In this episode #20, we are talking with Andrew Gazdecki, the founder and CEO of acquire.com (https://acquire.com/), Acquire.com, the #1 Startup Acquisition Marketplace that helps startups find buyers.

(0:00:05) – Streamlining Acquisitions With Acquire.Com 

I chatted with Andrew Gezdecki, founder of Acquire.Com, to learn about his journey as a startup founder. We discussed the antiquated laws and regulations he had to navigate in order to facilitate partial acquisitions and the lack of resources to properly guide founders through the exit process. We learned how Andrew’s experience and survey of the market led him to build a platform to help both buyers and sellers discover each other and facilitate the entire acquisition process. We also learned about the unique tools he developed to make the process easier and his vision for the future of Acquire.Com.

(0:12:26) – Acquire.com’s Seller Commission and Value 

I spoke with Andrew Gezdecki about his business model and how it can help founders sell their startups. We discussed the importance of keeping the process private and the two tiers of access to private details, as well as the subscription model Acquire.Com is rolling out in Q2. Andrew also shared the value Acquire.Com is offering to sellers in terms of preparation, coaching, and additional marketing, as well as the commission model Acquire.Com is rolling out.

(0:23:09) – Scaling Acquisition and Celebrating Small Wins 

We talked about growth strategy for social media and thoughts on AI and its potential for use cases. We discussed the importance of a brand ambassador in the age of social media and celebrated the successes of entrepreneurs who have sold businesses for less than $50 million, and how they are often overlooked in the startup ecosystem. Finally, Andrew shared why he personally continues to do things that don’t necessarily scale for the benefit of the business.

(0:33:40) – Balancing CEO Work and Life 

Andrew Gezdecki, the founder of Acquire.Com, discussed the importance of creating a balanced life as a startup founder. He emphasized the need to delegate tasks to focus on the business rather than working on it and finding the right team to trust in order to make the right decisions. Andrew also shared his views on the importance of open dialogue to motivate the team, understanding what motivates them both professionally and personally, and how culture can trump strategy.

(0:38:54) – Startup Principles and Successes/Failures

Andrew Gazdecki shared his core principles for success including hiring people smarter than you, creating a culture that people are proud to be a part of, and unlocking everyone’s potential to ensure productivity. We discussed the need to be absolutely useless if you’re doing things right as a startup founder. We also discussed the importance of delegating tasks and iterating quickly to find the right direction. Lastly, Andrew shared his advice on hiring, emphasizing motivation, attitude, and skill set, and hiring when it hurts.

(0:55:10) – Startup Founder Challenges and Solutions 

Andrew and I discussed the importance of expecting the unexpected and taking care of it when it happens.
Lastly, we talked about Acquire.Com and how it is helping sellers and buyers have an awesome experience with acquiring a business.

Head of Growth, saas.group