Building Garden City: Michael Arrieta on People-First Business

In this episode, Peter Lehrman sits down with Michael Arrieta, founder of Garden City, to discuss his unique journey from a successful career in tech with companies like DocuSign to founding a people-first holding company focused on service-based businesses. Michael shares insights into his decision to leave tech, the principles guiding Garden City, and the impact of a values-driven approach to business acquisition and management.

The conversation also examines Garden City’s investment thesis, focusing on B2B nationwide services and how Michael’s team is bringing mission-aligned shareholders into the fold. This episode is packed with actionable insights for anyone interested in small business acquisitions and the human side of M&A.

Discussion Points:

• Michael Arrieta’s transition from tech to small business acquisitions.
• The inspiration behind founding Garden City and its core mission.
• Garden City’s focus on service-based businesses with B2B nationwide services.
• The importance of mission-aligned shareholders and building trust-based relationships.
• Challenges faced in the lower middle market and the importance of simplicity in business models.
• The development of the 3F program (Faith, Family, and Finances) for enriching employees’ lives.
• The role of community and shareholder engagement in Garden City’s success.
• Insights into the process of deal flow management and strategic acquisition.
• Lessons learned from five years of running Garden City, including the importance of focus and team structure.

Masters in Small Business M&A (sign up for podcast drops here) is produced by its host, Peter Lehrman, and the team at Axial (www.axial.com). Axial makes it easy for small business owners to confidentially explore growth capital and exit transactions with top-ranked lower middle market M&A advisors, strategic acquirers, and professional capital partners. In every episode, we explore the dynamic world of small business M&A, interviewing a mix of proven and emerging owners, operators, acquirers, and M&A advisors whose strategies and methods are being put to the test.

If you’d like to go deeper, head to Axial.com, where we make available the Axial member directories, downloadable tools for dealmakers, the Axial quarterly lower middle market investment banking league-table rankings, the SMB M&A pipeline report, and other useful information. If you’re a business owner, professional acquirer, or M&A advisor, you can start using Axial for free at Axial.com.

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Resources:

• Michael Arrieta LinkedIn
• Michael Arrieta X
• Peter Lehrman LinkedIn
• Peter Lehrman X
• Garden City Website
• Axial Website