From Tech Sales to Forklift Repair

March 17, 2025
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Key Points From the Interview

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oday's guest was vacationing in Hawaii when he received an ominous request from his office.

They were asking him to "hop on a quick call."

He knew what it meant; he'd been on the other side of those calls before.

And just like that, a 10-year career at SAP came to an abrupt end for Shaugn Lindley, victim to the layoffs sweeping tech.

Well, after some soul searching and reflection, Shaugn decides on buying a business for his next chapter.

And today he owns forklift repair business R&R Lift:

  • Decades of history
  • Great margins
  • B2B essential service
  • Combination of recurring and repair revenue
  • More demand than he can handle
  • And last but certainly not least, a glorious 1990s vintage website

You can hear my enthusiasm for this business.

R&R Lift's old website
Drool-worthy 90’s website

Two key features of Shaugn's story to call out.

First, how he initially lost the business to a competing buyer. Happily that deal died, and it came back to Shaugn. We discuss the importance of hanging around the hoop.

Shaugn Lindley in front of forklift at R&R Lift
Shaugn at R&R Lift

Second, how Shaugn leaned on an experienced business buyer (and former Acquiring Minds guest) for counsel & coaching through his search.

Now, of course many searchers ask for help, but Shaugn formalized the engagement and volunteered to pay his coach for the time. The model worked well; we unpack it.

Here is is Shaugn Lindley, owner of R&R Lift.

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