← All episodes

How to Buy a Business with Zero Dollars in 2026

| 6 products mentioned
Codie Sanchez Codie Sanchez host
Watch on YouTube small business acquisition expertise-to-equity deals business valuation seller financing entrepreneurship without capital alternative investment strategies wealth building through ownership

Codie Sanchez teaches viewers how to acquire businesses with minimal or zero capital by leveraging expertise-to-equity deals and other people's money. The episode covers five specific methods for finding and buying small businesses, from scanning personal spending patterns via Venmo to negotiating partnerships with existing business owners, positioning business acquisition as an accessible wealth-building strategy superior to traditional employment, especially as AI threatens job security.

Key takeaways
  • • The Venmo challenge identifies small businesses you already pay regularly by reviewing transaction history, then approaching owners with a value-add pitch (revenue growth, cost cutting, or operational help) to acquire equity without cash.
  • • A personal P&L review uses credit card statements to find small businesses worth buying, then structures deals where you gain ownership stake by helping the owner grow revenue or improve operations—Sanchez secured 50% of a podcast production business for $10,000.
  • • Expertise-to-equity deals require identifying three criteria: the business owner must be someone you can reach, you must possess a skill that adds value (sales, marketing, operations), and the deal should be structured as win-win from the start.
  • • Most small business acquisitions are valued at 2-3x profit (not revenue), and deal calculators help determine fair pricing; early-stage buyers should prioritize businesses at least 3-5 years old with consistent profitability and independent management layers.
  • • Buying in your existing industry provides an unfair advantage due to existing knowledge, relationships, and credibility; trades people especially should leverage certifications and market demand to acquire competitors or vendors.
  • • Business acquisition has an 80%+ success rate compared to startup failure rates of 90%, making it mathematically superior to launching new ventures, especially as a wealth-building strategy to gain equity ownership beyond salary.

Recommendations (3)

Venmo
Venmo uses

"So, I want to think about where you spend money on businesses and they have cash. So, think about this for a second... when you go and spend money with Venmo, you know that the business is small."

Codie Sanchez · ▶ 10:00

Excel
Excel uses

"I put it in an Excel spreadsheet. These days, you could throw that Venmo into AI and Rock and Roll."

Codie Sanchez · ▶ 11:03

StrikeFire Productions uses

"So I spent about 3K a month on that business. That is a podcast production business when I used to have a podcast way back in the day and it had $350,000 in revenue."

Codie Sanchez · ▶ 28:16

Mentioned (3)

PayPal
PayPal "Where are small businesses that you know you already spend money on? Well, probably in your Venmo..." ▶ 9:57
Goldman Sachs
Goldman Sachs "I used to work on Wall Street. I worked at Goldman Sachs and State Street for a decade." ▶ 5:13
State Street
State Street "I used to work on Wall Street. I worked at Goldman Sachs and State Street for a decade." ▶ 5:13

More from these creators

Do This Every Time You Get Paid (Paycheck Routine)

Codie Sanchez · Mar 30, 2026 · 5 recs

You’re Not Ready for Superintelligence

Codie Sanchez · Mar 20, 2026 · 5 recs

How to Get Ahead of 99% of People (Starting Today)

Codie Sanchez · Mar 14, 2026 · 2 recs

The Psychology of People Who Become Millionaires

Codie Sanchez · Mar 07, 2026

A Once in a Lifetime Economic Reset is Coming…

Codie Sanchez · Feb 27, 2026

How to Work Less and Make More Money

Codie Sanchez · Feb 20, 2026 · 5 recs