Ben Kelly Profile picture
May 13 7 tweets 1 min read Read on X
I’ve looked at 1,000s of business listings.

As of right now, I own 6 businesses that pay me $725,000 per year (on average).

Here are 6 acquisitions that I wouldn’t touch with a 10-foot pole (bookmark this):
1) Restaurants.

60% of restaurants fail within 1 year.

Depending on your acquisition strategy, this could be a risky play.

After 4 years, 80% fail.

The food industry is a tough one.
2) Clothing & Fashion.

Here's why I'm not a fan of fashion:

- Raising rent
- Decreasing user base
- Order a season in advance

I like industries that are recurring and operate with a moat.

That's not this.
3) Construction.

The construction industry requires a lot of niche knowledge and expertise.

It's also boom or bust which I don't like.

But if you know the industry?

Be my guest.
4) Grocery Stores.

The 2 main downsides of Grocery are the margins and effort.

• There are tons of moving parts
• It requires lots of resources
• You need a lot of space

Also, there isn't much of a moat.
5) Car Dealerships.

The automotive industry comes with:

• Rules
• Standards
• Regulations

That's not to say you can't make good money, just prepare for some headaches.

Not my cup of tea.
Disclaimer:

Every business comes with risk.

These 5 happen to be a bit more difficult, especially for beginners.

Always do your due diligence.

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More from @benkellyone

May 13
Screw it.

Here’s the most in-depth training I’ve ever dropped on buying small businesses with $0 of your own money (I hope I don’t regret this)
The website is going to be your best friend.

It has thousands of listings for owners selling their small businesses.

The listings mention:

- SDE
- EBIDTA
- FF&E

I'll explain what these mean later on.bizbuysell.com
Search for businesses making $10K+/mo in cash flow & has been profitable for >5 years.

🔍 -> Search: *Your Area* / Service Businesses -> Price filter = 500k to 1M -> More Filters -> cashflow =min. 10k.

You’ll now see listings near you.bizbuysell.com
Read 19 tweets
May 8
I get this question almost every day:

“Ben, should I buy this business?”

Here are 5 metrics you need to look out for before buying a small business:
1) Total Revenue

The total revenue indicated the level of success this business currently has.

If revenue is trending down?

That's a MAJOR red flag.

You want to look for businesses that have a consistent upward-trending revenue.
2) Seller Discretionary Earnings (SDE)

This is essentially the cash flow the owner/seller of the business is making.

Take note of revenue and expenses.

If SDE is falling, then it is most likely not a great fit for most business buyers.
Read 8 tweets
Apr 17
Boring businesses make the most money.

It's not complicated, yet 99% of people still simp for the fancy ones.

So please...

Buy one of these boring businesses (8 options): Image
1) Pressure Washing.

Think about this for a second:

You can buy one power washing machine and pay it off with just a few jobs.

Then?

1. You hire a few people.
2. Buy a few more machines.
3. Repeat the process indefinitely.

Pressure-washing companies are cash cows. Image
2) Tent Rental.

Tent renting couldn't be more simple.

You buy the tents.
You hire a few college kids.
You send them to your locations.

These tents are used for:

• Parties
• Weddings
• Music festivals
• Construction sites

And people pay a fortune for this service. Image
Read 10 tweets
Apr 12
Boring income streams are the best.

You’d be foolish not to consider one of these lame but lucrative businesses (8 options):

1) Laundromat
2) Vending Machines
3) Self-Serve Car Wash
Read 10 tweets
Apr 10
Last year, I bought a CPA Firm for $1,800,000.

I’m not an accountant and have nothing to do with day-to-day operations.

But this deal cash flows $400k/year.

Here’s a breakdown of how I did it:
I found this deal on Bizbuysell(.)com.

The 3 sellers were in their 60s and wanted to sell the business to retire.

Honestly?

Most of my best deals have been from Boomers on the brink of retirement.
Usually…

1. They’re willing to sell at a fair price
2. Their business is very reputable

From what I’ve found, this tends to be the case when you’re buying from Boomers.

So here’s what happened:
Read 8 tweets
Feb 28
There's nothing more lucrative than a boring business.

10 acquisitions anyone can make (to build generational wealth): Image
1) Paint Striping.

It's safe to say that roads aren't going anywhere.

• Autonomous vehicles use road lines
• Paint fades (needs to be replaced)
• The barriers to entry are very low

3 promising points to earn a hefty profit with paint striping.

And no one talks about it.
2) Parking Lots.

Parking lots are total cash cows (brownie points if you own a paint striping business).

You can charge very high rates, with hardly any out-of-pocket cost.

Plus, you might only need 1 or 2 staff members.

Doesn't get more boring (and lucrative) than that.
Read 12 tweets

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