:07 Modern yachts: Shark Tank, media, and flipping who chases who
31:59 The 5-question test for a real yacht
38:11 The whole thesis: manufacture situations where people come to you

Sponsor:
https://capitalpad.com/ - A deal-by-deal private equity investing platform

This podcast is for informational purposes only and should not be relied upon as a basis for investment decisions.

Mike Markus ( ⁠https://x.com/PrivatEquityGuy ) talks to Millen Rastogi of UniversaCare ( https://www.linkedin.com/in/millenrastogi/ ) about leaving his analyst role at Deutsche Bank to build a healthcare roll-up and acquire five companies.

Show notes:
0:00 Millen Rastogi
1:05 From Deutsche Bank to home care
4:30 Walking into a mess
13:26 Funding the early years
19:54 Growth numbers + COVID hit
23:02 Margins and revenue
25:50 Building the platform to buy
27:17 First acquisition
30:56 Seller financing playbook
36:35 The “silver tsunami” sellers
41:50 Second acquisition
51:48 70% seller-financed deal example
1:09:09 Learning M&A with AI + X

Sponsors:
https://capitalpad.com/ - A deal-by-deal private equity investing platform
https://www.spacebarstudios.co/inquire

This podcast is for informational purposes only and should not be relied upon as a basis for investment decisions.

Mike Markus ( ⁠https://x.com/PrivatEquityGuy ) talks to Reza Jafer of Second Bite Capital ( https://x.com/rezajafer ) about how he left private equity to acquire three companies in three months.

Show notes:
0:00 Independent sponsor jump
3:38 Origin story
8:04 First acquisition
10:15 The motor coach platform
14:36 Deal #1 terms
18:46 Early wins
26:22 Fundraising lesson
29:44 Deal #2 raise in chaos
35:17 Platform strategy
40:41 Endgame

Sponsors:
https://capitalpad.com/ - A deal-by-deal private equity investing platform
https://www.spacebarstudios.co/inquire

This podcast is for informational purposes only and should not be relied upon as a basis for investment decisions.

The lower middle market runs on trust and relationship building.

In this episode, we explore Bowles Hollowell Conner & Co., the quiet Charlotte-based advisory firm that shaped how lower middle market M&A gets done. Before private equity was institutionalized asset class, BHC figured out how to turn founder-led businesses into transactions lenders could underwrite and capital could trust.

This is a story about credibility over capital, why bad packaging can kill deals, and how preparation - not promotion - closes deals in the lower middle market.

Timestamps:
0:00 Why great investing ecosystems can be traced back to a few hidden origins
1:10 How a small Charlotte firm became a training ground for middle-market M&A
3:27 What Erskine Bowles saw at Morgan Stanley in the 1960s
6:35 How BHC turned founder chaos into lender confidence
10:12 Why BHC became the default choice for family-owned businesses
14:22 The true job of a great lower-middle-market advisor
15:21 Cash flow as downside protection
19:17 How BHC helped fuel middle-market efficiency
21:08 Where BHC alumni show up today
22:07 Attention to detail, low ego, and a partnership mindset

Sponsors:
https://capitalpad.com/ - A deal-by-deal private equity investing platform
https://www.spacebarstudios.co/inquire

Follow Mike/PrivateEquityGuy on Twitter: ⁠⁠https://x.com/PrivatEquityGuy

This podcast is for informational purposes only and should not be relied upon as a basis for investment decisions.

Mike Markus ( ⁠https://x.com/PrivatEquityGuy ) talks to Luis Reyes of Iberian Ventures ( https://www.linkedin.com/in/luiz/ ) about how he has completed over 30 acquisitions in 4 years and is building a fire safety rollup in Europe.

Snow notes:
0:00 From rural Mexico to more than 30 acquisitions
4:00 Buy-and-build thesis
6:45 Funding the first deals
11:55 The 100-day integration playbook
19:00 Using AI to scale operations and service quality
32:05 Deal sourcing at scale without spam
37:05 Managing risk, customer concentration, and diligence
44:35 Takeaways for other buyers
53:00 Hold vs sell and capital discipline

Sponsors:
https://capitalpad.com/ - A deal-by-deal private equity investing platform
https://www.spacebarstudios.co/inquire

This podcast is for informational purposes only and should not be relied upon as a basis for investment decisions.