The “Deal Hunter” AI prompt I use to find great deals fast

When you’re working 40+ hours a week, you’re left with barely enough time to think about buying a business… let alone actually researching deals.

That used to be the biggest barrier to business acquisition. It took forever to find good deals.

When I started acquiring businesses, I spent hours every day scrolling through BizBuySell, manually going through every listing to see if the numbers made sense.

I’d research industries, analyze competition, and calculate financing variations by hand.

Just finding one good deal would take me 15-20 hours… spread across weeks.

Fortunately…

AI has changed everything.

I can now use ChatGPT to find legitimate opportunities in under 10 minutes, with complete deal analysis that would have taken me 3-4 hours just two years ago.

Here's the exact “Deal Hunter” prompt I use to research top deals:

"You are a business acquisition specialist helping me find small businesses to acquire. My criteria:

1. Revenue between $500,000 and $5 million.

2. Cash flow margin between 15% and 35%. This is my golden ratio. Cash flow divided by revenue should fall in this range because it indicates proper management structure.

3. Recession resistant industries like HVAC, plumbing, accounting, waste management, or essential services.

4. Recurring revenue model where customers use the service multiple times per year.

5. Existing management team or general manager already in place. So I'm not buying a job.

Analyze businesses for sale and identify the top opportunities that meet these criteria. For each business: calculate the golden ratio, identify potential red flags like declining cash flow or heavy owner involvement, and rate the acquisition attractiveness on a scale of 1 to 10 with reasoning."

Why this works so well:

Instead of manually going through hundreds of listings, AI does the heavy lifting and filters out businesses so you don't waste time looking at bad deals.

It calculates the financial ratios I care about and only presents deals worth my time.

AI doesn’t get tired, doesn’t get emotional about deals, and doesn’t skip steps in the analysis.

Then, I use this follow-up prompt:

"For the highest rated business from your analysis, create a comprehensive acquisition memo including industry analysis, competitive landscape, growth opportunities, risk assessment, and preliminary valuation using a 2–4x cash flow multiple. 2x for owner-operated businesses, 4x for businesses with strong management teams. Also identify three specific questions I should ask the broker during my first call."

The results are incredible.

Recently, I ran this prompt for Scottsdale, Arizona deals. Within minutes, ChatGPT identified three opportunities that met my criteria, including a Manatee County HVAC business with a 25% cash flow margin… right in my golden ratio sweet spot.

It gave the deal a 7.5/10 attractiveness score and provided detailed reasoning why it was worth pursuing.

The follow-up prompt then created a complete acquisition memo with industry analysis, competitive landscape, growth opportunities, risk assessment, and specific questions to ask the broker.

This completely levels the playing field.

Five years ago, you needed a finance background or months of training to do professional-level deal analysis.

Now someone working a full-time job can use AI to analyze deals in their spare time.

Those using prompts like this are making offers within months instead of taking half a year to get to that point.

Important disclaimer:

AI is a tool, not a replacement for your judgment. It speeds up analysis and helps avoid mistakes, but you still need to understand what makes a good business.

You still need to make the calls, negotiate deals, and manage the business once you buy it.

But AI eliminates the excuse that you don't have enough time to analyze deals.

Coming next…

This is Part 1 of a 3-part series on using AI for business acquisition.

On Thursday, I’ll share the exact prompt I use to analyze any business in just 2 minutes… including valuations, red flags, and financial projections.

Now, speaking of finding great deals...

I occasionally share acquisition opportunities with subscribers who are ready to move beyond just researching and start making offers.

If that describes you, fill out this quick survey:

👉 I want to buy (or invest as a silent partner into) a small business

Or if you're looking to sell your business:

👉 I want to sell my small business (and I'm actively looking for buyers)

Onward,

— Ben Kelly