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Helping first-time buyers close real businesses — $33M+ in student deals

Stop Guessing If a Business is Worth Buying. 

Use the same analysis professional buyers use to identify fundable, wealth-building acquisitions — before risking your time or capital.
Upload a CIM to Analyze Your First Deal →
Reality Check

Does This Sound Like You?

  • You’ve been searching for months — and every business looks the same.
  • Brokers send listings, but none of them feel bankable.
  • You’ve run the numbers… and still don’t trust them.
  • You know you could operate a great company — if the right one showed up.
  • You’ve studied SBA rules but can’t tell which deals actually close.
  • You want ownership and freedom — not another high-stress job.
  • You’re tired of chasing deals that were dead from day one.
Good. You’re in the right place.

What Happens When You Guess Wrong

Most first-time buyers don't fail because they lack effort. They fail because they don't know what lenders, sellers, and financials actually require.
❌ Spent 4 months in diligence. Bank declined the deal 5 days before closing.
The add-backs didn’t hold up under lender scrutiny. The deal was never fundable.
❌ Bought a business showing $220K profit. Lost $180K in the first 6 months.
Revenue was overstated. Expenses were understated. The real cash flow wasn’t what it appeared.
❌ Submitted 8 LOIs. Not a single one was accepted.
The offers signaled inexperience. Sellers and brokers didn’t take the buyer seriously.
❌ Bought a business with "$300K SDE." Took home less than $90K.
The seller was the rainmaker. Customers stayed loyal to him — not the company. When he left, revenue left too.
Every one of these buyers thought they could figure it out alone. They couldn’t. And it cost them months of wasted time — or worse, real money.
Apply to Get Your Deals Reviewed →
Trusted by First-Time Buyers Who've Closed...
$33M+ Closed Deals  Â·  $50M+ Capital Raised  Â·  10+ Acquisitions Completed

Why This Is Your Moment:

4.5 MILLION
Businesses will change hands in the next 10 years.

That’s the largest generational wealth transfer most buyers will ever see. Every “For Sale” sign is an opportunity — if you have a system to close.

The 3 Painful Mistakes That Kill 90% of Buyers
  • âś• They get stuck in analysis paralysis and quit before making a real offer.
  • âś• They waste months chasing bad deals that drain energy and capital.
  • âś• They panic and freeze right before the capital raise — the closing moment.
The problem isn’t lack of intelligence; it’s lack of a proven acquisition system.

That’s why we built the DealFlowSystem: a simple, step-by-step path to profitable acquisition.

The complete acquisition blueprint — with live deal reviews, real coaching, and capital connections — built specifically for first-time buyers who want to:

Get Clarity

Know the exact deal to target — and skip the time-wasters.

Build Confidence

Evaluate deals with expert eyes on your side — every step.

Secure Capital

Connect with the right funding to close faster.

Real Buyers. Real Deals. Real Results.

What Buying Your First Business Does to Net Worth →
THE PROVEN PATH

How You’ll Buy Your First Million-Dollar Business

Follow these 3 proven steps to go from confused buyer to confident owner.

Step 1: Build Your Buyer Profile & Deal Flow Engine

We’ll help you create a crystal-clear Buyer Acquisition Profile so you instantly know which businesses to target and which to ignore.

  • Learn exactly where and how to source deals ON and OFF the market.

  • Access templates and AI tools to streamline your outreach and score deals fast.

  • Get direct access to resources like the 👉 Top 100 Websites to Buy a Business so you can quickly find real, fundable opportunities.

Step 2: Review Deals Like a Pro & Structure Creative Financing

Get hands-on training to evaluate businesses, spot red flags, and structure deals lenders will actually fund.

  • Master the Numbers: Learn to dissect financials, contracts, and operations to uncover the real cash flow.  Use tools like the 👉 SBA DSCR Fundability Checker to instantly see whether a bank will fund the deal — before you waste time on it.

  • Close the Equity Gap: Discover exactly how to bridge the down-payment gap with seller notes, outside investors, and creative capital stacks — even if your own cash is limited.

  • Fund Like a Pro: Understand SBA loans inside out so you can walk into a bank with confidence and negotiate from a position of strength.

Step 3: Close With Confidence & Transition Into Ownership

We’ll walk you step by step through due diligence, negotiations, and closing so nothing falls through the cracks.

  • Use our checklists and lender templates to de-risk your closing.

  • Learn the negotiation tactics that win trust with sellers and lenders.

  • Create a 90-day transition plan so you hit the ground running as the new owner.

Find Your First Deal →
MEET YOUR COACH

Meet Jon Stoddard

Your Guide Through Your First Deal
Real deals. Real lessons. Real results. No theory. No hype. Just what actually closes.
Jon Stoddard
No MBA. No Wall Street pedigree. Just hard-won lessons and real results from the trenches.
$33M+Closed Deals
$50M+Capital Raised
10+Acquisitions Completed
165+Deal Pro Interviews

If you’ve been searching for months and everything “kind of looks okay” — you’re not crazy. Most listings are designed to sell a dream, not pass a lender.

I learned that the hard way. My first acquisition got punched in the mouth when a platform change wiped out revenue overnight. Brutal lesson — but it taught me the one thing first-time buyers need most: deal judgment.

Since then, I’ve bought, grown, and sold businesses, helped raise over $50M, and interviewed 165+ dealmakers. DealFlowSystem is built from what actually works.

What I Believe

  • Buying a business is one of the smartest paths to real wealth — if the deal is fundable.
  • Most “gurus” teach theory. Buyers need execution.
  • You don’t need perfection — you need a system that checks your work.

Personal note: Husband. Dad. Cancer survivor. Air Force veteran. I’ve been where you are — I know the doubt and the upside.

If you’re serious about owning your first business, let’s get you there.

Is This Right for You?

This program isn't for everyone. Here's how to know if you're a fit.

✔️ We Can Help If:

  • You’re serious about buying a business in the next 6–12 months.

  • You have some capital (or access to financing) and are ready to get funded.

  • You want a proven, step-by-step system for finding deals, reviewing them, and raising money.

  • You’re willing to take action: talk to sellers, review CIMs, submit LOIs, and learn as you go.

  • You value coaching, community, and accountability to move faster and avoid costly mistakes.

❌ We Can't Help If:

  • You have zero intent (or capital) to buy a business in the near future.

  • You’re looking for a “get rich quick” shortcut instead of real work.

  • You think watching free YouTube videos alone will get you funded and closed.

  • You refuse to talk to sellers, lenders, or investors—this is hands-on, not theory.

  • You won’t invest in basic tools (legal, accounting, CRM, lender fees) required to close a deal.

Check Your Readiness to Buy a Business →
INTRODUCING: The Pass or Pursue Deal Room — What You Get As A Member

This isn’t another info product where you “watch videos and hope.”

Pass or Pursue Deal Room is here to help first-time buyers execute the Proven Path with real support.

1) Live Feedback on Real Deals

Bring deals. We pressure-test valuation, add-backs, DSCR, and red flags before you fall in love.

2) Direct Access + Personal Guidance

You’ll get 1-on-1 sessions to build your plan, fix your pipeline, and structure financing like a buyer lenders take seriously.

3) A Community That Keeps You Moving

You’re surrounded by buyers who are actively doing this — so you stop guessing and start executing.

4) Tools, Templates, and Scripts That Make You Look Pro

Outreach, diligence checklists, lender packets, LOI frameworks — so you move faster and sound credible from day one.

Bottom line: the Proven Path tells you what to do. Membership gives you the support, accountability, and deal judgment to actually do it.

Apply to Have Your Deal Reviewed →

They Didn’t Have the Cash — They Found Investors

These buyers started where you are. They learned the process, built confidence, and found investors who believed in their deals

Deal Room Access

I Only Work With Serious Buyers

This isn't a volume-based course or a faceless membership. It’s a hands-on deal room — and that only works when attention stays tight.

I deliberately limit who I work with because I want to:

Why I keep it small
  • Actually know your deal — review your numbers, spot what's blocking you, not hand you to a support queue
  • Be available when decisions matter — during diligence, lender calls, LOI negotiations, not just monthly group calls
  • Maintain a serious buyer room — where people give real feedback and push each other toward closing
  • Continuously sharpen the tools — based on what members encounter in live deals

When you join, you get the same analysis, frameworks, and guidance behind $50M+ raised and $33M+ in closed student acquisitions:

  • Direct feedback on your CIMs, LOIs, and financials
  • Real-time answers during critical decisions — not generic advice weeks later
  • Proven tools to identify fundable, wealth-building acquisitions
This isn't for everyone. It's for buyers who are actively looking and ready to move.
Apply to Join (2 Minutes) →
If it's not a fit, I'll tell you. If it is, you'll get next steps.

Frequently Asked Questions

Ready to Buy Your First
Million-Dollar Business?

 
You can spend another year scrolling BizBuySell—or you can own a profitable company this time next year.   

 

Apply to Get Your Deals Reviewed →