Hello

I'm Dan Strickland – and I'd like to buy your business.

Banjo Capital 🪕 is a single-purpose entity I created to acquire and operate from.

Background

About me

I'm an entrepreneur and self-funded buyer committed to acquiring a Colorado-based business in 2024.I'm from a family of small business owners and have spent the past 12 years honing skills across sales, management, operations, and finance.I'm looking a strong culture fit between the seller and I where my skills can complement an existing business and shepherd it's legacy into the next generation.

My experience

  1. 12+ years experience across Real Estate, Finance, Technology

  2. Founder and General Manager of real estate brokerage ($0-10M+ revenue in 2.5 years)

  3. Led 30+ member Sales & Operations teams

  4. Full P&L, hiring, and operational responsibility for startup business unit

  5. Built foundational tools, systems, and process to support new business lines

  6. Blue-collar upbringing / family of small business owners in Virginia

  7. Based in Golden, CO

What kind of business

Targeting a business with $300K-$2M of cashflow

The ideal business can benefit from some digital or operational improvements, providing opportunities for employees and the core business to grow.

Characteristics

  1. B2B, B2C, Distribution, Manufacturing, Infrastructure

  2. $300-$2M of EBITDA/SDE

  3. Located in Greater Colorado

  4. Sample industries: IT, Security, GovCon, Distributors, SaaS, Rentals

Qualities

  1. Limited customer concentration

  2. Positive industry trends (tailwinds)

  3. Flat to modest revenue growth

  4. >10 years in business (durability)

  5. Repeat customer purchase pattern

NOTE: Open to unique owner/seller circumstances – e.g. trust-owned, out-of-state, absenteeOpen to atypical business models / risk.

Financing

Sample Deal Terms

In addition to available cash from personal savings, I intend to use an SBA 7(a) loan to finance a portion of the transaction.Many SBA-centric small business transactions follow an "80/10/10" financing structure. Wherein, the SBA typically finances 80% of the deal, the Seller finances 10% (via Seller note), and the Buyer finances remaining 10% with cash.SBA loans typically amortize over 10 years. The Seller note can be paid off either concurrently or on a separate, agreed-upon schedule.

For example (assuming a business with $500K of cashflow):

  1. $2M purchase price (assumes 4x purchase multiple)

  2. $1.8M (90%) paid to Seller at close

  3. $200K remaining Seller note, paid over time (to align incentives for a smooth transition)

  4. Contingent on financial, legal, and business due diligence

Timeline

Transactions usually take 60-90 days to close

Typically, a short courtship process takes place between buyer & owner prior to an offer being extended. In some cases, seller is represented by a Broker who helps "package" up financial and operational info for buyer to parse. The Buyer needs key info and operational data to understand whether they wish to make a formal offer (a "letter of intent").Once sufficiently informed, the Buyer will send the Seller a letter of intent (LOI), which will come with a 60-90 day "exclusivity" period.During that exclusivity period, the Buyer will conduct due diligence and the lender will conduct final underwriting – similar to a home transaction.

Rough process:

  1. LOI sent

  2. Seller signs; deal enters 60-90 day exclusivity due diligence period

  3. Buyer reviews more detailed financials

  4. Begin drafting legal docs

  5. Buyer talks to customers, vendors, employees (when and if appropriate)

  6. Buyer conducts quality of earnings (QoE) study – similar to an audit, to confirm the financials match performance

  7. Due diligence contingency removed

  8. Bank completes underwriting, financing contingency removed

  9. Deal closes, funds wired

Why sell to me

Legacy, commitment, respect

In addition to offering competitive terms, I care deeply about maintaining a seller's legacy – for all parties involved.Extending that legacy into the next generation is the best way to create a win/win/win – for customers to continue enjoying a great product/service, employees to have fulfilling jobs, and owners to be fully content with their decision.While financials are important, any business I step into must be grounded in integrity and earnestness – it's on that foundation that a seller & I can build the rapport required to complete the transition.