Not All Acquisitions Go as Planned

As someone who reached financial independence by 30 and built a portfolio of self-managed businesses, I thought I had the formula down: buy strong businesses, build solid systems, let great people run the show. Then came GloFX.com. A rave gear brand with $2M+ in revenue, national recognition, and a loyal customer base. On paper, it was perfect. The kind of deal I’d done before, and expected to slide right into the mix. But this one had other plans. The culture clashed with everything I believed in. The systems were fragile. The energy was… chaotic. Within two years, nearly the entire team had turned over. I found myself doing what I hadn’t done in a long time: leading from the front. Coaching. Listening. Rebuilding. And in the process, I changed too. This deal taught me that “passive income” isn’t always passive, and that buying a business is just the first chapter. The real challenge is alignment. The real ROI is in the people. And the biggest growth wasn’t just in the numbers (though we hit a 143.3% annual return)—it was in me. Here’s the full story of how one glowstick-fueled business turned into one of the most intense (and rewarding) experiences of my career: 👇 https://www.inc.com/inc-masters/raves-to-riches.html