Walker Deibel is an entrepreneur, mergers and acquisitions advisor, creator of Acquisition Lab, and author of “Buy Then Build: How Acquisition Entrepreneurs Outsmart the Startup Game.”

Walker grew up in St. Louis, Missouri. He was influenced by his father and paternal grandfather, who both owned companies, and his mother's side of the family, which was filled with academics and artists. He married those early influences by pursuing an undergraduate degree in English Literature and Religious Studies, and later earning an MBA. His career followed a winding route – with stops as a stockbroker, film producer, and in startups. Along his journey, he always asked questions and tried to understand the business side of the industries where he worked.

As Walker became more integrated into the startup community, he realized that most of the conversation in this space centered around creating new businesses…..or as he refers to it: innovation. But what about purchasing existing, cash-flowing businesses to decrease the owner’s risk? Then apply business skills and know-how to grow the company’s revenues and increase cash flow for the new owner and dramatically increase its value while adding to the overall economy.  He realized the acquisition side of the conversation was rarely discussed. In response, Walker spent years researching – talking to stockbrokers, business owners, and investors – and over four and a half years he outlined the steps and principles for business acquisition, “Buy Then Build”. 

Walker Deibel believes that acquiring a business is the fastest way to grow your wealth. Because the major risk, business startup failure is already rung out of the equation, for most people, acquiring a business is a safer and more viable option for long-term success than starting a business. To help people succeed in business acquisition, Walker founded the Acquisition Lab in October 2019. The Acquisition Lab is an elite accelerator for acquisition entrepreneurs looking to buy their first business. It's a vetted community with a high success rate and diverse advisors. 

Walker is on a mission to increase the public information available about acquisition entrepreneurship and in the process also empower women, who often are less willing to take risks than their male counterparts and are less likely to have access to capital to purchase their first business.

On this episode of Money Loves Women, join Dr. Deborah Ekstrom and Walker Deibel to learn the benefits of acquiring an existing cash-flowing business versus starting a business from scratch. You'll also learn how to increase your confidence and find support and resources to buy an existing business and how Walker debunks the five myths of entrepreneurship. 

Topics Discussed:

• Acquisition entrepreneurship
• Building wealth 
• Confidence
• Myths of entrepreneurship 
• Curriculum development

Resources: 

• Quiet Light Brokerage
• Walker Deibel’s LinkedIn
• Walker Deibel’s Twitter
• Acquisition Lab
• Buy Then Build: How Acquisition Entrepreneurs Outsmart the Startup Game

For more information on how to achieve financial freedom, personal mastery, and professional success, please visit https://moneyloveswomen.com/.