Jared Johnson sits down with husband and wife operators Tahir Zaman Hussain and Neilab Rahimzada to unpack an 18-month search that started in London and New York, survived a failed first deal, and ended with the acquisition of a hyper niche window restoration company with decades of brand equity. They explain why calling brokers directly beat scrolling listings, how a prior LOI on a fire sprinkler company fell apart over working capital, and what changed when they found a seller who was transparent and responsive. The pair walk through pricing, a structured transition that kept the seller away from staff, and why even a negative working capital model still demanded real cash at close for insurance and early costs. They share role reversals once they took the keys, the expected J curve, discovering demand that exceeded capacity, and the plan to professionalize operations while hiring to remove themselves as the bottleneck.

Main Takeaways:

Calling brokers and building relationships beats passively browsing listings
Seller fit and transparency are early signals of post close reality
Working capital is a must have topic, if the seller cannot grasp it, walk away
Even firms with negative net working capital need cash at close for early bills
Weekly seller calls and a living data room keep diligence moving and cut surprises
A tailored transition can work if the seller is kept away from employees and authority
Expect role shifts after close, divide by aptitude rather than the original plan
The J curve is real, track project efficiency early or you give margin away
A strong and aligned deal team keeps emotions in check and momentum toward close
Growth needs capacity and systems, hire to free owners for tools, process, and scale

Episode Highlights:

[00:00:28] Backgrounds, London and Long Island roots, careers in finance and capital markets
[00:03:06] Why ownership, investment returns and the itch to operate
[00:04:47] What they bought, a hyper niche window restoration company with outsized reputation
[00:07:37] How they sourced it, broker outreach over listing sites and why that worked
[00:10:18] Search timeline, education in mid 2023, close in October after about 18 months
[00:11:45] The first LOI that died, fire sprinkler company and a breakdown on working capital
[00:14:06] Context on working capital in lower middle market deals, shifting norms and lessons learned
[00:18:20] The right seller, transparency, fast document turns, weekly calls, clean diligence cadence
[00:20:11] Transition design, seller support for two months without interacting with staff
[00:23:05] Deal structure at a high level, SBA senior debt, standby seller note, modest buyer cash
[00:24:55] Why they still needed working capital, insurance costs and early cash needs in New York
[00:27:01] The value of an aligned deal team, keeping emotions steady through closing
[00:29:35] Day one, the speech, then role reversal, Tahir on sales, Neilab on operations
[00:32:42] Performance, an initial dip then trending toward the best year in company history
[00:33:30] What is next, systematize operations, add headcount, prepare to handle more demand
[00:36:13] Mentorship, leaning on entrepreneurial family and the search for a mentor
[00:38:44] Motivation, stewardship of a legacy brand and showing up even when it is hard

Connect with Jared:

If you have questions for Jared, visit: https://jaredwjohnson.com

https://www.linkedin.com/in/jaredwjohnson/

DISCLAIMER:

The views and opinions expressed in this program are those of the guests and host. They do not necessarily reflect the views or positions of my employer.

Keywords:

entrepreneurship through acquisition, ETA, SBA loans, working capital, broker outreach, seller diligence, window restoration, niche services, transition planning, negative working capital, first 100 days, project tracking, J curve, operations professionalization, demand management, deal team, seller note, DSCR awareness, small business ownership, capacity planning