Darin Manis

Want an SBA loan? You better live in Goldilocks Land. Not too poor. Not too rich. Just right. Here’s the deal: If you’re broke… you’re out. If you’re flush with cash… also out. You need to land in the sweet spot. SBA wants you to have skin in the game—but not so much that you could’ve just bought the business outright without them. Here’s how it works: 10% down is the bare minimum. If you don’t have it, you have to have a flexible seller. Then they want to see another 10% left in your bank account after closing. That’s called post-close liquidity. It shows you won’t run the business on fumes. BUT… if you’ve got so much money left over that you didn’t need the loan? The SBA’s like, “Why are we here?” They call this the “credit elsewhere” rule. If you can self-fund, they won’t approve the loan. You’re too rich for them. So what do you need to be? You need to be a Goldilocks buyer. Not too broke to close the deal. Not too wealthy to make the SBA irrelevant. Just enough to show you’re serious, but not so much that you didn’t need their help. The SBA isn’t for dreamers or ballers. It’s for folks right in the middle who are ready to run a business—and just need a solid partner to help get it done.

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Most people think buying a business is only for the ultra-wealthy. It’s not. Through structured SBA 7(a) financing, qualified entrepreneurs can acquire established, profitable businesses with surprisingly modest capital requirements, often just a small fraction of the total purchase price. Take a $1M service business generating $300K in annual cash flow: ✅ SBA financing covers about 75% of the price ✅ Seller financing often bridges another 15–20% ✅ Meaning a buyer might only need $100K–$150K in cash to close This model has quietly democratized business ownership, turning what once seemed unreachable into a very real opportunity for experienced operators ready to step up. Of course, smart buyers don’t stop at the down payment. They keep reserve capital on hand for working capital, integration costs, and unexpected challenges like equipment upgrades or turnover. The most successful acquirers balance aggressive leverage with conservative cash management, ensuring stability and growth after the deal closes. In the video attached breaks down exactly how this structure works, and why now might be the best time to buy a business. Join the WhatsApp group to stay updated with all business listings, link in comments. #SwiftAcquisitions #BusinessOwnership #YourGrowthPartner

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Too many deals are lost because we assume instead of confirming. In sales, false assumptions can be deadly—especially when AI and a packed pipeline give us a false sense of progress. In this episode, I share how asking better questions and verifying what you “know” can completely change your results. Tune in! #SalesStrategy #B2BSales #SalesSuccess #PipelineManagement

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🎙️ The Talent Pieces Podcast | E14 Curious about how entrepreneurs and founders are really leveraging AI to enhance their businesses? Walter Ward III, MBA, from TiiCKER, shared some practical, real-world insights that every entrepreneur should hear. A few highlights from our conversation: ✅ Custom GPTs: Walter shared how he uses custom GPTs—"Maximus" as a powerful research assistant, and "Coach" as his own executive coach, guiding his strategic decisions. ✅ AI Verification Tools: How Tiicker is effectively using AI to verify shareholder identities and significantly reduce operational costs. ✅ Human + AI: Why judgment, creativity, and human reasoning remain irreplaceable—AI is a powerful enhancer, but not a substitute for authentic human interaction and critical decision-making. This is a must-listen if you're serious about implementing AI in your startup the right way. 🚀 Listen now—link in comments below! #TheTalentPieces #AI #Startups #Founders #Entrepreneurship #TechInnovation

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A sales rep refused to close an $8 million deal. Jon Adam asked him why, genuinely confused. He smiled and said: “If you tell the truth and give up deals when you’re not the right fit, it’ll come back to you tenfold.” He wasn’t chasing commissions, he was building trust. And that’s the kind of long game most people never play. Sometimes the best close is the one you walk away from. Listen to the full episode with Jon Adams on the Case Studies Podcast.

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One of the most common mistakes I see in staffing is measuring results instead of behavior. The problem is that outcomes lag. If you wait to see a rep’s weekly close rate before checking in, you’re already a week too late. That’s what Andy and I dove into in this Growth Game episode. He shared how their sales team was coached, not just on deals closed, but on what they actually did every week to get there. Stop-and-drops. Cold calls. Emails. Follow-ups. Tracked, reviewed, adjusted, every single week. It’s not about micromanaging. It’s about giving people structure so they can show up consistently, even when things feel hard. Especially then. We’ve seen this play out at Meritus. When activity is high, momentum builds. When it’s inconsistent, the pipeline dries up fast. So if you’re trying to improve results, start with the inputs. Most of the time, that’s where the answer is.

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What does a business look like after financing a SBA Loan? How do the financials change? Backing into the Monthly “Napkin Math” using listing numbers. This video is extracted form yesterday’s boring business. - Includes a snapshot of yesterday’s breakdown of how your business will operate after new debt payments, new salaries, and new spending - before adjusting for additional expenses - Consider things like rent adjustments, new hires, software expenses or equipment needed. - If you decide to purchase a business in SMB - you will most likely being using some portion of debt. - Keep in mind that the seller ran the business most likely with little or no debt if it’s been profitable for a long time. Make sure to build in some cushion. Due to the decreased net margins to service the debt, things like seasonality and lost customers can have significant impact on the projection. Most SBA Loans show signs of default in the first 18-36 months then things balance out.

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If you want to convert more prospects into clients... You won't get very far without understanding the psychology of prospecting. Let's look at an example. 70% of buying decisions are made to avoid loss rather than to gain. Translation: When meeting with prospects... Focus less on their financial goals. Focus more on their financial problems.

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“Everything flows through me because nobody can do it as well as I can.” I hear this from business owners all the time. Here’s what buyers hear: “This business dies when YOU leave.” A client of mine grew their valuation from $3.5 million to $10 million, and most of that gain came from addressing owner dependence. They brought in a fractional COO who helped them: → Delegate key responsibilities to trusted team members → Document systems and processes that only lived in the owner's head → Build middle management capable of running day-to-day operations → Create client relationships that extended beyond the founder The transformation took two to three years of focused, disciplined work. But here’s the truth: Buyers don’t just discount owner-dependent businesses. In many cases, they won’t buy them at all. If you can’t take a three week vacation without your phone blowing up, you haven’t built a business, you’ve built a job. And buyers don’t pay premium multiples for jobs.

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Thinking of raising capital from a crowdfunding site to fund your acquisition? 🚨 The June SBA SOP could quietly kill your deal. ⏳ Here’s what crowdfunding platforms won't tell you ⚠️ Under the June SBA SOP update, lenders must key in 100% of owners in E-Tran (the SBA compliance system), even at .1%. Many banks also ask every owner to sign their bank-specific citizenship attestation. If you’re raising investor capital through a crowdfunding marketplace, that creates three real risks: -Eligibility landmines 🚫 A .1% investor from a platform can make the loan request ineligible. Think defaulted government debt or other disqualifiers. One bad apple can freeze your loan. There is no way for the crowdfunding platforms to check this for their investors until they go through an SBA loan process. -Paperwork drag 📝⏳ Banks are asking every owner to sign bank-specific forms, provide IDs, and provide detailed entity information. With a crowd of small investors, you’re chasing signatures and forms while your seller threatens to back out of the deal. -Immigration delays 🛂⌛ Many of the platforms often allow permanent residents to invest. SBA deals with permanent residents trigger extra status checks that adds six weeks to the closing process. That delay can be the difference between closing and losing the deal. Bottom line: all three add risk and uncertainty you don’t control. The answer? Work with committed capital from funds that know their investors. At Shareholder Ventures, we’ve closed multiple deals with our investor base and we know them all personally. Do we ever hit snags? Sometimes. But we fix them fast because we have direct relationships. Crowdfunding platforms don’t know their investors, and many investors don’t realize how much documentation they’ll need to provide. It’s risk you don’t need. 🔒 Committed capital closes. 🤞 Crowds hope. Keep your investor list tight. Protect your closing. If you want an SBA-friendly path that moves when it matters, DM me. 💬

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If you're acquiring a small business and want to explore non-SBA financing (e.g. because there is seller rollover equity), you'll have to structure your deal differently than if using SBA financing. Remember that non-SBA deals will typically support MUCH LESS leverage.

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Seller notes get a bad reputation in SMB deals.   Buyers hesitate to ask for them. Sellers hesitate to offer them. And deals that could close fall apart.   So where does the stigma come from?   𝟭. 𝗧𝗵𝗲 “𝗻𝗼 𝗺𝗼𝗻𝗲𝘆 𝗱𝗼𝘄𝗻” 𝗰𝗿𝗼𝘄𝗱. Fake dealmakers push 100% seller financing. Sellers hear it and think: “Why should I take all the risk while the buyer puts in nothing?” That mindset has soured many sellers on notes altogether.   𝟮. 𝗔𝗱𝘃𝗶𝘀𝗼𝗿𝘀 𝘄𝗵𝗼 𝘀𝗮𝘆 𝗼𝗻𝗹𝘆 𝗰𝗮𝘀𝗵 𝗰𝗼𝘂𝗻𝘁𝘀. Plenty of lawyers, brokers, and consultants preach: The only money a seller can count on is what’s paid at closing. The message: seller notes are risky and unreliable.   Both views miss the point.   A well-structured seller note: • Aligns incentives, keeping the seller invested post-closing. • Bridges valuation gaps without stalling the deal. • Protects sellers with clear remedies if payments aren’t made.   Yes, it isn’t cash on the table. But they can give sellers more leverage than sitting behind the bank. And in a strong company, with a capable buyer and good terms, the odds of default are far lower than the myths suggest.   Seller notes aren’t “dirty.” They’re one of the most practical tools to align interests and get deals done.   Good dealmakers don’t run from them. They use them to close gaps, manage risk, and finish the deal.   𝗛𝗮𝘃𝗲 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝘀𝗲𝗲𝗻 𝘀𝗲𝗹𝗹𝗲𝗿 𝗻𝗼𝘁𝗲𝘀 𝗮𝗱𝗱 𝘃𝗮𝗹𝘂𝗲 𝘁𝗼 𝗮 𝗱𝗲𝗮𝗹 𝗼𝗿 𝘀𝗰𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝗼𝗻𝗲 𝗼𝗳𝗳? #SellerFinancing #MergersAndAcquistions #SMB #BusinessBuying  

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“Never interrupt your competition when they are kicking their own asses“. Running an independent marketing organization is actually quite simple. 80% of it is doing exactly what you tell people that you will do. More and more I am getting five to $10 million plus producers coming to my IMO because they are tired of being treated like a number, tired of being promised things that are not delivered, tired of lack of urgency, and feel like they are not being shot straight. Therefore, because I am in it for the long game, if an agent chooses to work with my competition right now instead of me, I will not chase them. I don’t chase anybody because I don’t have to. Plus, I know that those chickens come home to roost eventually and we have a conversation then. Financial professionals, you probably feel this way about your competitors and clients that may choose to work with them instead of you.

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𝗜𝘁’𝘀 𝗻𝗼𝘁 𝗷𝘂𝘀𝘁 𝗯𝘂𝘀𝗶𝗻𝗲𝘀𝘀. 𝗜𝘁’𝘀 𝗽𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗼𝗻𝗮𝗹. And that’s exactly why so many deals fall apart at the finish line. Sellers know this in their bones. For buyers, deals are mostly math. If diligence checks out and the numbers work, they move forward. For sellers, it’s different. This isn’t just a transaction. It’s the company you built. The one you lost sleep over. The one that carries your name and a piece of your identity. At this time last year, our team was working on a deal where the seller would tear up on some of our calls while talking about the business. 𝗜𝗻 𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗱𝘀𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁, 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝘄𝗮𝘀 𝗮 𝗿𝗲𝗱 𝗳𝗹𝗮𝗴. We negotiated economics that matched exactly what the seller wanted. But when it came time to sign the LOI, they could not do it. Not because of the buyer. Not because of the terms. They simply could not let go of the past and did not yet have a clear vision for the future. For themselves, their company, their employees, or their customers. That is why some deals fall apart late in the process. The best way to prevent this? 𝗛𝗮𝘃𝗲 𝗮 𝗰𝗹𝗲𝗮𝗿, 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗽𝗲𝗹𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘃𝗶𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗹𝗶𝗳𝗲 𝗮𝗳𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗱𝗲𝗮𝗹 𝗰𝗹𝗼𝘀𝗲𝘀. Fear of the unknown kills more deals than bad diligence ever will. Don’t leave your buyer at the altar. Don’t create unnecessary anxiety for your team. Have a plan for what’s next. And when you decide, be decisive. Great exits happen when both sides are truly ready for what’s next. 𝗜’𝘃𝗲 𝘀𝗲𝗲𝗻 𝗺𝗼𝗿𝗲 𝗱𝗲𝗮𝗹𝘀 𝗱𝗶𝗲 𝗳𝗿𝗼𝗺 𝘀𝗲𝗹𝗹𝗲𝗿 𝗵𝗲𝘀𝗶𝘁𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝗻 𝗳𝗿𝗼𝗺 𝗯𝗮𝗱 𝗱𝗶𝗹𝗶𝗴𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲 𝗼𝗿 𝗯𝗮𝗱 𝗻𝘂𝗺𝗯𝗲𝗿𝘀. 𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁’𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗹 𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘀𝗼𝗻 𝘆𝗼𝘂’𝘃𝗲 𝘀𝗲𝗲𝗻 𝗮 𝗱𝗲𝗮𝗹 𝗳𝗮𝗹𝗹 𝗮𝗽𝗮𝗿𝘁 𝗮𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗳𝗶𝗻𝗶𝘀𝗵 𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗲? #MergersAndAcquisitions #ExitPlanning #BusinessOwners #Entrepreneurship #FounderJourney #Leadership #PrivateEquity #DealMaking

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The best founders I’ve backed had no pitch deck.  One just had a napkin.  One had a threat.  No animations. No slide transitions. No 80-page Google Docs titled “V1_FINAL_REVISED_MARCH”. Just raw, terrifying clarity. The napkin guy sketched out the whole business model over lunch.  By dessert, I wired the money. The threat guy said,  “You’re either in, or I’ll make sure you regret it when we IPO.” Best investment I’ve made. Also, mildly traumatizing. Point is:  Decks don’t convince investors.  Conviction does. If you need a pitch deck to explain it, maybe you’re not clear on it yet. And if you can explain it without one, maybe you’re dangerous enough to build it. Founders, your job isn’t to make pretty slides.  It’s to make people believe. Or fear missing out. Or both. I invest in that energy.  Bonus points if there’s napkins involved.

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👁️ Lead with a double lens: Mission & mandate Because hallucinating isn’t a leadership strategy. There’s a fine line between visionary leadership & regulatory delusion. If your vision is so bold that you forgot the license terms… you’re not leading a company. You’re leading a hallucination. With a countdown to a cease-&-desist. In regulated industries, leadership isn’t about single-minded ambition. It’s about holding two truths at once: Your mission to build the future— & your mandate to stay inside the boundaries that let you build it at all. The leaders who forget this are often the same ones who show up in headlines right after the phrase “...under investigation.” 🔍 See with both eyes open Think of it like this: One eye is zoomed in on the market opportunity, the product roadmap, the next bold move. The other is watching the regulator’s body language, reading the evolving frameworks, & checking your internal control logic for cracks. If you lead with only one eye open, you either: • Miss the future 🚫 • Or crash into a wall called non-compliance 🧱 Neither is fun. One ends in irrelevance, the other ends in fines. Great leaders develop double vision: • They can quote the regulatory framework & pitch deck in the same breath. • They can inspire product teams while building trust with regulators. • They balance their runway with their risk appetite. • They’re not just dreamers. They’re builders who stay licensed. 🧠 Dual vision is a discipline A study by PwC found that firms with strong risk alignment at the leadership level grow 35% faster than their peers who treat compliance as a checklist. Why? Because they don’t build twice. They don’t backpedal. They don’t hit pause on scale to fix “the legal stuff.” They scale with compliance-coded DNA. As a CEO who’s led multiple regulated entities, I’ve seen what happens when leadership treats regulation like a nuisance instead of a navigational tool. Spoiler alert: It never ends well. Regulation doesn’t kill innovation—bad leadership does. 🧭 The mandate isn’t the enemy of the mission—it’s the map Your license isn’t a straitjacket—it’s your golden ticket. It says: “You’re trusted. You’re legitimate. You’ve earned the right to build here.” So don’t ignore the map just because you think the destination is sexy. Let the boldness of your mission be shaped—not shackled—by your mandate. If you build with that lens, you’ll grow faster, scale smarter, & sleep better. (& you won’t need to Google “what happens if you break regulator rulebook MKT 2.5.3.” at 2am.) 🧘‍♂️ Real leaders don’t choose between vision & compliance. They master both. The future belongs to those who build it right—with both eyes open. #Leadership #Regulation #Compliance #CEOInsights #RegulatoryStrategy #Management #Regulations #Strategy #Innovation #FinTech

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