{"href":"http://player.captivate.fm/services/oembed?url=http%3A%2F%2Fplayer.captivate.fm%2Fepisode%2Fb1a617a3-df8e-41e3-b0f0-4788576df907","version":"1.0","provider_name":"Captivate.FM","provider_url":"https://www.captivate.fm","width":600,"height":200,"type":"rich","html":"","title":"From College to Four International Offices with Thomas Smale","description":"

Jeff interviews Thomas Smale of FE International, a M&A firm (M&A stands for Mergers and Acquisitions). Thomas took a college side hustle and turned it into an international business.

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Thomas and Jeff discuss:

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  1. Graduated college in 2010. Tried multiple different strategies. Learned how to buy websites in 2008. When he graduated in 2010 he wrote a book about how to buy websites.
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  2. He was able to make about $5000 per month selling his books.
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  3. People who read his book reached out to him for help selling their businesses.
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  4. Today he owns an M&A firm that helps tech and e-commerce companies sell their businesses.
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  5. He has 130 people that work for him with four offices internationally.
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  6. The start of their process is to see if the company is a good fit for their business. The first step in the process is a free business valuation. They have a set process that they have developed over the time.
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  7. They consider themselves very direct.
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  8. One of the most important things is to get your financials correct before going to market.
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  9. Establish what you want to achieve.
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  10. In the future they are developing a process for working with people that want to buy businesses.
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Fast Five Questions:

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  1. If you woke up and your business was gone, you have $500, a laptop, a place to live, and food, what would you do first? \u201cStart another service business. I would present it as a business instead of a freelancer.\u201d
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  2. What is the biggest mistake that you have made in business? \u201cEarly on it was a lack of focus. The business has grown immensely since we focused.\u201d
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  3. What is a book that you would recommend? \u201cTipping Point by Malcom Gladwell\u201d
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  4. What is a tool that you use everyday that you would recommend? \u201cOutlook calendar. If I have my diary open a week in advance, I can block out time and I am much more disciplined.\u201d
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  5. What is the best way to contact you? \u201cwww.FEInternational.com,  I am very active on Twitter & LinkedIn so send me a message there.\u201d
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Jeff spent the early part of his career working for others. Jeff had started 5 businesses that failed before he had his first success. Since that time he has learned the principles of a successful business and has been able to build and grow multiple seven-figure businesses. Jeff lives in the Austin area and is actively working in his community and supporting the growth of small businesses. He is a board member of the Incubator.Edu program at Vista Ridge High School and is on the board of directors of the Leander Educational Excellence Foundation

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Connect with the Freedom Nation podcast at www.freedomnationpodcast.com

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You can connect with Jeff through:

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Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/freedomnationpodcast/

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Twitter: https://twitter.com/JeffKikel

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LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jeffkikel/

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