Shaugn Lindley
Family First 👨👩👦 | Building a Forklift Business
ETA Operator | Former RVP @ SAP
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I bought a 31 year old forklift business at age 40. Building it from $1.2M to $10M.
Documenting everything on X
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Owner & President of R&R Lift | Austin to San Antonio, TX
ABOUT
I spent 10 years climbing the ladder at SAP — Sales Executive, Sales Director, RVP. 7x Presidents Club Winner. 2x Sales Rep of the Year. 2x Sales Director of the Year. Built and led teams across the West and Southwest.
In 2024, I got laid off two days before my 40th birthday while on vacation. My fiancée was pregnant with our first son.
I decided to bet on myself.
Nine months later, I bought R&R Lift — a 31 year old forklift service business in Austin, Texas. In the first year we grew revenue 18% and grew our headcount by 3. I’m building this thing the right way: best in class service, scalable infrastructure, top tier people, A+ culture.
Follow me on X to watch it happen in real time.
THE DEAL
Getting laid off two days before your 40th birthday — while on vacation, with a baby on the way — isn't exactly the plan.
But it cracked something open.
After 10 years at SAP, I'd done well by any measure. RVP of Sales. Seven Presidents Clubs. 2x Sales Rep of the Year. 2x Sales Director of the Year. Led teams across the West Coast and the Southwest. The corporate path was clear.
It just wasn't mine anymore.
I took three weeks off and did a real prioritization exercise. Passions. Long term goals. Ideal week. Pros and cons. Would my son be proud of his dad? What's my actual risk tolerance?
Entrepreneurship kept coming up.
So I went back to my roots. Before corporate, I'd bought a franchise restaurant at 23 with my business partner — zero experience, seller-financed, figured it out. We doubled the value in three years. I knew what it felt like to build something.
I spent months in the ETA world. Signed 100+ NDAs. Looked at laundromats, landscaping companies, IT businesses, pet services. Talked to brokers. Almost went under contract multiple times.
Then I found it.
R&R Lift. 31 years in business. Austin based. Forklift service, repair, and maintenance. Consistent cash flow. No major customer concentration. Great reputation.
SBA 7a loan. Personal financial statement. Business appraisal. Three years of financials. A purchase agreement. Life insurance. Forms on top of forms. Nine months total from layoff to keys in hand.
I closed on the business and started operating day 1 in October 2024.
We finished 2025 at $1.65M.
The goal is $5M by 2029.
$10M by 2034.
I'm building this in public. Follow along on X.
WHAT I KNOW
Sales & Revenue
10 years at SAP growing from Sales Executive to RVP. Led enterprise software sales across the West Coast and the Southwest. 7x Presidents Club winner. 2x Sales Rep of the Year. 2x Sales Director of the Year. Now applying that playbook to a commercial equipment services business.
Operations & Team Building
Running a 9-person forklift service company with 4 field techs, a service manager, a sales rep, and office team. Focused on SOPs, scheduling efficiency, parts procurement, and building a team that can scale. Grew SDE from $420K to $617K in year one.
ETA & Deal-Making
Went through the full ETA process — 9 months, 100+ NDAs, SBA financing, and nearly losing the deal before getting it back. Now sharing everything I learned publicly so other operators can move faster and smarter.
BACKGROUND
2024 – Present | President & Owner | R&R Lift | Austin, TX
Acquired a 31 year old forklift service and repair business via SBA 7a financing. I’m building this thing the right way: best in class service, scalable infrastructure, top tier people, A+ culture. Servicing Austin to San Antonio.
2014 – 2024 | Sales Executive → Sales Director → RVP | SAP | Austin, TX
Ten year run at one of the world’s leading enterprise software companies. Built and led sales teams across the West Coast and Southwest. 7x Presidents Club winner. 2x Sales Leader of the Year. 2x Sales Executive of the Year. Left as RVP when the role was eliminated.
2011 – 2014 | Senior Sales Executive | LivingSocial | Seattle, WA
Drove revenue growth in the consumer marketplace space in the Pacific Northwest.
2007 – 2010 | Franchise Owner | The Pita Pit | Seattle, WA
Bought my first business at 23. Seller-financed, zero experience. Doubled the value in three years before selling and joining corporate.
BY THE NUMBERS
7x — Presidents Club at SAP
2x — Sales Director of the Year
2x — Sales Rep of the Year
31 — Years R&R Lift had been in business when I bought it
$1.65M — R&R Lift revenue in 2025
$617K — SDE in 2024
100+ — NDAs signed during ETA search
9 months — Time from layoff to close
$5M — Revenue target for R&R Lift by 2029