Buy Then Build: How Acquisition Entrepreneurs Outsmart the Startup Game
Description:
Entrepreneurs have a problem: startups. Almost all startups either fail or never truly reach a sustainable size. Despite the popularity of entrepreneurship, we haven’t engineered a better way to start. …Until now. What if you could skip the startup phase and generate profitable revenue on day one? In Buy Then Build, acquisition entrepreneur Walker Deibel shows you how to begin with a sustainable, profitable company and grow from there. You’ll learn how to: Buy an existing company rather than starting from scratch. Use ownership as a path to financial independence. Spend a fraction of the time raising capital. Find great brokers, generate your own “deal flow,” and see new listings early. Uncover the best opportunities and biggest risks of any company. Navigate the acquisition process. Become a successful acquisition entrepreneur. And more Buy Then Build is your guide to outsmart the startup game, live the entrepreneurial lifestyle, and reap the financial rewards of ownership now.
Editorial Reviews:
“In Buy Then Build, Walker Deibel creates a framework for entrepreneurs to capitalize on the biggest transfer of wealth in human history.” -Verne Harnish, Founder Entrepreneurs’ Organization (EO) and author of Scaling Up (Rockefeller Habits 2.0)
“Walker is the real deal, and he shares his insights for running a successful company from day one.”
-Shep Hyken, New York Times bestselling author of The Amazement Revolution
“Buy Then Build has reframed business acquisitions for a new generation of entrepreneurs. It’s a pioneering work.” -Doug Hillard, Academic Director for Entrepreneurship, Olin School of Business and Managing Partner, Hillard Growth Partners
“Walker is one of the most important influences on my professional life. Buy Then Build is a blueprint to construct your own masterpiece.” -Chad Troutwine, Cofounder and CEO, Veritas Prep.
“Buy Then Build is a total gamechanger. I wish all entrepreneurs would read this.” -Joe Valley, Bestselling author of The Exitpreneur’s Playbook, & Managing Partner, Quiet Light
“Walker clearly shows how acquisitions and entrepreneurship are not mutually exclusive but coexist as value builders. Buy Then Build is required reading for anyone aspiring to build, or buy, their own business.” —Kary Oberbrunner, CEO Igniting Souls. Wall Street Journal and USA Today Bestselling author
“A deftly written, exceedingly thorough, and highly informative business guide.” – Kirkus Reviews
“Looking back 20 years from now, acquisition entrepreneurship will be as normal as going to law school today. In the meantime, it’s a huge opportunity to hop on the train before the secret gets out and Walker explains exactly how to do that” – Taylor Pearson, bestselling author of The End of Jobs
“We’ve grown our startup’s value by over $30 million and added over a hundred accounts to cross-sell, after implementing what we learned by reading Buy Then Build. If you’re an entrepreneur and want to scale your business, this is a must read.” -Brian Handrigan, Cofounder and CEO, Advocado
One of “7 Business Books Entrepreneurs Need to Read” – FORBES
“I first met Walker shortly after his first acquisition. I then watched as he bought and sold over a half dozen companies while other entrepreneurs were building from scratch. Walker has uniquely expanded the toolbox for entrepreneurs and Buy Then Build clearly outlines how to get started.” – John Ruhlin, Bestselling Author and Cofounder of GIFT*OLOGY
“Walker’s book is a compelling (and accessible) introduction to the increasingly popular world of Entrepreneurship Through Acquisition. A key addition to any aspiring ETA entrepreneur’s reading list.”
– David Schonthal, Wall Street Journal Bestselling Co-Author of The Human Element, award-winning professor, and Director of Entrepreneurship Programs, Kellogg School of Management
“Buy Then Build Is a practical guide to cash flow investing, business, or improving financial IQ. I recommend this book to all of our clients.” – Garrett Gunderson, NYT Bestselling Author of Killing Sacred Cows and Founder, Wealth Factory
“Walker is playing it smart. He sees opportunities others don’t.” – Cliff Holekamp, former Director of Entrepreneurship, Washington University in St. Louis, and cofounder, Cultivation Capital
“Walker Deibel is an acquisition genius. First, he acquired $16 million in business revenue across 7 businesses—learning, then mastering, all the tricks of the trade along the way. The best part is he clearly documents his system inside Buy Then Build. He has helped hundreds and hundreds of other entrepreneurs acquire successful businesses with his easy-to-follow method. Reading Buy Then Build is insight into an entrepreneur who has lives where few have gone.” – Steve Nixon, Online Entrepreneur and Investor
“Buy Then Build clearly outlines the framework for capturing value through acquisitions.”
– Mark Daoust, founder, Quiet Light Brokerage
About the Author:
Walker Deibel is an entrepreneur and investor who has co-founded three startups, acquired seven companies outright, and has consulted or participated in over 100 business transactions. After the success of Buy Then Build he started an elite accelerator for acquisition entrepreneurs, the Acquisition Lab to assist business buyers with world-class education and a vetted community.
He holds an MBA from the Olin School of Business at Washington University in St. Louis where he received the Declaration of Accomplishment in Entrepreneurship award from the Skandalaris Center of Innovation and Entrepreneurship, eventually introducing an Acquisition Entrepreneurship course as an adjunct professor.
Walker also works with Quiet Light where he helps online entrepreneurs exit. He is a Certified M&A Advisor, CM&AP, M&AMI, CEPA, and former SEC licensed stockbroker. He was awarded Thought Leader of the Year by the Alliance of M&A Advisors for his work on Buy Then Build and its adoption into universities. He lives in St. Louis, Missouri.
His work has been featured in Forbes, Entrepreneur, Inc, Fast Company, and the Harvard Business Review.
