📡 SMB Signal: 2 New Deals, A Modelling Workshop & Capital Raise Strategies

Hello, and welcome to 📡 SMB Signal by Mainshares! Each week, we spotlight high-quality small business deals, operator insights, and tactical playbooks for buying, running, or investing in Main Street businesses. Join 12,000+ investors and operators staying sharp and deal-ready.

🔍 What’s in the Deal Depot?

Looking to acquire? Every week, we post new acquisition deals in the Mainshares Network for our community members. If you’re actively searching, 👉 fill out your Buyer Profile to unlock deal flow—or email us to learn more about a specific opportunity.

Here are a few standout small businesses actively seeking an operator to take the reins:

Residential Tree Services Business

🔑Buyer Opportunity
Location: Louisiana
Founded Year: 2013
Cash Flow: $527k
LTM Revenue: $1.4M

TLDR: This opportunity is a high-reputation, residential tree services business known for quality work, safety, and excellent customer communication. With over 100 five-star Google reviews and strong recurring demand, the business runs with a lean, well-trained team and maintains a multi-week job backlog. It includes prime real estate, a certified arborist, and late-model, high-capacity equipment—making it a turnkey platform for growth or regional expansion.

Why is this interesting?

• Residential & insurance-focused—12+ years of brand equity, specializing in residential tree removal, pruning, storm cleanup, and insurance billing.

• All assets included—Sale includes $750K of real estate (6.4 acres with shop and home) and $700K+ in equipment.

• Reputation-driven revenue—Over 100 verified 5-star reviews, repeat customers, and strong local brand presence.

• Operationally sound—Seasonal workforce of 5–10 FT plus part-time help. Owner to support transition and customer introductions.

• Marketing & sales upside—No outbound sales team; word-of-mouth + minimal digital marketing generate consistent leads with multi-week backlog.

Heavy-Duty Truck and Trailer Repair

🔑Buyer Opportunity 
Location: Alabama
Founded Year: 2000
Cash Flow: $2.1M
LTM Revenue: $12.2M

TLDR: This opportunity is a 24/7 full-service heavy-duty repair and fleet service business with 43 employees, a fleet of mobile trucks, and locations in Alabama and a satellite office in Florida. Serving clients across the construction, logistics, and rental industries, the business handles everything from tire replacement to engine rebuilds, paint & body, and roadside service. It’s a dominant regional operator with strong margins, no customer concentration (>9%), and embedded expansion potential.

Why is this interesting?

• True one-stop shop—The only competitor in its market offering tires, mechanical repair, trailer/body work, and paint under one roof.

• Recurring B2B customer base—Over 98% of revenue is B2B; top 10 clients span logistics, rental, and government sectors with no over-concentration.

• Facility & asset depth—Includes two large shops which are supported by a modern truck fleet and specialized equipment.

• Strong team in place—43 staff with decades of combined experience, including full coverage in shop management, mechanics, CDL delivery, and admin.

• Clear runway for growth—Florida location recently opened; both core locations have capacity for volume expansion, with additional locations feasible based on customer footprint.

Deal summaries above are for informational purposes only. Detailed financials and confidential information are shared only with vetted buyers under an executed NDA.

🎥 Upcoming events

🗓️ Thursday, June 12
👤Host: Wade Bruffey, Main Street Securities
🕛 12 PM CT / 1 PM ET
👉Register now

Are you diving into deal review or gearing up to lead your own diligence process? Don’t miss this must-attend session where we’ll walk through how to build a deal model straight from a CIM!

What you’ll learn:

• How to extract key metrics and assumptions

• What to look for (and what to question)

• Tips for structuring a clean, flexible model

• Common pitfalls and red flags

This is a hands-on session designed to set you up for success when reviewing future deals. Whether you’re new to modeling or just need a refresher, you’ll walk away more confident and better equipped.

👉Register now

🔑 Top questions asked this week

Every week, we pull real questions straight from Mainshares Network, where small business buyers, investors, and operators swap notes, deals, and advice in real time. Here are some of the top insights from the week.

How should I approach raising capital from friends and family?

Q: From the #AskSMB channel

A: Glen Martin (Community Member)

If you are considering raising capital from friends and family for a business acquisition, I am using a crowdfunding method, and this is the model and approach I am taking.

What Worked Well:

• Use a Clear Structure: I offered equity (Class B Units) with a 10% preferred return and a defined 5-year term.

• Offer Exit Options: Investors could either cash out or convert to long-term equity at a premium (200% of their original investment).

• Prioritize Transparency: Investors received regular updates and financials, maintaining trust.

• Protect Relationships: Formal documents (PPM, subscription agreements, operating agreements) treated friends and family like professional investors. Have these documents vetted by a business lawyer specializing in this.

• Balance Risk and Reward: Early investors had priority on returns while aligning their success with the company’s long-term growth.

What to Watch Out For:

• Relationship Risk: Treat friends and family like professional investors to avoid misunderstandings.

• Liquidity Expectations: Ensure investors understand this is a long-term, illiquid investment.

• Overpromising: Avoid projecting sky-high returns; be realistic and transparent about risks.

Deal Structure Ideas:

• Equity with Preferred Return: Like my model, Class B Units, offering upside and downside protection.

• Convertible Notes: Useful if you’re not ready to value the business yet.

• Revenue-Based Financing: Flexible, non-dilutive option if cash flow is strong.

Final Thought:

Raising capital from your personal network can work well if you treat it with the same discipline as institutional fundraising.

One more thing to keep in mind: if you decide to work with traditional investors, pay close attention to their terms. Many investors claim to support self-funded searchers, but when you review their agreements, you might find that they look good on paper but can actually leave you constrained and doing all the work without much benefit.

How do I build the right team to support my acquisition?

Q: From the #AskSMB channel

A: Brittney Bossow, Mainshares

Great question! Here is my response below. We also have a list of business professionals that we can share with you if you are interested! Feel free to DM me for more info!

1. Attorney (M&A or Small Business)

• When to bring in: Early! Especially once you start reviewing NDAs, LOIs, and deal structures.

• Role: Handles legal diligence, structures the deal, drafts/reviews contracts.

• What to look for:

  • Experience with SMB acquisitions

  • Transparent billing (ideally flat fees for stages)

  • Good communicator, not overly risk-averse

2. CPA / Financial Diligence Professional

• When to bring in: Before signing the LOI, or immediately after.

• Role: Quality of earnings (QoE), tax implications, working capital analysis.

• What to look for:

  • Experience with due diligence in small business deals

  • Ability to provide clear reports for lenders or investors

3. Lender or Capital Partner

• When to bring in: Before LOI or concurrently—so you know what size/type of deal you can fund.

• Role: SBA loans, investor equity, seller notes, etc.

• What to look for:

  • Comfort with acquisition entrepreneurship

  • Transparent about terms/timing

4. Broker or Intermediary (Optional)

• When to bring in: If you’re buying a brokered deal.

• Role: Acts on behalf of seller, but often facilitates process for both parties.

• What to watch for:

  • They're incentivized to close, not necessarily to help you—so due diligence is key.

• Tip: If you're doing proprietary outreach, you may not need a broker at all.

5. Industry Expert / Advisor / Operator Mentor

• When to bring in: Throughout the process.

• Role: Sanity check, gut checks on industry norms, ops advice post-close.

• Tip: One or two sharp operator friends can save you huge headaches.

Tips for Vetting Professionals

• Ask for deal references: “Can you tell me about a similar deal you’ve supported recently?”

• Set clear expectations: Scope, deliverables, and pricing—especially for legal and accounting work.

• Chemistry matters: You’ll be in the trenches with them. Choose people you can communicate with clearly and often.

• Lean on community: Ask in places like Searchfunder, SMB Twitter, the Mainshares Network, or your Acquisition 101 cohort.

Got a question? Submit your question in the community!

🔁 ICYMI

• How to Build Your Buy Box: A Guide for Business Buyers (Blog Article)

• Skip The Startup: How to Buy a Business for $1 (Live Webinar)

• How to Launch a Coffee Brand: From Idea to Trailer (American Operator Podcast)

🎙️ Latest podcast episode

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