Experienced Operator in Phoenix — Seeking to Acquire an Established Business from a Retiring Owner

Hey everyone — Brad Berlin here, new to the community. I've spent 20+ years in operations leadership, most recently as Turnaround COO at a freight-claims SaaS company where I built the platform from scratch to $420K+ ARR. Before that I scaled GlobalTranz from $1.2M to $65M as COO (5 to 260 employees) and ran a $100M division at CarrierDirect. I'm pivoting from the traditional job search toward acquiring an established, operationally-complex business from a retiring or exiting owner. My sweet spot is businesses that are profitable but under-automated — where better systems, processes, and leadership can unlock the next level of growth. Industries I'm focused on: building trades (HVAC, plumbing, electrical), service businesses (pest control, waste management, cleaning, property management), storage/warehousing, and wholesale distribution. Open to full acquisition, earnout, seller financing, or equity transition. Based in Phoenix but open to remote-friendly businesses nationwide. For those who've been through this — what's one thing you wish you'd known before your first deal? And if anyone is searching in Arizona or in the industries above, I'd love to connect.