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5 Takeaways from Harvard's ETA Conference

December 13, 2021
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arvard's acquisition entrepreneurship conference took place last week. Organizer Michael Ledecky shares 5 takeaways, including:

  • Buy a good business in a great industry
  • 4+1 Model for searching
  • 3 industries for acquisition entrepreneurs to consider
  • Mental health in search
  • Women in search
  • Thai Lee, acquisition entrepreneur who became a billionaire
  • Diversifying paths of search
  • Predictions for search in 2022 & 2023

Tons of names & resources cited in this episode. Here they all are:

Read MoreStories
Christine TraylorHow to Build $7.5m in Net Worth by Buying a B&B
JD HasleyHow to Grow Revenue 50% in Year 1
Kin SioThe Entrepreneur Awakens: Pivoting from Tech to Ownership
Julia & Grant HenselQuitting Consulting to Buy a $1m SDE Agency
Scott AlexanderRebuilding from 80% Collapse to Mid-7 Figures Revenue
Devin FitzgeraldBuying $5m of Revenue with $50k of Equity
Michael DavidovHow to Use an SBA Loan to Roll Up from $6m to $140m
Collective Creative Outdoors backyard projectHow 1 Couple Bought 2 Businesses
Jason JacksonHow to Recover from a Fraudulent Seller
powder coatingTurning a $250k Investment into $7m+
Lodging Source team at dinnerBuying a Remote, 20-Year-Old Business with $900k of SDE
Victoria Renovations team21 Months to Stability Buying a $1.2m SDE Business
Southern Biological products screenshotHow to Build a Niche Holdco with $2m in Earnings
Woodland Face Veneer exteriorHiding in Plain Sight on BizBuySell: $800k SDE for 2x
Paramount Plastics teamHow to Build a $100m Holdco: The Power of ESOPs
Seracon pure maple syrup candleHow to Reinvent a $1m Candle Manufacturer
Málaga beachStars Align After 4 Broken Deals
Mr. Liquidator of Chilliwack exteriorWhen Buying a Retail Business Makes Sense
Professional Fence exampleFedEx & Fencing: A Pivot into Ownership
Jared Benoff's parentsWhy Buy a Travel Agency (Because They Can Crush It)
Kevin Moyer in front of Smash My Trash truckDeciding to Start, Not Buy, a Small Business
inside a steel plantHow to Buy a Multinational
Jed MorrisLessons from 24 Acquisition Nightmares
Shaugn Lindley in front of forklift at R&R LiftFrom Tech Sales to Forklift Repair
Peace Vans in SeattleBuilding a Beloved Brand from a Tiny, Dying Business
Nick Munsee with Hales Engineering teamThe Appeal (and Risk) of Buying a Consulting Firm
Sean Daly in front of Ice-C-Cool Mechanical truckWhy Treat an Acquisition Like a Startup
BUNKER document storage facility in Santo DomingoBuying in a Small Market, Building a Regional Powerhouse
CraneWorks logo on an I-beamHow to Build a Holdco Foundation: Patiently
downtown Brentwood, TennesseeBack from the Brink: When Everybody Quits Day 1
Lucas Philips and the Newark Auto teamHow to Buy & Transform a 120-Year-Old Manufacturer
Christine Nelson with babyBehind Every Great Searcher: A Wife's Journey with Search
flooded basementNetworking His Way to $800k SDE
Affordable Flooring Warehouse exteriorBuy, Grow, Exit for a 24x Return in 3.5 Years
commercial glassHow to Lead a Trades Business Without Knowing the Trade
Mike's Fencing technician building fenceHow to Move the Needle in a $600k SDE Trades Business
Positano at duskAwakening to Entrepreneurship to Buy a Not-Boring Business
portable sinks from Monsam EnterprisesHow a Couple Left Tech to Buy a Business Together
Ayo Phillips doing the workHow to Survive Buying into a Terrible Industry
pool servicerThe $50m Lifestyle Holdco
Stateline Products customer siteHow to 4x a Contracting Business in 3 Years
Triem Industries interiorHow to Buy a $13m Business with No PG, No Investors
Sharon's Heating & Air Conditioning vanBullseye: Buying a $1m SDE Business in a Hot Industry
French Florist interiorTaking a Flower Shop from $600k to $9 Million
smart home exteriorThe Path to Becoming a Better Operator & Strategist
Nick Molina & the Kleinman Realty teamFirst-Timer Buys 8-Figure Business 4 Hours Away
Dunkin Donuts signageHow to Buy Franchise Businesses, Then Sell to PE
brick tongs from BT EngineeringFrom Frustrated Searcher to $3.5m Owner to Holdco Builder
torn partnershipPerils in Partnership: Plumbing Acquisition Gone Wrong
restaurant vent hoodAdjusting to Life in a Nocturnal Business (with $525k SDE)
electrical technicianHow (and Why) to Buy an Electrical Business
Jordan Dubin with the Right Way Garage Doors teamFirst Acquisition in March, $200m by Year End
tractor trailersBuying in a Huge but Overlooked Market
Michael Johnson & SpeedPro NW Raleigh TeamThe Thrill & Validation of Becoming an Owner
web hostingMicro-Acquiring to $300k SDE on 5 Hours Per Week
LiceDoctors logoHigh Margin & Big Upside in Lice Treatment
Veterinaria Integravet exteriorHow 2 Entrepreneurs are Rolling Up a New Market
fencing at a military base entranceHow to Become an Independent Sponsor
Rick Ruback & Royce Yudkoff - Acquiring Minds interviewThe 2 Professors Who Helped Start the ETA Movement
Top Termite fumigated houseBuying a Job to Build a Business
side porch by The Porch Company$6m Business, 3 Minutes From Childhood Home
Industrial Applied Electric yardBuying a Business to Build a Life
Gat Caperton in front of Gat Creek logoBuying & Building a $60m Manufacturer
medical bill2 Years to Buy, Double & Exit a Medical Billing Firm
empty indoor poolSmall SDE, Big Upside: Buying a Business with 5 Employees
Turner Hat Company warehouseLeaving Amazon to Buy a $3m Apparel Brand
confession of judgmentBusiness Collapse After Going All-In
Allied Hydromulch jobMargins in Mulch: Buying a $1m Erosion Control Business
ABL Imaging interiorThe Model for a 3-Way, Long-Term Holdco
Taylor Wallace & Tyler O’ConnorWhy Sell to Private Equity: Former Guest Has an Exit
George Tibil, Keith Fields, and ServiceMaster Clean BuffaloTurning Around a Blue Collar Business in Decline
ATM machine repairWhen the Business Can't Be Saved: Resilience
Batteries Plus exteriorThe Appeal of Franchise Buying: $1m EBITDA in 2 Years
Brittney Orellano & the Radio Controlled Garage Door & Gate teamOne Year Into a Garage Door Business with $350k SDE
South Pleasantburg NurseryBuying the Neighborhood Nursery (with $800k in Earnings)
2pSxP61bGkYControl & Family: Drivers of a Self-Funded Search
Cowgirl Kitchen outside tablesBuilding a Portfolio of Nostalgia Restaurants
Julie & Janna Hottinger in the shopWhite-Collar Sisters Buy a Blue-Collar Business
American Spray Technologies pumpsLeaving Corporate to Buy a $4m Manufacturer
Hydroscale scale faceExited but Tired: 5 Years in a Hard Business
Meredith & Michael SchlinkertYoung Couple Starts a Family Business By Buying One
Tony Cappaert, Adam Borcz, Niklas JamesInvestor Perspective on Self-Funded Search
terminal blocks from Elec-Tron5 Businesses Acquired with a Long-Term Hold Model
Lisa Forrest, Matt Dolsky, Brad HettichSBA Lender Roundtable: State of the Market
Gabe & Kristen PerezOne Couple, 4 Kids, and a Business 3 Hours Away
muffinsAfter 4 Years of Part-Time Searching, Success
Merry Maids logoBuy Fast: A Good Reason to Buy Small
Retro 51 pensTangible & Collectible: Buying a Consumer Product Company
Jordan Evans & the Language Network teamWhite Collar Roll-Up from $700k to $12m
Atlanta Furniture Taxi teamReflections on 2 Years in the Knife Fight
fastenersThe Scrappy Path of a One-Man Holdco
Baltimore Orioles bannerGetting Reps: Helping Others Look at Deals Led to a Holdco
technicians fixing a generatorBuilding a $10m EBITDA Leader in a Fragmented Space
Dominick Blue at Air ASAPBuying & Growing a Business While Keeping a Day Job
Globales empleadosBuy as Search Fund, Keep as Long-Term Owner
workers in a restoration businessIt Really Happened: 100% Financing for an $8m Business
Quad Industries factory floorTurning $500k into a $38m Holdco (No Investors)
Dan Verboski with teamCandid Reflections on 7 Years of SMB Ownership
Minds Capital logoAnnouncing: Minds Capital
MasterCraft Coatings customer propertyWhy Work IN the Business You Buy (Not Just On It)
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