How Avi and Jay bought a vacation rental cleaning company

Happy Monday, friends!

Today I’m sharing a story about Avi and Jay

• One is a lawyer who had already closed his first acquisition

• The other is a healthcare executive with an M&A background

Together, they bought a vacation rental cleaning company in Myrtle Beach, and nearly lost the deal two days before closing due to identity theft.

Community Spotlight

Before getting into Avi and Jay’s story, I’ve got a fun success story from the Acquisition Ace community.

“What I was missing the whole time was mentorship and camaraderie.”

Bryan became the first Canadian to close a deal in Acquisition Ace, buying a $125k trailer manufacturing business.

👉 Want mentorship and support from experienced buyers? Book a call with our team here.

Before the Deal

Jay and his wife Patty had been evaluating businesses for months, reviewing over 130 deals across nearly every industry.

Avi had already closed on an e-commerce business and was looking for his next opportunity.

When they decided to partner up, they combined Avi’s deal-finding instincts with Patty’s financial background and Jay’s operational experience.

Finding the Deal

The deal came from inside the Acquisition Ace community itself.

A member named Sean had posted that he was open to selling his short-term rental cleaning business in South Carolina.

Avi reached out, built rapport, and discovered a business growing at 40% year-over-year - cleaning Airbnbs and VRBOs across Myrtle Beach.

The catch?

Sean wanted a 5x multiple on a business that was only two years old.

Getting a bank to finance that was nearly impossible.

(Inside Acquisition Ace, members learn how to bridge gaps between what sellers want and what banks will fund, using creative structures that work for everyone. To see if our community could help you too, book a call with our team here.)

The Deal Breakdown

Purchase price: $1.5M (down from Sean’s 5x ask)

Structure: SBA loan (~$1M) + $400K seller note (10-year standby)

Working capital concession: $200K left in the business post-close (effectively dropping net price to ~$1.3M)

Projected free cash flow after debt service: $160K-$180K annually

Properties managed: ~250 and growing

When a linen management issue surfaced late in due diligence - costs running $15K/month over budget - rather than restart the entire loan process with a price reduction, Sean agreed to leave $200K in working capital in the business instead.

Then, two days before closing, a fraud alert surfaced on Jay's SBA application - someone had taken out a COVID-era loan in his name without his knowledge.

What typically takes months to resolve got cleared in less than 24 hours through a direct contact at the SBA, and the deal closed on Friday as planned.

What They’re Doing Now

Patty runs day-to-day operations, supported by a strong on-site GM and virtual assistants in the Philippines.

Sean stayed on as business development lead - incentivized by his seller note to keep growing the client base he built.

Two more acquisitions are already in motion:

1. A residential cleaning company in Charleston (smoother, more recurring revenue)

2. And a larger vacation rental cleaner that could bring combined revenue across all three businesses to $3-3.5M.

The Key Lesson

“Get creative. We got eleven nos from lenders before finding one that worked. When the linen issue hit, we found a solution that didn’t blow up the deal. When the fraud alert hit, we found the one person who could fix it in 24 hours. There’s always a way if both sides want to get it done.”

Every deal has friction.

What separates buyers who close from those who don't is the willingness to solve problems instead of walking away from them.

Ready to find and close your first acquisition?

Join the Acquisition Ace community with 2,000+ members who are learning to find, finance, and close deals just like Avi and Jay.

👉 Book a call with our team here to see if it’s a good fit.