Acquisition Foundations by Codie Sanchez

Introduction

Acquisition Foundations is an end-to-end program by Codie Sanchez, founder of Contrarian Thinking and former institutional investor, that teaches aspiring entrepreneurs how to buy profitable, existing small businesses instead of building risky startups from scratch. The methodology pivots away from chasing tech unicorns and focuses instead on acquiring cash-flowing “boring businesses.” The transformation it promises is moving you from zero deal flow to confidently sourcing, evaluating, and closing on your first business acquisition using creative financing. The program includes 205 video lessons and 121 downloadable PDFs, totaling 37h 16m 31s of video content organized across 10 distinct modules.

Here's What You Get

📊 Course Stats (from Content Report):

205 video lessons | 121 downloadable PDFs | 37h 16m 31s of content | 20.14 GB total | 10 modules

✅ The Contrarian Acquisition Framework: The full deal lifecycle taught across 10 units — from foundational mindset and deal clarity through origination, outreach, evaluation, offers, due diligence, financing, and closing your first acquisition.

✅ 21 Financing Strategies: Unit 8 details 21 specific ways to fund a purchase, including extensive coverage of SBA loans and Seller Financing, so you can acquire income streams without liquidating your savings.

✅ Deal-Sourcing Systems & Templates: The Contrarian CRM, the Deal Navigator, the Rolodex-to-ROI method, and the Quiet Seller Method for finding both on-market and off-market deals.

✅ Done-For-You Worksheets, Scripts & Calculators: Cold Outreach Scripts, Buyer Profile PDF, Deal Clarity Worksheets, Zone of Genius Worksheet, SDE calculation tools, the CT NDA Template, the Deal Decision Tree, and more.

✅ 121 Downloadable PDF Resources: Reference sheets, checklists, templates, and documentation that accompany the video lessons across every module.

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What You Will Learn in Acquisition Foundations

✅ How to determine your precise acquisition criteria based on your zone of genius, target business size, and income goals to establish a clear “Deal Box”

✅ The step-by-step mechanics of calculating a business's true Seller's Discretionary Earnings (SDE) and analyzing market comparable multiples to confirm you are buying a legitimate income stream

✅ How to find both on-market and off-market deals using the Rolodex-to-ROI and Quiet Seller methods instead of relying on saturated broker platforms like BizBuySell

✅ The 8-Step C2C Framework for engaging potential sellers via cold email and cold calling without sounding like an aggressive corporate raider

✅ How to position yourself as a qualified buyer and use the FROG method to build genuine relationships with owners

✅ How to structure creative offers and negotiate terms using sweat equity, seller financing, and hybrid debt-equity models so you are never reliant on personal cash alone

✅ The exact process for navigating the Due Diligence phase, including how to build a competent Deal Team and spot red, orange, and green flags

✅ How to draft Letters of Intent (LOI) and Asset Purchase Agreements and maneuver through the three key areas of negotiation to reach win-win outcomes

✅ How to spot the 10 Contrarian Business Value Markers and set a personal confidence threshold before making any offer

Who Should Take Acquisition Foundations?

– The Burned-Out Corporate Executive — You're earning a high salary in the 9-to-5 grind but have zero control over your schedule. You want to replace your W-2 income by acquiring an established company, but you need a step-by-step framework to transition safely and track deal flow efficiently.

– The Aspiring Searcher — You've read about acquisition entrepreneurship but feel paralyzed by the technicalities of SDE calculations, LOIs, and SBA loans. This course gives you the precise documentation, calculators, and deal-sourcing techniques needed to execute your first offer.

– The Current Business Owner Seeking Expansion — You already run a successful operation but organic growth has plateaued. You want to learn how to acquire competitors or synergistic businesses in your industry to rapidly scale revenue and market share through strategic buyouts.

– The “Sweat Equity” Operator — You have exceptional operational or marketing skills but limited capital. You need Unit 8's specific strategies on negotiating sweat equity or seller-financed deals where your expertise serves as your primary leverage.

Complete Curriculum Breakdown

Unit 1: Foundation

Establishes the foundational mindset and knowledge required to successfully acquire a business, mapping out the entire lifecycle of a deal and what it realistically takes to operate a company.

– Lesson 1.1: Intro
– Lesson 1.2: What to Expect with this Experience
– Lesson 1.3: Why Acquisition Entrepreneurship
– Lesson 1.4: What Is Contrarian Thinking
– Lesson 1.5: The Contrarian Acquisition Mindset
– Lesson 1.6: Lifecycle of a Deal Journey
– Lesson 1.7: What Does It Take to Run a Business
– Lesson 1.8: BONUS VIDEO – Don't Continue Until You Watch This
– Lesson 1.9: From Working 9-to-5 to Owning a 7-Figure Business in 12 Months
– 📕 Included resources: Acquisition Journey Reference Sheet, Acquisition Self Reflection Worksheet, MSA Action Steps Checklist

Unit 2: Deal Clarity

Focuses on defining your specific personal acquisition criteria using the Contrarian Deal Clarity Framework, helping you isolate target industries and expected income goals.

– Lesson 2.1: Intro
– Lesson 2.2: What Do You Want from This Deal
– Lesson 2.3: Acquisition Targets for Current Business Owners
– Lesson 2.4: Business Size
– Lesson 2.5: Profit Buying an Income Stream
– Lesson 2.6: Which Industries to Target
– Lesson 2.7: Industries Database Selector
– Lesson 2.8: Your Deal Box
– Lesson 2.9: Lloyd Intro By Codie
– Lesson 2.10: How Brandon Bought a $650K Income Stream for $60K
– 📕 Included resources: Deal Clarity Worksheets, Zone of Genius Worksheet

Unit 3: Origination

Actionable techniques for finding both on-market and off-market deals that fit your criteria, while setting up tracking systems using a dedicated database.

– Lesson 3.1: Intro
– Lesson 3.2: Deal Sourcing How to Find Businesses to Buy
– Lesson 3.3: Searching for On-Market Deals
– Lesson 3.4: Searching On Biz Buy Sell
– Lesson 3.5: Buy-Side Broker Relationships for On-Market Deals
– Lesson 3.6: Off-Market Deals
– Lesson 3.7: Rolodex to ROI
– Lesson 3.8: Venmo Challenge
– Lesson 3.9: Personal PNL Review
– Lesson 3.10: The 9 to 5er Strategy
– Lesson 3.11: Social Media
– Lesson 3.12: Library Database
– Lesson 3.13: Industry-specific sources
– Lesson 3.14: Networking (I hate this word)
– Lesson 3.15: Creating the right habits for deal sourcing
– Lesson 3.16: Weekly Goals Goal Tracking Notion database walkthrough
– Lesson 3.17: Keeping track of your Deal Flow
– Lesson 3.18: The Contrarian CRM Demo
– Lesson 3.19: Vertical IQ Training
– Lesson 3.20: Introducing the New Deal Navigator

Unit 4: Outreach

How to position yourself professionally as a qualified buyer, mastering cold outreach, engaging owners directly, and using the FROG method to build relationships.

– Lesson 4.1: Intro
– Lesson 4.2: Selling Yourself – Positioning Yourself as a Qualified Buyer
– Lesson 4.3: Seller Engagement Process Overview
– Lesson 4.4: Cold Email
– Lesson 4.5: How to Edit and Create Your Buyer Profile PDF
– Lesson 4.6: Cold Calling Outreach
– Lesson 4.7: The 8 Step C2C Framework
– Lesson 4.8: The Discovery Call
– Lesson 4.9: FROG Method for Connecting with Potential Sellers
– Lesson 4.10: On-Market Outreach
– Lesson 4.11: Buyer Profile PDF Canva Walk-through
– Lesson 4.12: Quiet Seller Method
– 📕 Included resources: Cold Outreach Scripts, List Of Questions For A Seller

Unit 5: Evaluation

The objective financial markers used to evaluate a prospective deal — signing NDAs, calculating realistic valuations, and deciding whether a business clears your confidence threshold.

– Lesson 5.1: Intro
– Lesson 5.2: First Principles Seller Outreach
– Lesson 5.3: The Preliminary Evaluation
– Lesson 5.4: Determining Valuation
– Lesson 5.5: Market Comparables Multiple
– Lesson 5.6: SDE Calculation
– Lesson 5.7: The 10 Contrarian Business Value Markers
– Lesson 5.8: Your Confidence Threshold
– Lesson 5.9: BONUS Specific Tips for Email Outreach
– 📕 Included resources: CT NDA Template, Deal Decision Tree

Unit 6: Offer + Negotiation

This module details the intricacies of making formal offers, structuring creative deals, and understanding the anatomy of a purchase — including the Letter of Intent (LOI) and Asset Purchase Agreements, structuring at-risk money, and working through the three key areas of negotiation.

Unit 7: Due Diligence

A rigorous due diligence process for inspecting a business before you close — building a competent Deal Team, evaluating key information, and spotting hidden liabilities and red, orange, and green flags so you avoid buying a dying business.

Unit 8: Financing

Tackles capital limitations head-on with 21 specific financing strategies, with extensive coverage of SBA loans and Seller Financing, plus sweat equity and hybrid debt-equity structures, so you can fund an acquisition without relying on personal cash alone.

Note: This program is delivered across 10 modules with 205 video lessons in total. The full lesson list for the later units is provided inside the members' area.

About Codie Sanchez

Codie Sanchez is a former institutional investor turned entrepreneur, investor, and writer who left Wall Street for “Main Street.” She is the founder of Contrarian Thinking and serves as an Active Board Member at Entourage Effect Capital. Before finance, she began her career as an investigative journalist covering human trafficking and border conflict in Latin America. She now invests in and teaches others how to acquire cash-flowing “boring businesses” such as car washes, laundromats, and home-service companies.

Verified Credentials:

✅ Built First Trust's $1 billion+ AUM Latin America Investments business from the ground up

✅ Held leadership and investing roles across Goldman Sachs, State Street (SSGA), and Vanguard during roughly 15 years on Wall Street

✅ Founder of Contrarian Thinking, a finance and media company with a large following across her platforms and weekly newsletter

✅ Active Board Member at Entourage Effect Capital

✅ Author of Main Street Millionaire: How to Make Extraordinary Wealth Buying Ordinary Businesses, an instant New York Times bestseller

✅ Won the Robert F. Kennedy Award for print journalism and received a Howard G. Buffett Foundation grant for her reporting on border conflict

✅ Owner of Main Street Holding Company and Contrarian Thinking Capital, with a portfolio of cash-flowing small businesses

What Problems Does Acquisition Foundations Solve?

“I want to own a business but the majority of startups fail.” — The curriculum shifts your focus entirely to acquiring established, profitable companies that already have cash flow, letting you skip the chaotic and risky build-from-scratch phase.

“I don't have enough personal capital to buy an existing company.” — Unit 8 tackles capital limitations directly with 21 specific financing strategies, including extensive coverage of SBA loans and Seller Financing, so you can acquire income streams without liquidating your life savings.

“I don't know how to find owners who are actually willing to sell.” — Unit 3 and Unit 4 provide exact methodologies for sourcing off-market deals, focusing on the Quiet Seller Method and direct Rolodex-to-ROI frameworks to bypass saturated broker platforms like BizBuySell.

“I'm terrified of buying a dying business or inheriting hidden liabilities.” — Unit 7 offers a rigorous Due Diligence process, while Unit 5 trains you to calculate true Seller's Discretionary Earnings (SDE) and spot the 10 Contrarian Business Value Markers before you make an offer.

“I don't know how to legally protect myself during the purchase process.” — Unit 6 covers the exact anatomy of a Letter of Intent (LOI) and Asset Purchase Agreements, including how to structure at-risk money and handle unknown liabilities.

What Makes Acquisition Foundations Different

– Buy, don't build — Instead of teaching you to launch a startup, the entire framework is built around acquiring businesses that already generate cash flow, removing the highest-risk phase of entrepreneurship.

– Creative financing over personal cash — With 21 financing strategies centered on SBA loans, seller financing, sweat equity, and hybrid structures, the program is designed for buyers who don't have a large lump sum to invest.

– A complete deal lifecycle, not just theory — From the Deal Box and SDE calculations to the C2C outreach framework, due diligence, and the LOI, every unit maps to a concrete step of closing a real acquisition, supported by 121 downloadable templates and worksheets.

Frequently Asked Questions About Acquisition Foundations

What is Acquisition Foundations about?

Acquisition Foundations is a program by Codie Sanchez that teaches you how to buy profitable, existing small businesses instead of building a startup from scratch. It walks you through the full deal lifecycle — clarity, sourcing, outreach, evaluation, offers, due diligence, and financing — so you can source, evaluate, and close on your first acquisition.

Who created Acquisition Foundations?

It was created by Codie Sanchez, founder of Contrarian Thinking and a former institutional investor who built First Trust's $1 billion+ Latin America Investments business and is the New York Times bestselling author of Main Street Millionaire.

What is included in Acquisition Foundations?

The program includes 205 video lessons and 121 downloadable PDFs, totaling 37h 16m 31s of content and 20.14 GB, organized across 10 modules. It also includes templates, scripts, calculators, and tools such as the Buyer Profile PDF, Cold Outreach Scripts, the CT NDA Template, and the Deal Decision Tree.

Who is Acquisition Foundations best suited for?

It is aimed at burned-out corporate executives who want to replace W-2 income, aspiring searchers who feel stuck on the technicalities of SDE and SBA loans, current business owners looking to acquire competitors, and skilled operators with limited capital who want to use sweat equity or seller financing.

What will I learn in Acquisition Foundations?

You learn how to define your Deal Box, source on-market and off-market deals, calculate SDE and valuations, run the 8-Step C2C outreach framework, structure creative offers, conduct due diligence, draft Letters of Intent, and finance the purchase using SBA loans, seller financing, and other strategies.

Do I need a lot of capital to use this course?

No. Unit 8 is dedicated to 21 financing strategies — including SBA loans, seller financing, sweat equity, and hybrid debt-equity structures — specifically so you can acquire income streams without relying solely on personal cash.

What format is Acquisition Foundations delivered in?

The program is delivered as downloadable video lessons supported by PDF resources, worksheets, scripts, and calculators — 205 video lessons and 121 PDFs, totaling 37h 16m 31s and 20.14 GB across 10 modules.

What is Codie Sanchez known for?

Codie Sanchez is known for founding Contrarian Thinking, authoring the New York Times bestseller Main Street Millionaire, building a billion-dollar Latin America investment business at First Trust, and popularizing the idea of acquiring cash-flowing “boring businesses.” The original program price was $997.