How Lindsay bought a $1M carpet cleaning business (while keeping her day job)

Lindsay is a customer success manager at a tech company.

She had an Airbnb property and was considering building more rental units, but the returns weren’t fast enough and would drain her savings.

Then she discovered business acquisitions, and just 6 months and 15 days after joining Acquisition Ace, she closed on a commercial carpet cleaning business for just under $1M.

Here’s the full breakdown 👇

Finding The Deal

Lindsay found the business on BizBuySell after defining her criteria:

• Service-based

• No special licensing required

• Within driving distance

• And strong growth opportunities

This 17-year-old carpet cleaning business checked every box.

The owner had built it entirely through word-of-mouth with zero marketing or sales strategy, which meant massive untapped potential for someone with Lindsay’s background.

She faced multiple competing offers but won the deal by building strong rapport with the seller and demonstrating she was the right fit.

(Inside Acquisition Ace, members learn how to stand out from competing buyers and build credibility with sellers throughout the process. Want to learn how to win deals? Book a call with our team here.)

The Deal Breakdown

Purchase price: $999,000 (just under $1M to avoid extra lender fees)

Cash flow: $312,000 annually

SBA loan: 88.5% at 8.5% interest (she shopped multiple banks and negotiated down from 11.25%)

Down payment: $100,000 out of pocket Seller note: Attempted but seller declined

Lindsay's paying herself back the $100K over 3 years while also taking a $5K monthly salary.

After loan payments, paying herself back, and covering her salary, she’s still cash flowing $95K-$125K in year one.

That’s a 95-125% return on her initial investment, in the first year alone.

What She’s Doing Now

Lindsay kept her tech job and works 40-50 hours total per week managing both.

She promoted two long-term technicians to lead roles, hired an admin to handle scheduling, and visits the shop three days per week.

Next, she plans to systematize operations, implement a real sales and marketing strategy, and eventually triple the business to $3M.

Lindsay’s Key Lesson

You don’t need an MBA or business background to do this.

Lindsay has a Bachelor of Arts and never took a single business class!

But she had customer service skills, was coachable, willing to put in the work…

And that was enough to close a million-dollar deal in under 7 months.

Ready to close your first deal?

Join the Acquisition Ace community where over 2,000 members are learning to find, finance, and close deals just like Lindsay.

👉 To see if you’re a good fit, book a call with our team here.