Ross Tomkins is a serial entrepreneur, investor, and business acquirer who has raised over $10 million and acquired nearly 20 businesses across two continents. Originally trained as a physiotherapist in the UK, Ross transitioned from hands-on healthcare to building and scaling companies. He recently launched a holding company in the UAE with the goal of generating half a billion dollars in annual revenue within five years. Ross’s journey is a masterclass in creative deal-making, strategic growth, and the mindset required to succeed in business acquisition.
On this episode we talk about:
- How Ross made the leap from employee to entrepreneur by starting a mobile physiotherapy business
- The critical role of spousal and partner support in entrepreneurial risk-taking
- Lessons learned from losing a major contract and pivoting to acquisitions
- Creative deal structures, including 100% seller financing and government-backed loans
- The importance of operating experience before buying businesses-and why small business acquisition is riskier than it looks
- How to source acquisition deals through networking, brokers, and outreach
- The pros and cons of buying small vs. larger businesses
- Why healthcare remains a resilient and attractive sector for acquisitions
Top 3 Takeaways
- Start with what you know and build credibility. Ross’s journey shows that operating your own business first gives you the credibility and skills needed to succeed in acquisitions2.
- Creative financing makes acquisitions accessible. Seller financing and government-backed loans can help you buy businesses even if you don’t have large amounts of cash on hand2.
- Operating skills are essential. Acquiring a business is not a shortcut to passive income-understanding sales, marketing, HR, and operations is critical to avoid running a good business into the ground2.
Notable Quotes
- “My first dollar was me carrying a bed with me to someone’s house and charging them for physiotherapy.”2
- “The best conversation we had at the beginning was, ‘Do you want to do it or do you need to do it?’ I needed to do it for myself and my family.”2
- “The success rate of small business acquisition is terrible… If you don’t have the necessary mindset and skill set to manage the money, you could take over a beautiful cash-flowing business and run it into the ground.”2
Connect with Ross Tomkins:
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Website: https://rosstomkins.co.uk/
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