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Walker is a serial acquisition entrepreneur, bestselling author, and M&A advisor. He acquired seven companies over ten years and co-founded several startups. His bestselling book, Buy Then Build: How Acquisition Entrepreneurs Outsmart the Startup Game, released to critical acclaim including being recognized by Forbes as “one of the top 7 books all entrepreneurs must read,” and is currently being used in many universities.
His book, and educational company of the same name, share his experiences and frameworks to help entrepreneurs learn why buying an existing company is often a better route for entrepreneurs, and how to do it. The new flagship program, the Acquisition Lab, offers buy-side M&A services for first time financial buyers in a do-it-with-you service, providing information, coaching, tools, and community.
Walker works as a M&A broker for online businesses with Quiet Light Brokerage, where he works virtually with a group of nine other entrepreneurs to assist online companies in a transaction. His first full year Walker closed more in transactional value than any first-year broker in the history of the firm. He is a Certified M&A Advisor, former SEC licensed stockbroker, and recipient of the Middle Market Thought Leader of the Year, awarded by the private market Alliance of M&A Advisors.
Walker is currently the owner of the premiere aluminum railing manufacturer in Missouri and a portfolio of online-based businesses. Historically, he has owned and operated in many industries, including manufacturing, fulfillment, software, education, and eCommerce. He has produced almost a dozen films and has had premieres at some of the world’s most prestigious festivals, including Sundance, SXSW, and Toronto International Film Festival. Most recently was nominated for an Emmy for a documentary he produced.
He holds an MBA from the Olin School of Business at Washington University in St. Louis where he received the Declaration of Accomplishment in Entrepreneurship from the Skandalaris Center of Innovation and Entrepreneurship.
He lives in St. Louis, Missouri with his wife and their three children.
Chelsea built and runs Lab operations and is the day-to-day contact for all things Acquisition Lab. She is also a Certified Mergers & Acquisitions Advisor as well as an Industrial/Organizational Psychologist focused on maximizing organizational success through human capital.
For over 15 years, Chelsea has partnered with leadership to identify and address their business challenges around operational performance, strategy, business development and human capital.
Aside from consulting, she also managed new growth initiatives for a multi-state integrated health-delivery system that grew the business from $3.1B to $6.1B through mergers, acquisitions, and other strategic partnerships. She holds a Green Belt, Six Sigma Certification and a bachelor’s degree in Psychology from Southern Illinois University and a master’s degree in Industrial/Organizational Psychology from The Chicago School. She resides in St. Louis, Missouri with her husband, two sons, and two dogs.
Karen owns Double Rainbow Coaching where she helps individuals to define and create/craft their unique value proposition.
Her expertise in writing and storytelling comes from a successful career in recruiting, human resources, coaching, and leading a team within a top-ranked business school.
She has developed and taught courses related to career development and marketing. She is a seasoned career strategist with a unique ability to craft compelling, relevant content based on an individual’s strengths and the target audience.
Acquisition Entrepreneur Advisor
Jeff has owned multiple businesses since 2008 and successfully launched, or purchased and scaled several multi-million-dollar companies.
He has also experienced virtually every good and bad element of business, including start up, rapid expansion, purchase, sale, and franchise, having learned many valuable business lessons along the way.
His professional background began in the US Army, followed by over 25 years of experience owning or working in companies with annual sales revenue from $500K to over $10B as an owner, operator, manager, analyst and all of the above. He is still actively investing and buying companies with an aim to scale them up and retain them.
Acquisition Entrepreneur Advisor
Charles is a former Captain in the United States Army, where he served in combat units from 2010-2015. He has also held positions in Management Consulting, Manufacturing, and Private Equity.
With a passion for doing work that makes the world better for others, he saw the acquisition of his first company as the opportunity to apply entrepreneurial pursuits and business as a force for good.
Charles earned a bachelor’s degree from the United States Military Academy at West Point and an MBA from The University of Chicago Booth School of Business. He resides in St. Louis with his wife and three daughters.
Acquisition Entrepreneur Advisor
Chuck built his first profitable website in 1996 at 18 years old. Throughout his career of developing, managing, consulting, and investing in internet-based companies, Chuck developed an ability to spot opportunities and develop strategies leading to growth and profitability.
After seeing an opportunity to leverage his time and money by acquiring under-performing sites, he started investing exclusively in web based assets and has bought and sold companies ranging in size from as little as a few hundred dollars to seven figures.
Seeing a lack of quality information regarding the acquisition of online assets, Chuck became one of the first people to speak at national conferences on the subject and is now regarded as one of the foremost experts on the topic.
Having successfully exited a large deal that took up the majority of his time, Chuck joined Quiet Light looking to further leverage his experience and expertise and assist other business owners in entering and exiting their online businesses.
M&A Advisor
Ben is an intermediary with background in both buy-side advisory support as well as sell-side advisory, capital formation, cash flow forecasting and development of stakeholder financial and KPI reporting metrics to private equity and entrepreneur-backed companies.
These services have spanned a variety of industries including transportation, industrial manufacturing, staffing and permanent placement, e-commerce, consumer products, wholesale distribution, business process outsourcing, telecommunications, specialty contractors, and medical equipment.
Prior to Tarsus, Ben served as Managing Partner for The DVS Group LLC, a social impact investment bank specializing in small business and lower middle market mergers and acquisitions. He led a niche practice area focused on buy-side services to not-for-profit clients nationwide which led to multiple engagements across 6 organizations and 6 successful transactions. Other projects included a multi-transaction buy-side engagement with a family office, a 4 year preparation process resulting in a sale to a private equity-backed portfolio company, and numerous successful buy-side projects for executives accomplishing “Entrepreneurship through Acquisition.”
Ben has a Bachelor of Arts in Latin American Studies from Yale, where he met his wife.
Acquisition Entrepreneur Advisor
Kinza is an acquisition entrepreneur, consultant, and engineer. Kinza successfully acquired a company after a decade serving in management positions for companies like Southwest Airlines, Apple, and JP Morgan Chase. To gain a better perspective on the acquisition process, she also worked for a short time as a business broker.
Over her ten-year professional career, she developed significant management and technical experience. From leading teams in shop floors to negotiating multi-million dollar deals to engaging executives of several Fortune 500 companies. This dynamic experience serves as an asset across industries.
Kinza lives in Dallas, TX and holds an BS in Mechanical Engineering from Ohio State and an MBA from UT-Austin. In her free time, she enjoys rock climbing and spending time with her family.
Acquisition Entrepreneur Advisor
Branden has acquired 5 brands personally and 3 with partners. He provides specialized expertise around eCom deal sourcing, deal valuation, deal structure and negotiation.
Starting his journey into online acquisitions five years ago as a consultant and business broker, he has acquired 8 total brands ranging in price from a few hundred to seven figures.
His firm specializes in buying unique brands with at least 3 years of sales history and over $500K in SDE. He has built a strong reputation as a leader in the eCom space within the Buy Then Build community, always helping buyers strategize around their own online acquisitions.
M&A Advisor
Brian personally bought, sold, and invested in $3 million worth of online businesses. With extensive online business experience, finance training, and digital marketing experience, he is uniquely positioned to provide valuable insight to potential buyers.
Brian helped prospective internet business owners review potential acquisitions, verify seller claims, and avoid risky deals. As the manager of Centurica’s team and processes, his due diligence and confirmatory verification work identified millions of dollars in discrepancies and misrepresentations. Brian advised hundreds of clients in the acquisition of more than $100 million in online businesses.
Brian has direct experience working with e-commerce, content, and service businesses. He has in-depth knowledge in digital analytics, paid search (PPC), and search engine optimization (SEO). Throughout his career, he has managed millions in paid search spend and led technical SEO projects for dozens of clients, including Fortune 500 brands.
Acquisition Entrepreneur Advisor
Dana can’t resist the thrill of discovering profitable businesses with untapped potential. While her long term strategy is buy/grow/sell; her favorite part is acquisitions. She has bought and sold multiple businesses over the last 30 years. A keen eye for spotting opportunities assures her success in diverse industries such as accounting, construction recycling, music distribution, and ecommerce.
Once she acquires a business, Dana dives deep into the data finding its strengths and areas that need improvement. Excelling at marketing to other businesses, she prefers a business with a B2B component. She creates a growth strategy that leverages technology and superb customer service to drive results.
When her growth goals have been met, she makes a strategic exit, selling the business to new owners who can take it to the next level.
As a lifelong entrepreneur who has sat on every side of the table, Dana understands how business owners think. During the acquisition process she takes the time to actively listen to sellers, because she knows she is not only negotiating a deal, but also creating a successful transition.
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