oday's guest observes that many great entrepreneurs are risk mitigators more than they are risk takers.

Risk mitigation was his own approach, and it worked out very well for Jake Bittner.

Jake had devoted the first 10 years of his career to enterprise software sales. Selling, he calculated, was the best skill to cultivate for a successful entrepreneurial future.

He also built deep expertise and a network throughout his niche of government-focused data analytics.

Finally, he built up a nest egg during that decade.

So by the time he had the opportunity to buy a business in his industry, he was extremely well positioned. He understood the business deeply. He knew the clients. He could hold his breath and not take salary for a while.

And this recipe was enough to get the business, which was actually an unprofitable carve-out, on firm footing.

But it wasn't until a few years later that Jake and his partner scrutinized their business model and made a pivot.

That's when things really took off, culminating in a life-changing exit for the duo.

Listen for Jake's enthusiasm for govtech, which is not a category we hear much about in ETA. After this story gets out there, maybe that will change.

Here he is, Jake Bittner, former CEO and co-owner of Qlarion, and an LP at Minds Capital.