He Raised Millions in Debt + Equity to Buy His Business - Learn How [Webinar]

This Week in ETA:

Searchers: Next Friday at 11:00 a.m. ET, we’re hosting a webinar with Pioneer Capital Advisory on how to effectively use both debt and equity to successfully close an SBA deal. We’ll share practical, actionable guidance on how to:

1. Navigate the current SBA lending environment,

2. Plan appropriately for liquidity, and

3. Leverage an equity partner to strengthen your SBA transaction.

We’ll also be joined by a recent searcher we partnered with alongside PCA, who will share firsthand lessons learned from closing his SBA deal in 2025. Register here.

Investors: For investors evaluating SBA-backed acquisition opportunities, expansion acquisitions can be particularly attractive. In a standard SBA 7(a) transaction, buyers are typically required to contribute at least 10% equity. But when an acquisition qualifies as an SBA expansion acquisition, that equity requirement can be reduced to zero. With the right structure, the acquisition can be financed entirely with debt, allowing investor capital to be used selectively for liquidity, growth initiatives, or to strengthen the overall capitalization of the business.

To qualify, three criteria must be met: the existing business and acquisition target must share the exact same six-digit NAICS code, ownership must be identical, and both entities must be co-borrowers on the SBA loan. A recent SBA rule change further expands the opportunity set by removing the geographic proximity requirement, enabling expansion beyond local markets. Matthias Smith breaks the opportunity down further here.

Plus:

• Relevant advice for searchers as we approach a potential government shutdown

• Have you optimized your LinkedIn profile to reflect your search? Here, I do a teardown alongside Geoff Cudd of a searcher’s profile to highlight how you can fix your profile to make the best impressions on sellers.

Question:

Hit reply and tell us - If you’ve made an ETA acquisition, did you stop at one, or make additional, expansion (or bolt-on) acquisitions as well?

P.S. - Share Your Buy Box:

If you’re a searcher, let us know your buy box! We see a lot of proprietary deals and love to bring right-fit searchers in on them.