John Graves explains how he built deal flow, moved fast with administrators, acquired a hotel and golf club in receivership, refinanced assets, and used acquisitions to add scale without being trapped in daily operations.
Listen to the EpisodeEpisode 157 | Runtime: 30:52 | Audio Episode
Hear John Graves break down distressed acquisition deal flow, administrator relationships, rapid completion, asset refinancing, and the mindset needed to buy businesses at speed.
Three practical acquisition lessons from John Graves on buying distressed businesses and building deal momentum.
John Graves explains why buyers need repeated outreach, fast NDA turnaround, and consistent conversations with sellers and administrators rather than waiting for the perfect opportunity.
Administrator led acquisitions move quickly. Buyers who know what to ask, respond fast, and show credibility can stand out when assets need to transfer within days.
By refinancing physical assets after completion, John was able to recover much of the initial cash used to buy the hotel and golf club, creating flexibility for further deals.
In this episode, Jonathan Jay speaks with John Graves about the practical realities of distressed business acquisition. John shares how he built a strong flow of opportunities by taking action, signing NDAs quickly, speaking to administrators, and avoiding the small details that stop many buyers from ever reaching serious seller conversations.
The core case study is John's acquisition of a hotel and golf club in receivership. The opportunity came through an administrator, the offer was accepted within days, and completion took place in roughly one week. John explains the commercial pressure of administration, the importance of fast communication, the need to solve operational issues immediately, and how asset finance helped recover most of the initial acquisition cash soon after completion.
The conversation also covers a second acquisition, an IT and software company bought shortly afterwards, plus the operational shift required when a buyer moves from running one business to owning several. John discusses delegation, management structure, removing dead time from his schedule, paying for proper legal advice, and why acquisitions can be a faster path to group revenue growth than purely organic sales.
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