oday's guest's foray into business ownership was harrowing.

Joe Springsteen was presented an opportunity to own a biohazard business. These are the companies that clean up the really bad stuff: bodies, crime scenes, infestations.

As a painful example of working in the business, Joe found himself performing those cleanings, and after a grueling three years, he shut the business down.

But despite this unhappy initiation into small business, Joe still wanted to be an owner.

His desire for agency was stronger than his disappointment at the outcome of that first venture.

He hears Sam Rosati in an interview on Acquiring Minds, and joins Sam's bootcamp the next week.

At that bootcamp, Joe meets Jackie Hirsch, a well-known business broker and an investor in Minds Capital.

Jackie sets out to find Joe a business, and find him one she does.

Not only is Mallard Systems a good searcher-friendly business, but it offers great business-buyer fit for Joe.

Mallard is a $3m provider of outdoor cleaning and maintenance for commercial buildings; Joe had years of experience in commercial property management and felt right at home taking the helm.

This time around, Joe's acquisition is going well.

He closed out 2025 right at $4m of revenue, up 25% from $3.2m in 2023.

Here he is, Joe Springsteen, owner of Mallard Systems.