Jared Johnson sits down with husband and wife operators Tahir Zaman Hussain and Neilab Rahimzada to unpack an 18-month search that started in London and New York, survived a failed first deal, and ended with the acquisition of a hyper niche window restoration company with decades of brand equity. They explain why calling brokers directly beat scrolling listings, how a prior LOI on a fire sprinkler company fell apart over working capital, and what changed when they found a seller who was transparent and responsive. The pair walk through pricing, a structured transition that kept the seller away from staff, and why even a negative working capital model still demanded real cash at close for insurance and early costs. They share role reversals once they took the keys, the expected J curve, discovering demand that exceeded capacity, and the plan to professionalize operations while hiring to remove themselves as the bottleneck. Main Takeaways: • Calling brokers and building relationships beats passively browsing listings • Seller fit and transparency are early signals of post close reality • Working capital is a must have topic, if the seller cannot grasp it, walk away • Even firms with negative net working capital need cash at close for early bills • Weekly seller calls and a living data room keep diligence moving and cut surprises • A tailored transition can work if the seller is kept away from employees and authority • Expect role shifts after close, divide by aptitude rather than the original plan • The J curve is real, track project efficiency early or you give margin away • A strong and aligned deal team keeps emotions in check and momentum toward close • Growth needs capacity and systems, hire to free owners for tools, process, and scale Episode Highlights: [00:00:28] Backgrounds, London and Long Island roots, careers in finance and capital markets [00:03:06] Why ownership, investment returns and the itch to operate [00:04:47] What they bought, a hyper niche window restoration company with outsized reputation [00:07:37] How they sourced it, broker outreach over listing sites and why that worked [00:10:18] Search timeline, education in mid 2023, close in October after about 18 months [00:11:45] The first LOI that died, fire sprinkler company and a breakdown on working capital [00:14:06] Context on working capital in lower middle market deals, shifting norms and lessons learned [00:18:20] The right seller, transparency, fast document turns, weekly calls, clean diligence cadence [00:20:11] Transition design, seller support for two months without interacting with staff [00:23:05] Deal structure at a high level, SBA senior debt, standby seller note, modest buyer cash [00:24:55] Why they still needed working capital, insurance costs and early cash needs in New York [00:27:01] The value of an aligned deal team, keeping emotions steady through closing [00:29:35] Day one, the speech, then role reversal, Tahir on sales, Neilab on operations [00:32:42] Performance, an initial dip then trending toward the best year in company history [00:33:30] What is next, systematize operations, add headcount, prepare to handle more demand [00:36:13] Mentorship, leaning on entrepreneurial family and the search for a mentor [00:38:44] Motivation, stewardship of a legacy brand and showing up even when it is hard