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The Alternative Investor

Brad Johnson & Grayson Morris

The Alternative Investor is a show about investing money outside of the stock market (private equity, real estate, venture capital, etc.) where the returns are typically higher but the investment decisions are less straightforward. Join Grayson Morris and Brad Johnson as they discuss investing in alternative assets to help you make better decisions with your investment portfolio.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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Episodes

Grayson is Finally Buying a Company!
Jun 20 2019
Grayson is Finally Buying a Company!
Today is an incredibly big day! Grayson may be closing on a huge deal tonight. It’s been a long time coming but it’s finally happening! He quit his last job about 3+ years ago and since then he’s been looking to buy a business and has gone through about 5000 different companies, sorted through many different websites, and talked to lots of different owners — but it was all worth it, because he’s finally found one that he loves and is super excited about. He’s completed all of the purchase agreement documents and soon… all will be finalized!So today’s episode is going to provide as a recap for what Grayson has been up to for the last couple of years. Hopefully it will serve as both inspiration — but also as a cautionary tale for those of you who want to get out there and buy your own deal! Today we’re going to be sharing the good, the bad, and the ugly. So tune in to learn some of the ins and outs of buying your first deal!Key Takeaways:[:11] All about today’s episode![3:18] So what is Grayson buying?![6:33] How Grayson and his partner found this deal.[7:58] What does the transition look like after purchasing this deal?[10:34] What Grayson learned from being an investor![15:30] The importance of balancing investing and operations.[19:03] What’s next for the podcast? Topics we’ll be focusing on in future episodes.[20:58] Opening it up to you! What would you like to hear from us next? Email us!Mentioned in this Episode:Performio.coBrad@EvergreenCap.comGrayson@StablesPartners.com For More on The Alternative Investor, Check Out:TheAlternativeInvestorShow.comThe Alternative Investor on iTunes — Leave us a review! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
We Talk about a Purchase Agreement
May 23 2019
We Talk about a Purchase Agreement
After 2 ½ years of looking for a software business to buy with my partner, I think we’re finally getting towards the end! And at the end of the due diligence process when you’re going to buy a company… you’ve got to sign a purchase agreement. This purchase agreement is the big contract; it’s the document that lays out all the final terms and conditions. And when it’s signed, the money is wired — and it’s official: you own the company.So because this is all so timely for us, today we’re going to be talking all about purchase agreements! In fact, we’ll be going through the actual 57-page document I received for this software business to explain each section to give you all an idea of what to expect when it comes to negotiating your first purchase and sale agreement!Key Takeaways:[:11] About today’s episode on purchase agreements![2:22] We begin looking at the 57-page purchase agreement word doc, starting with an overview of the table of contents and section 1, the glossary.[5:09] Reviewing section 2: the purchase and sale of parent shares.[9:40] Reviewing the following three sections that cover representations and warranties — first up, those concerning the company.[16:30] Next up, we take a look at the sections covering representations and warranties of the sellers.[17:55] Taking a look at the representations and warranties concerning the buyer.[18:58] Reviewing the section that covers the additional agreements.[19:52] Checking out section 7: identification and related matters.[23:03] Wrapping up the podcast with some final points about purchase and sale agreements![24:54] What should you be focusing on when negotiating these documents?[28:14] Thanks for tuning in!Mentioned in this Episode:Purchase and Sale AgreementFor More on The Alternative Investor, Check Out:TheAlternativeInvestorShow.comThe Alternative Investor on iTunes — Leave us a review! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
How to Read a K-1
Apr 25 2019
How to Read a K-1
Today’s episode is all about taxes! Specifically, we’re going to be talking about K-1s. A K-1 is a tax form that you get from private investment (typically an LLC.) on an investment you’ve made. This is the tax form you’re going to get yearly from that sponsor so you can pay your taxes on that income.If you’re ever going to be making investments in alternative assets, most likely you’re going to be getting a K-1. Be sure to tune in to get all the basis on what exactly a K-1 is, how they work, the key pieces of information within them, their benefits, and our tips!Key Takeaways:[:12] About today’s episode![:48] What is a K-1?[3:54] The key pieces of information in the K-1; covering box 1 and 2 of the K-1. [10:21] Discussing box 19 of the K-1: the distribution (the actual cash flow you receive that year from your investment.)[13:07] Discussing box L: the partner’s capital account analysis (which keeps track of your basis in the investment.)[14:53] Working through an example to illustrate how a K-1 works.[15:26] When do you get a K-1? How should investors investing in alternative assets be thinking about K-1s? And are they a huge headache or are they pretty straight forward? [16:44] Our tip for if you’re receiving many K-1s.[18:41] The bottom line of K-1s![19:12] How to go about doing your K-1s.Mentioned in this Episode:K-1Pass-Through EntityFor More on The Alternative Investor, Check Out:TheAlternativeInvestorShow.comThe Alternative Investor on iTunes — Leave us a review! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
How to Raise Debt for a Real Estate Project
Apr 11 2019
How to Raise Debt for a Real Estate Project
We’ve talked about finding deals, sourcing deals, putting a pitch deck together, raising money, and all that stuff — but we haven’t yet talked about how to go about raising debt for a real estate project.So today, we’re going to outline how to get debt from the more conventional (or traditional) sources. We’ll be covering: seller financing, regional banks, agencies that are representing Fannie and Freddie, and large commercial mortgage-backed security loans.Pull up a chair and join us for this real estate-centered conversation on raising debt!Key Takeaways:[:12] Reading our favorite funny review from the last couple of weeks![1:45] About today’s episode.[2:25] The first step to raising debt for a real estate project: obtaining a loan.[8:11] If you’re just looking to borrow money for a deal, how much should you care about the structure of the loan?[10:16] What information is a balance sheet lender or regional lender going to need to know in order to make a decision about whether or not they’re going to lend you money?[14:24] So which loan should you take — an agency loan or a CMBS?[18:18] How do you know if you’re getting a CMBS loan? And what do these types of lenders look like?[19:32] How big does a deal have to be to qualify for a CMBS loan?[20:05] Where do the big costs come in with a CMBS loan?[21:31] Summarizing the four sources of debt mentioned in this week’s episode and giving some final, additional pieces of information.[23:04] In conclusion: our take on what the best options are.Mentioned in this Episode:Balance Sheet LenderFannie Mae and Freddie MacBellwetherCMBSCDOFor More on The Alternative Investor, Check Out:TheAlternativeInvestorShow.comThe Alternative Investor on iTunes — Leave us a review! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
What Should Go In Your Private Equity Pitch Deck
Mar 28 2019
What Should Go In Your Private Equity Pitch Deck
We’ve talked about sourcing and analyzing deals — but, we’ve yet to really get into the details of what goes into the pitch deck. The pitch deck is the document you’re going to send out to your investors to let them know about the deal, market it to them, and give them the opportunity to make a decision.So today we’re going to talk about when you’re going to go out and buy a business, what should be in your deal deck. Brad also plays the role of a potential investor, and gives his take on each section in terms of what he would want to see to feel confident in investing. Key Takeaways:[:12] About today’s topic.[:50] Where to start with creating your pitch deck.[1:33] The first pieces of information you should include in your pitch deck.[4:22] How to provide an effective overview of your business in the pitch deck. And what investors are looking for.[8:26] The next section you should include in your pitch deck: an industry overview and a look at the market.[10:07] The meat of your deck: the financial analysis section. And the key metrics investors look at. And the key scenarios you should include in your deck.[15:00] The next section: a summary of key opportunities and risks.[18:08] The last section: the post-acquisition plan.[22:09] Summarizing our key points.Mentioned in this Episode:WordPowerpointKeynoteFor More on The Alternative Investor, Check Out:TheAlternativeInvestorShow.comThe Alternative Investor on iTunes — Leave us a review! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
We Talk To A Guy With An Innovative Apartment Investment Strategy
Mar 21 2019
We Talk To A Guy With An Innovative Apartment Investment Strategy
This week on the show, we’ve invite on a real estate expert: Moses Kagan! Moses is a partner of Adaptive Realty — a property management company in Los Angeles.Adaptive Realty has a unique strategy with apartment buildings; instead of simply buying buildings and repainting and upgrading appliances, they do huge, wholesale renovations. They vacate all the tenants and completely redesign the properties. This enables them to double the rent whereas most apartment value ad folks incrementally increase the rent 20-30% after renovations. It’s a very unique strategy, and in this episode, we’re going to get into all of the juicy details on how Moses has pulled this strategy off. We talk about how he originally fell into the industry 10 years ago, how he survived the early lean years of being a real estate entrepreneur, the mistakes he’s made along the way (including selling way too early for his first few deals), and finally, his graduation from short-term funds to more long-term permanent equity vehicles (where he can renovate the properties and hold them indefinitely).Today’s episode was incredibly insightful and we hope you have as much fun listening to it as we had recording it!Key Takeaways:[:11] About this week’s episode with Moses Kagan.[1:10] Welcoming Moses to the podcast![1:41] Moses explains what they do at his company, Adaptive Realty.[4:55] Moses tells the story of how he got started (before starting Adaptive Realty) and some of his early experiences in buying real estate.[22:02] How Moses originally got funding, and how they got people to leave the apartment so they could renovate.[23:52] How they renovated the buildings to beat out the competition.[25:25] Moses talks about the possible percentage increase for rent in these renovated apartments.[26:52] Moses explains their second apartment deal, whether or not they were making money at this point in time, and how they made that second deal.[29:05] Their strategy over the next couple of years for buying buildings[29:19] Moses talks about what they did after having to liquidate all their buildings, starting back at “square one.”[34:19] The steps Moses took when trying to rebuild: starting a blog, discovering that the best deals were the fixer-uppers, and ultimately, the creation of Adaptive Realty.[44:09] After raising their first fund, Moses explains his next steps.[48:37] What Moses recommends to anyone who is starting out in this business.[49:24] How Moses and his partner continued to build Adaptive Realty.[55:15] Moses discusses some of the challenges with their business model and the way their business has grown.[1:00:22] Moses speaks about their progress towards more permanent equity.[1:02:20] Moses’ advice to those new in this business.[1:06:15] Where to find Moses online.Mentioned in this Episode:Adaptive RealtyMoses Kagan (LinkedIn)Moses Kagan’s BlogThe Alternative Investor EP.38 — “We Talk to a Guy Who Bought a Business with an SBA Loan”For More on The Alternative Investor, Check Out:TheAlternativeInvestorShow.comThe Alternative Investor on iTunes — Leave us a review! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
You Just Bought Real Estate, Now What? - EP.39
Mar 14 2019
You Just Bought Real Estate, Now What? - EP.39
We’ve spent a lot of time on this podcast telling you how to find alternative investments — how to buy them, how to raise money for them, and more — but we haven’t talked a lot about what to do after you close. It’s really no exaggeration to say that a lot of stuff happens after closing — so today, we’re going to get into everything you need to know about what happens after you buy a real estate property! We talk property managers, important steps to take before closing, what you should do immediately after closing, how to go about improving or changing up things in the property, how quickly you should roll out these changes, and more. We hope you’ll join us!Key Takeaways:[:12] About today’s episode![1:04] What should you do immediately after buying real estate?[6:50] Do you have a property manager set up before you close? And what is the property manager’s role? And what kind of revenue do you need to be taking in per year to be able to support a property manager or property management company? And what percentage of the total rent do they take?[10:10] Should you use the building’s existing property manager?[10:47] Other things you need to make sure you’re doing once you’ve acquired a real estate property.[14:00] More important details to remember after acquiring a real estate property.[14:57] How to go about improving or changing things up in the property.[15:41] How quickly should you roll out changes? Should you give people time to settle in to the new ownership?[18:50] How to make renters excited about change.[20:44] If you had to raise capital to purchase this building and have investors, what should you do immediately after closing?[21:55] Wrapping up this week’s topic.[23:55] We’d really appreciate if you could leave us a nice review on iTunes!For More on The Alternative Investor, Check Out:TheAlternativeInvestorShow.comThe Alternative Investor on iTunes — Leave us a review! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
We Talk to a Guy Who Bought a Business with an SBA Loan - EP.38
Mar 7 2019
We Talk to a Guy Who Bought a Business with an SBA Loan - EP.38
Just as this title says, we talk to guy who bought a business with an SBA loan! Nick Haschka is an entrepreneur and investor who lives in the San Francisco Bay Area, with his wife and two kids. He owns a small business called The Wright Gardner, which is a plantscaping business (where they help companies maintain beautiful plants around the office). He purchased The Wright Gardner along with two other folks he’s in business with using an SBA 7(a) loan.Neither Brad or I have used an SBA 7(a) loan to purchase a business so we thought it would be a great idea to invite on someone who has! And, if you haven’t already, be sure to check out our other episode on SBA loans — episode 35: “How to Buy a $2 Million Business for $200K.”Key Takeaways:[:12] About today’s interview with Nick Haschka.[1:23] Welcoming Nick to the show![2:30] How Nick landed in the business of buying other businesses.[6:17] Why did Nick decide to go with the SBA 7(a) loan rather than using a search fund model.[7:54] How Nick found out about SBA loans.[9:44] Why Nick moved on from McKinsey and wanted to switch up his career.[10:49] Nick speaks about his (and his partners) process of buying a small business.[16:13] About The Wright Gardner, previous owner, and employees; and how Nick found it.[19:03] How long it took for Nick to lock down the deal with The Wright Gardner.[19:35] Nick shares some details and metrics of the deal.[23:30] The process of getting an SBA loan for The Wright Gardner.[25:45] Nick talks about the personal guarantees he signed for the business.[29:15] Did this one business get Nick to his $90k/year goal?[30:49] How Nick and his business partners split up the ownership and responsibilities.[31:24] Add-ons Nick was looking for to support the objectives of the business.[32:43] Have they done any tuck-in or bolt-on add-ons?[34:32] Nick talks about his business growth in the two years since he bought The Wright Gardner.[35:45] Are Nick and his partners actively looking for outside deals, or is this going to be a platform for them (where they’re going to continue to bolt-on plantscaping businesses)?[37:15] Did Nick (and his partners) fund his businesses (following The Wright Gardner) out of the cash flow of The Wright Gardner?[38:03] Is Nick at the scale where he can be less involved in the business day-to-day or is it still his full-time job?[39:04] Looking back on everything, is Nick glad he did everything the way he did?[41:55] Where to find Nick online.[42:09] Nick’s parting words of wisdom.Mentioned in this Episode:The Alternative Investor on iTunesThe Wright GardnerNick Haschka (LinkedIn)Nick’s email: nick@cubinvestments.comMcKinsey & Company BizBuySell(California) Contractors State License BoardFor More on The Alternative Investor, Check Out:TheAlternativeInvestorShow.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Should You Get an MBA? - EP.37
Feb 28 2019
Should You Get an MBA? - EP.37
We often get emailed by 25-35 year olds interested in getting into private equity, venture capital, or real estate private equity, wondering if it’s worth it or not to go get an MBA. Both Brad and I have our MBAs (which serve us well) — but there are definitely pros and cons to getting an MBA. So we thought it’d be a good idea to address this question and get into all the juicy details of why you should (or should not) get it, some of the pros and cons to both of the options, and the other possible pathways you can take. We also share our own experiences in earning our MBAs and how they have benefited us in our own careers.Key Takeaways:[:12] Reading a review that made us laugh from our iTunes page.[1:28] If you give us a 5-stars and leave a funny review on iTunes we’ll read it next episode and send you a prize![2:22] About today’s show.[4:09] Do we have our MBAs?[4:56] Some of the pros and cons of why, or why not, you should get an MBA.[9:11] How we benefited from getting our MBAs.[16:52] Some of the cons of earning our MBAs and potential cons that could arise.[19:06] When you should take the opportunity or time to get your MBA and when you shouldn’t.[20:24] How getting an MBA aided in our confidence and expectations.[21:58] A few more points on maybe why you shouldn’t get an MBA.[22:44] Should you get an MBA if you want to break into private equity or venture capital? What are the other pathways?[28:15] Summarizing our main points on whether or not you should your MBA!Mentioned in this Episode:The Alternative Investor on iTunesMaster of Business Administration (MBA) For More on The Alternative Investor, Check Out:TheAlternativeInvestorShow.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
What is a Covered Land Play? - EP.33
Jan 31 2019
What is a Covered Land Play? - EP.33
oday’s episode is about Covered Land Plays! A Covered Land Play is when you buy a property based on the existing use of that asset… but, what you’re really buying for is the land (in the hopes that someday it’s going to be redeveloped by you, or, perhaps the next buyer.) It has limited downside, because of the current cash flow, with big upside — so it makes for a very interesting investment strategy.In this episode, we’ll cover everything you need to do about Covered Land Plays; what they are, why you might want to use it as one of your next investment strategies, who they’re perfect for, some examples, and how to go about pursuing one. Key Takeaways:[:14] Some background on today’s episode.[:57] About today’s topic.[1:21] An overview of what a Covered Land Play is.[1:50] An example of a Covered Land Play.[2:58] Who a Covered Land Play would be particularly useful for.[4:16] If the strategy doesn’t pan out, are you at least still making a good investment?[5:23] Can you mess up this strategy?[6:18] Some of Brad’s projects that are considered Covered Land Plays.[7:02] Why all investments that involve land and a business are not considered a Covered Land Play.[9:09] An example of what a fantastic Covered Land Play investment could be.[10:49] Some more examples of potential fantastic Covered Land Play investments and some of the potential risks.[15:00] How to go about pursuing a Covered Land Play deal, and some final thoughts on the downsides and upsides!For More on The Alternative Investor, Check Out:TheAlternativeInvestorShow.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Don't Be Fooled By EBITDA - EP. 32
Jan 17 2019
Don't Be Fooled By EBITDA - EP. 32
Today we’re talking about an incredibly important topic: the dangers of mistaking EBITDA with Cash Flow.It’s so tempting when you’re looking at a lot of these small businesses to buy and you see this metric called EBITDA and you think, “Hey, this is how much cash I’m going to have distributed at the end of the year to my investors.” But looks can be deceiving. So in this episode, we want to explain to you why this is so crucial when evaluating businesses, red flags to look out for, and how to resolve this potential conflict. We also give some examples on why exactly it is so important not to mistakes EBITDA with Cash Flow and how depreciation and amortization can get you into trouble.Key Takeaways:[:46] About today’s topic.[1:36] What EBITDA is.[2:21] An example of how EBITDA comes into play when buying a small business.[4:47] Another example of why it is crucial to not mistake EBITDA with Cash Flow.[6:49] Another way depreciation and amortization can get you into trouble.[9:11] How to resolve this potential conflict: look at the Cash Flow statement![11:18] Bottom line: be very careful when you’re evaluating a small business and you’re just looking at the EBITDA.[11:38] Particular businesses you want to be especially careful of.[12:06] What are some red flags?Mentioned in this Episode:EBITDACash FlowCPAPNLFor More on The Alternative Investor, Check Out:TheAlternativeInvestorShow.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.