oday's guest was a successful consultant.

But now his mid-40s, Paul Callahan was becoming more aware of how many "trips around the sun" he had left.

He was tiring of the travel demanded by consulting, he was in a decent place financially, and he wanted to reconnect with an entrepreneurial spirit that had lain dormant for years.

So in 2024, he set out on a search for a $1m-in-earnings business in the Atlanta metro.

In November of 2025, six months ago, Paul closed on Metro Metal Works, a precision metal fabricator that fit the bill. (Though, as Paul notes, "that million feels like a lot less once you start paying off the SBA loan.")

Paul worked with a buy-side advisor to accomplish his acquisition.

From time to time you've heard Acquiring Minds discuss the buy-side advisor model, which I increasingly think is a good but overlooked option to explore for the right type of buyer.

Paul and I also talk net working capital. You'll hear how, somewhat counterintuitively, he had to come more out of pocket at close because the business had actually performed better since signing the LOI.

Here is Paul Callahan, owner of Metro Metal Works.