Why Is Acquiring Businesses Better than Starting Them?

"You don't need to run the marathon… just do the last ten yards and still get the trophy." - Jeremy Harbour

We've been sharing this message for years, but it bears repeating:

You don't need to start from scratch to build wealth through business ownership.

Jeremy Harbour learned this lesson the hard way…

Like many of us, he spent his early years believing the startup myth—that success meant sacrificing everything to build something from nothing. He started his first business at 14, left school at 15 to pursue it full-time, and then went bust by 19.

"A great lesson in humility," he calls it. "I think everyone needs a good kick in the nuts when they're a bit young and cocky."

But here's where Jeremy's story gets interesting:

The Epiphany That Changed Everything

While running his telecom company in the UK, Jeremy noticed something odd.

Competitors kept showing up to buy him out, but none of them wanted to pay cash upfront.

Every single offer involved creative deal structures.

Earnouts... Performance-based payments... Equity swaps... Everything except actual money changing hands at closing.

This got Jeremy thinking: ”If these successful business owners are buying companies without using upfront capital, why can’t I?”

So he flipped the script. Instead of being the target, he became the hunter.

Within months, he found a 13-year-old telecom company with solid customers (including Nintendo) whose owner had specific motivations for selling. Jeremy structured a deal with:

• Zero cash upfront

• No bank financing

• No vendor financing

• No outside investors

In just one afternoon, he grew his business by an entire year's worth of revenue.

"I had an epiphany," Jeremy says. "I don't need to run the marathon. I can just do the last ten yards and still get the trophy."

Why Acquisition Beats Starting From Scratch

Think about what happens when you grow through acquisition versus organic growth:

With organic growth, you're gambling on:

• Marketing tactics that might not work

• Sales processes that take months to refine

• Hiring decisions that could go wrong

• Product-market fit that's unproven

With acquisition, you get:

• Established customer relationships

• Proven revenue streams

• Existing staff and systems

• Immediate cash flow

Acquisitions — when done right — can be like a trusted shortcut to growth.

The 18-Month Empire

After his first no-money-down acquisition, Jeremy went on what he calls "a little bit of a rampage."

In just 18 months, he built a mini-empire of businesses generating £13.5 million annually with 135 employees.

Each acquisition followed the same pattern: find motivated sellers, structure creative deals, and close without upfront capital.

Some highlights from his acquisition spree:

• Air conditioning company: Bought for £1, met the owners at 9 AM, introduced to staff as new owner by 5 PM. Later sold for 6-figures.

• Furniture manufacturer: Acquired for £1 with 100% ownership, turned around and sold quickly for substantial profit.

• Health club: 15,000 square foot facility that cost £3.2 million to build. Jeremy structured the deal to walk away £25,000 richer after closing.

• Call center with cashflow crisis: Hadn't paid payroll for 2 months & was £10,000 overdrawn. Jeremy fixed the cashflow within 6 weeks without injecting capital.

The Secret: Finding Motivated (Not Desperate) Sellers

Here's what most people get wrong about no-money-down deals: You're not looking for desperate sellers; you're looking for motivated sellers. Key difference.

These businesses are often not listed with brokers & they're not actively for sale, but the owners simply have specific needs that the right deal structure can address. Maybe they want to retire but stay involved part-time… maybe they need to eliminate personal guarantees... or maybe they want to ensure their employees are taken care of.

When you understand what truly motivates a seller beyond the purchase price, you can structure creative deals that give both parties what they need.

Your Next Step

The difference between those who succeed in acquisition entrepreneurship and those who don't isn't talent or capital — it's the willingness to challenge conventional wisdom.

Stop believing you need to build from scratch… Stop thinking you need massive capital to buy a business... Stop running marathons when you could simply sprint the last 10 yards…

The opportunities are out there. You just need to know where to look and how to structure the deals.

Remember: Every successful entrepreneur you respect likely grew through acquisition, not just organic growth. The Sharks on Shark Tank? They all bought and sold businesses to accelerate their wealth.

Isn’t it time you did the same?

Thanks for reading Acquiring & Exiting.

The Acquiring & Exiting Newsletter is brought to you by the same team behind the Business Acquisition Summit.