hat first piqued the interest of today's guest was a laundromat.‍

No, not because he was watching Codie Sanchez shorts. (Though he did later join her community.)

Instead, Joseph Cruz lived near a laundromat and was just drawn to it, intrigued by it.

So intrigued, that one day he went inside and started asking the owner about his business. While that conversation didn't result in a deal, it did whet Joseph's appetite for business ownership.

"I was just so pumped about the possibility of owning this laundromat," he says.

"It gave me so much energy. So after that, I was hooked."

Joseph moved on from laundromats but went down the rabbit hole of business buying, and as of December 2024, is the owner of A&A Equipment and Supply.

‍Though he left a lucrative job in finance to pursue this path, he hasn't looked back.

The business did $1.2m the year before he bought it, then $1.5m last year under his ownership, and he's targeting $2m for 2026.

‍Listen for how Joseph structured the deal, including the cash holdback.

‍Also listen for how the business had a masterful GM whom Joseph expected to lean on during the transition and beyond. Well the GM quits two weeks before closing. Disaster? On the contrary; today Joseph reflects on that curve ball as a blessing in disguise.

‍OK, here he is, Joseph Cruz, owner of A&A Equipment and Supply.