Yesterday afternoon I suffered a major blow: I was in the running for buying a great 35 year old $1.7 million EBITDA company in Texas, and received a call from the broker saying that, after a final consultation with her lawyer, the seller decided to sell to another buyer.

I was by far the seller's choice given my industry experience as well as rapport generated through countless interactions, face to face meeting and significant due diligence conducted, but the seller's lawyer thought my not being a US citizen nor resident was too much of a risk for her client.

This deal I was so invested in literally slipped through my fingers, but there are some valuable lessons to learn:

  • If you're an American, be grateful and embrace the life-changing opportunities your country affords you.
  • When a situation is uncommon or foreign to someone, their perception of it being risky gets amplified.
  • Readily-available cash makes a huge difference.

I can't help thinking that, had I gone a more traditional route and raised a fund or partnered with a PE firm, we'd be well on our way to owning this great company.

I want to make an impact and in the process build generational wealth. By far the best place to do it is still the USA. So, if you know of any opportunities in the SMB space, I'd appreciate your shooting me a DM and/or sharing this with your network.

Thanks,
Santiago