Mike Warren

PE veteran. I teach everyday buyers how to acquire profitable businesses and avoid bad deals.

Financing

Jul 14, 2026

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7 min read

This Brand Looks Cheap At 2.47x. Two Lines Tell You Why.

Fitness Journal Brand at 2.47x: Why I'd Pass on SBA | The Buyer's Brief

Mike Warren

From Mikes Desk

The Seller Note That Is Not A Loan. It Is A Down Payment.

Jul 11, 2026

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5 min read

The Seller Note That Is Not A Loan. It Is A Down Payment.

One slice of the seller note counts as your cash. The other slice is leverage. Most buyers never split them.

Mike Warren

Market Pulse

Your SBA Rate Is 10.5%. Your Real Cost Of Capital Is Higher, And The Gap Is In The Fine Print.

Jul 9, 2026

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3 min read

Your SBA Rate Is 10.5%. Your Real Cost Of Capital Is Higher, And The Gap Is In The Fine Print.

The rate is the part everyone shops. The fees are the part that quietly eats your working capital.

Mike Warren

Add Backs

The Best Numbers I Have Seen This Month. The Wrong Country.

Jul 7, 2026

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10 min read

The Best Numbers I Have Seen This Month. The Wrong Country.

The Math Is The Best I Have Scored All Month. The Structure Is The Problem. Here Is The Difference.

Mike Warren

SBA

$1.276M For An Amazon FBA Business. The Math Says Yes. The Structure Says No.

Jul 4, 2026

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7 min read

$1.276M For An Amazon FBA Business. The Math Says Yes. The Structure Says No.

$638K Annual Profit. 2.0x Multiple. 5 Hours A Week. And One Structural Problem That Kills The Deal.

Mike Warren

Negotiation

Smart buyers get pre-qualified. Bulletproof buyers do it differently.

Jun 25, 2026

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4 min read

Smart buyers get pre-qualified. Bulletproof buyers do it differently.

He found the deal. The bank said no. Here's what he missed.

Mike Warren

Negotiation

Why this $1.05M deal won't take SBA money.

Jun 23, 2026

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6 min read

Why this $1.05M deal won't take SBA money.

7 locations. 38% SDE margin. Established 2024. The math doesn't match the story.

Mike Warren

From Mikes Desk

The Most Valuable Deals On My Desk This Year Never Closed

Jun 20, 2026

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5 min read

The Most Valuable Deals On My Desk This Year Never Closed

Why Passing On The Right Deals Is The Discipline That Makes The Next Deal Work.

Mike Warren

Negotiation

Why The 9-Month Old Listing Is The Best Deal On BizBuySell Right Now.

Jun 18, 2026

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4 min read

Why The 9-Month Old Listing Is The Best Deal On BizBuySell Right Now.

Days on market is the most underused diligence signal. How to read it and how to price it.

Mike Warren

Contract Risk

The FedEx ISP deal that depends on a contract you don't get to renew.

Jun 16, 2026

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6 min read

The FedEx ISP deal that depends on a contract you don't get to renew.

$508K SDE, semi-absentee, fleet included. Then you read the FedEx contract.

Mike Warren

Financing

Jun 13, 2026

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4 min read

$200K Saved With A 5-Minute Phone Call

The Five-Minute Call That Decides Which Deals Can Actually Fund.

Mike Warren

Negotiation

Why every seller note now needs a 10-year standby clause.

Jun 11, 2026

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4 min read

Why every seller note now needs a 10-year standby clause.

5% cash plus a 5% seller note on full standby. The new math, and the LOI clause that filters real sellers.

Mike Warren

Negotiation

A 52% margin agency in TN. Real or accounting?

Jun 9, 2026

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6 min read

A 52% margin agency in TN. Real or accounting?

Marketing agencies don't run at 52% margins. Run the diligence before you run the structure.

Mike Warren

From Mikes Desk

16 Months. That's All The Lease Had Left.

Jun 6, 2026

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5 min read

16 Months. That's All The Lease Had Left.

Five Lease Clauses That Decide Whether You Own A Business Or Rent A Job.

Mike Warren

Financing

The SBA quietly shrank your competition on March 1. Most buyers still have not noticed.

Jun 4, 2026

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4 min read

The SBA quietly shrank your competition on March 1. Most buyers still have not noticed.

A rule change most buyers missed cleared part of the bidding field. Three moves to make this week.

Mike Warren

Deal Breakdown

$1.46M asking. $335K EBITDA. The multiple is the trap.

Jun 2, 2026

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6 min read

$1.46M asking. $335K EBITDA. The multiple is the trap.

$4.5M in revenue. A franchise brand. Run the structure and the DSCR breaks before it starts.

Mike Warren

Negotiation

May 30, 2026

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4 min read

$400K I Held Back At Close. Here's Why.

The Structure That Turns A Seller's Promises Into The Buyer's Protection.

Mike Warren

Market Pulse

The SBA quietly killed the credit score floor.

May 28, 2026

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4 min read

The SBA quietly killed the credit score floor.

The federal floor disappeared this winter. The lender bar did not move. Here is what changed.

Mike Warren

Deal Breakdown

The $500K pest control deal that's really a $37K job.

May 26, 2026

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5 min read

The $500K pest control deal that's really a $37K job.

1,000 recurring contracts sound bulletproof. The owner cash flow tells a different story.

Mike Warren

Deal Breakdown

A Restoration Franchise Asking $1.2M On $262K Cash Flow. The Math Is Brutal.

May 19, 2026

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4 min read

A Restoration Franchise Asking $1.2M On $262K Cash Flow. The Math Is Brutal.

Owner Leaving The Country After 3 Years. SBA Pre-Qualified. I'd Still Walk.

Mike Warren

From Mikes Desk

"Turnkey" Is The Most Dangerous Word In A Listing.

May 16, 2026

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2 min read

"Turnkey" Is The Most Dangerous Word In A Listing.

If The Listing Says "Turnkey," Ask This One Question First.

Mike Warren

From Mikes Desk

May 16, 2026

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3 min read

Why I Pass On 9 Out Of 10 Deals.

The Best Buyers Say No More Than They Say Yes.

Mike Warren

Market Pulse

71% Of Brokers Say Rate Cuts Haven't Moved A Single Buyer. Here's What Actually Moves Deals.

May 14, 2026

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2 min read

71% Of Brokers Say Rate Cuts Haven't Moved A Single Buyer. Here's What Actually Moves Deals.

The Rate-Cut Myth Is Killing Buyer Discipline. Data Inside.

Mike Warren

Deal Breakdown

A Laundromat At 4.06x SDE. Industry Average Is 3.0x. Here's What That $234K Premium Buys.

May 12, 2026

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4 min read

A Laundromat At 4.06x SDE. Industry Average Is 3.0x. Here's What That $234K Premium Buys.

This Laundromat Prints $221K/Year. Here's The One Missing Number That Kills The Deal.

Mike Warren

From Mikes Desk

The Letter I Send Every Seller Before I Make An Offer.

May 9, 2026

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2 min read

The Letter I Send Every Seller Before I Make An Offer.

This One Email Has Gotten Me Access To Deals I Had No Business Seeing.

Mike Warren