Want to Buy a Million-Dollar Business Without Wasting Years on Unfundable Deals?
Get the SMB Acquisition Engine™ — the proven roadmap first-time buyers use to find, evaluate, and fund real acquisitions.
This is the same framework used inside paid coaching — shared here so serious buyers can start with clarity instead of guesswork.
Stop relying on broker fantasy math. Start with a proven system.
Most first-time buyers never close a deal...
Not because they lack intelligence or ambition,
but because nobody ever taught them:
The SMB Acquisition Engine™
The proven 3-lever system used by first-time buyers who actually close deals:
Deal Flow
Where the real opportunities are — and how to create consistent deal flow online and offline.
Deal Review
Exactly how to analyze a business for fundability, cash flow, red flags, and valuation — before you waste time on due diligence.
Deal Financing
How to structure deals lenders say yes to, including DSCR must-knows, SBA rules, and how good buyers reduce the equity injection.
Why You Should Listen to Me
Hi — I'm Jon Stoddard.
I've helped raise over $50M, closed multiple acquisitions, run 165+ M&A interviews, and coached buyers who closed deals ranging from $1M to $5M.
But before that?
I wasted years on bad deals, wrong assumptions, and lenders rejecting everything I brought them.
Once I learned what makes a deal bankable... everything changed.
Tom — closed a $2.5M security company after two years of going nowhere
Scott — used "Munger thinking" to pick the right business and win the deal
Sam — uncovered true cash flow in an "ugly books" eCom deal and got funded
John — landed an LOI on a 20-year-old cleaning products company
What You Get Inside
Inside this book, you'll learn:
-
The fastest way to separate good deals from junk
-
How SBA lenders actually evaluate DSCR and cash flow
-
How to calculate true owner earnings and avoid fake addbacks
-
The 17 business types first-time buyers should never buy
-
How to talk to brokers so they take you seriously
-
The funding playbook for deals under $5M
-
How real buyers close deals in 6–12 months
What Readers Are Saying
Real results from real business buyers
Jon hands you a blueprint for a repeatable acquisition machine. This is required reading if you’re serious about buying a business.
— Judd Goodrich
Head of SMB Capital Markets, Mainshares
Cuts through the noise. The 3 Doors framework is simple, powerful, and actually useful in real deal analysis.
— Michael Frew
9 Software Acquisitions
No fluff. Just sharp strategy and real insight. I found myself laughing and nodding the whole way through.
— Holli Moeini
CPA
This isn’t theory. Jon lays out a real step-by-step system to find, evaluate, and finance your first million-dollar deal.
— Mark “I Buy CashFlow” McRae
8 Acquisitions
Jon simplifies the complex. This book turns confusion into clarity and gives you real, actionable steps.
— Jon Lowrance
5 Acquisitions
A refreshing, realistic take on valuations. No exaggerated add-backs. If you can’t prove it, it doesn’t belong.
— Jeffrey Jump
Business Broker
If you're thinking:
Sure.
That's what most buyers do.
And most buyers never close a deal — or worse, they close a terrible one.
This book collapses the learning curve and shows you how to think like a lender, review deals like an expert, and avoid the mistakes that cost buyers years.
This is why people pay for it.
If you're serious about buying a business,
this book is the starting point.
No hype. No theory. Just the actual roadmap to find, evaluate, and fund a million-dollar business with confidence.
