Taylor Wallace | Dog Daycare Owner * SMB Investor
@taywall
Followers
4K
Following
4K
Media
259
Statuses
7K
Sober techie turned SMB owner and operator of dog daycares. Actively looking at SMB deals.
St Petersburg, FL
Joined February 2009
I bought an SMB in 2020 with 100% debt as a side project. In the last three years, we’ve seen our valuation balloon ~700%. This isn’t a story about the risk of self-funded search. But it is an SMB story about the potential for massive upside if you buy the right small business.
24
11
172
It’s absolutely insane that this is what an entrepreneur in America has to do to get some kind of family health insurance. How is our system this broken?
In 2026, our family of four is ditching traditional healthcare insurance and covering most of our medical needs for $600 / month. Here’s how we’re doing it. For anyone self-employed and / or looking for coverage options more affordable than traditional ACA exchange insurance,
2
0
2
Doing deals sometimes feels like wrestling bears. And then there are the bear alligator hybrids where you're glad you're a Florida Man.
1
0
1
Don’t sweat the small stuff. The world is full of assholes, and the more you let them go, the better you’ll do and feel.
I let disrespect slide all the time. It makes me more money and I am happier.
1
0
7
What is a "Vibe" and how should you use it to win? In 2020, I bought a single doggie daycare. We doubled revenue in 6mo. Then we did it again, and again, and again, and again. Now I support 35 pet resorts across the country. People ask me all the time, how we grew store count
2
0
5
Was with a buddy yesterday who runs his own sports book. “How many guys have positive lifetime winnings?” “0 I’m the only one that makes any money long term.” Don’t bet on sports for money that matters.
0
0
2
Has anyone here in ETA/SMB/M&A land ever run into an issue where you buy a business and can't transfer the Facebook pages over to new ownership? Running into an insane issue where we can't get pages transfered. Meta is useless and it's hurting our biz.
8
1
5
Anyone got any good new orleans tips, restaurant recs, musuems, sober bro trip fun?
1
0
0
Just leaving our industry’s biggest trade show: @barkleighinc Pet Boarding and Daycare Expo. Searchers hit me up weekly asking “how do I buy a pet business”. I only met one searcher there. If you’re trying to buy a small biz, go to the source.
0
0
4
All these people duking it out over exit values, MIP, operator vs. PE whatever all just kinda sound like assholes with too much time on their hands.
3
0
13
If you are a searcher, you need to hear this. I got lucky with timing as a first time searcher and now regularly outbid searchers on deals. The good news about search though is that unlike goldmines - there will always be businesses to buy…
It seems like every business school in the country has an ETA conference in October or November. Unfortunately, the opportunity set that exists for aspiring searchers today has declined significantly from what it was just 2–3 years ago (let alone 5–7 years ago). Today, SMB
1
1
8
Any newsletter pros/consultants out there? Need some help with a consumer things to do newsletter...
1
0
2
4,000 days without drugs or alcohol today. I normally post when I celebrate an anniversary, but somehow that number really stuck out to me today. There's no real secret - like anything in life where you count days, you just stack 24hrs and stay humble.
2
0
18
Buying back your time isn’t about freeing up more time to work. I work a lot, so I really value joy and fun in my free time. Some people get joy mowing the lawn and painting their house. I abhor it. Would way rather be walking 18 holes.
Outsourcing, basic chores, like laundry and grocery shopping to “buyback your time” is stupid. Most people really only have five good thinking hours per day anyway. It’s not like you’re going to get way more work done. Plus, you’re probably just watching YouTube with the time
1
0
3
Who you are - your background, etc., on your fancy searcher website can help, but the story you tell around those three things above are what really matter. Figure out how to pay what they want, show them how you'll care for what they've built and who they built it with.
0
0
0
3. People Small business owners often care deeply about the people that have helped them build their business. They'll understand that you're going to do things differently, but the more that you can show them how you're going to give their people real opproutnity, the better.
1
0
0
2. Legacy Most sellers are going to keep living in their town. If they're retiring, their friends and community members were their customers for years, and they deeply care about what happens next. Show them you're going to take care of that legacy.
1
0
0
1. Price This one his hard to get around. If a PE buyer is going to pay twice what you are as a searcher, you're probably SOL. Millions of dollars will make the difference above all else.
1
0
0
I've bought 6 SMBs in the last 12 months. Here's what sellers care about:
1
0
6
Why does a Barnes and Noble on Tampa FL have an Amish fiction section?
2
0
2
I get many unsolicited requests to talk about SMB/search. I like to be helpful, but it's gotten to the point where I really can't take that many calls. Took one recently, and the searcher sent me a gift card as a thank you to a great coffee shop. THIS is how you network.
0
0
3