The first step to buying the right business

Hey oh, fellow freedom seekers! This is your weekly business buying newsletter that pops into your inbox hotter than a Jeno’s pizza roll, giving you the tastiest biz buying sauce (without the burnt mouth).

P.S. if you were a kid in the 80s you remember these little tasty lava rocks that you couldn’t wait to eat, leaving you with singed taste buds.

This week’s sauce:

1. The first step to buying the right business

The first step to buying the right business

I got asked recently: “What’s the very first step to buying the right business?”

People think it’s pounding through listings, cold-emailing owners, or pretending you’re a private equity shark on LinkedIn. But here’s the truth: the first step happens way before any of that.

It’s figuring out your deal box.

Think of it like Goldilocks meets Shark Tank:

• Too broad? You’ll waste time chasing every shiny listing like a kid in a candy store with no budget.

• Too narrow? You’ll filter yourself into oblivion and wonder if the only businesses left are laundromats in towns you can’t spell.

• Just right? You know the type of business you’re after, what income you need after debt payments, how much cash you’ll need to close (usually ~10% down), and, what bankers love to ask: what unique skills you bring to the table.

Some call it your deal box, some call it your elevator pitch. I call it saving yourself two years of running in circles.

Because once you’ve got your deal box dialed in, the game changes. You can actually:

• Tell family and friends what you’re looking for (so they don’t just send you TikToks of “side hustles”)

• Pitch it to your accountant, banker, or that one uncle who still asks what you do for work

• Spot the right opportunities and walk away from the wrong ones without second-guessing yourself

And since it took me way too long to get clear on mine, I built a simple 3-minute survey to shortcut the process for you. At the end, you’ll get your deal box and a ready-made elevator pitch.

👉 Take the “Am I Ready?” Survey

Three minutes. Less time than it takes Starbucks to spell your name wrong.

Once you know your deal box, you’re not just searching—you’re acquiring and building.

On the path to freedom,

Matt