Buying Then Losing a $2.1m HVAC Business

Buying Then Losing a $2.1m HVAC Business

From Acquiring Minds by Will Smith

April 30, 2026 · 1h 53m

About this episode

Dan Burnside shares his experience of acquiring an HVAC business and the subsequent challenges he faced, including seller fraud and community integration issues.

Dan Burnside thought he got a great deal on an $800k SDE business. Instead he'd bought bad faith and years of struggle. Register for the webinar: Add-Ons and Carve-Outs: How to Get Banks on Board - TODAY!! - https://bit.ly/4sO0MAt Topics in Dan’s interview: Buying in a small, rural area Discovering seller fraud after acquisition Key employee leaves and starts competing business Working to integrate himself into the community HVAC techs resisted technology changes Wife and kids unhappy in the new place Getting his Master Mechanical Contractor license Customers not paying their invoices Hiring challenges in rural areas Bankruptcy and his new AI venture References and how to contact Dan: LinkedIn Jan Roll on Acquiring Minds: 21 Months to Stability Buying a $1.2m SDE Business Get complimentary due diligence on your acquisition's insurance & benefits program: Oberle Risk Strategies - Search Fund Team Get a free review of your books & financial ops from System Six (a $500 value): Book a call with Tim or hello@systemsix.com and mention Acquiring Minds The ecosystem for serious acquisition entrepreneurs—education, capital, community, and post-close support to buy and grow a…

People in this episode

Host: Will Smith

Guest: Dan Burnside

Topics covered

  • business acquisition
  • seller fraud
  • rural business challenges
  • bankruptcy
  • community integration
  • HVAC industry

Keywords

  • HVAC business
  • seller fraud
  • bankruptcy
  • rural business
  • acquisition challenges
  • community integration
  • employee retention

Sponsors

Oberle Risk Strategies, System Six

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: The Acquisition Lab

Books & works: 21 Months to Stability

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