Has anyone here bought a business right out of university? What advice or experiences can you share?

searcher profile

September 06, 2025

by a searcher from Queen's University in Kingston, ON, Canada

I got hooked on ETA books in my first year and have since worked in search funds and a roll-up while finishing electrical engineering. I can't see myself in a typical desk job after university. My plan is to acquire a business in Ontario with $250-700k SDE, paying 3-5x, operate it for 3-5 years with minimal growth as my base assumption, and then, once I gain sufficient confidence, hire a manager to take over daily operations. At that point, I hope to repeat the process and begin overseeing multiple companies. Worst-case scenario, I lose all of the money I have made through investing and my previous entrepreneurial ventures, but leave with more knowledge and hope that I would be more hirable for the jobs I would aim for anyway, out of university. I would love to hear what people think, I know I am jumping in the deep end and hoping I wont drown, but I have done it before professionally and educationaly and have consistently finished challeneges feeling more confident in myself.
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commentor profile
Reply by a searcher
from Queens University in Toronto, ON, Canada
Firstly, great initiative on your end for sure. That said, how do you intend to finance a deal? Assuming high end of your target SDE range and a 3x multiple, you're at a $2.1M purchase price. I think many lenders would hesitate to back an entrepreneur that doesn't have at least a few years of working history after college/university. On the other hand, if you are putting up a substantial amount of equity or all cash purchase, that equation likely changes. Personally I would suggest joining a small business to continue building credentials while keeping the end goal as buying an Smb...but that is just my two cents.
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Reply by a professional
from Bishop's University in Moncton, NB, Canada
If you pay 3x SDE for a business with only 250K of SDE you'll be out of business within a few years. It's too high a price. Get some experience in a business before you buy one. I can tell by this post that you've been reading over-hyped guru content. https://youtu.be/E0IEGtsIE1o
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