op quiz:

Name the books people read to learn about buying a business.

I'm betting that quiz was too easy and that you correctly guessed:

The HBR Guide to Buying a Small Business.

I wanted to commemorate 300 episodes of Acquiring Minds by interviewing the authors of this canonical work, and happily, Rick Ruback and Royce Yudkoff agreed.

"Rick & Royce", as they're known to students, are professors at Harvard Business School. They teach ETA there — to classes that are often standing-room-only.

And for those of us who did not attend HBS, we know Rick & Royce through the aforementioned book.

Today's interview is an introduction to this duo, and the story of how they became such an influential force in our ecosystem.

One of my favorite parts in the interview is when they learn what small businesses sell for.

You'll hear that, even for them, as with so many of us, the power of entrepreneurship through acquisition was like an exciting discovery.

"We started looking at the market and talking to people and finding out that in this small firm space, the multiples were really magical," they explain.

"So our attention was arrested by that, and it made us feel like it's a great opportunity."

Rick Ruback & Royce Yudkoff, Acquiring Minds interview
Rick & Royce during their Acquiring Minds interview

Another favorite part of the interview is the partnership itself.

It's clear after 5 minutes just how much fun Rick and Royce are having together and with this material.

See if you agree. Here are Rick Ruback and Royce Yudkoff, professors at HBS, authors of the HBR Guide to Buying a Small Business, and now hosts of the podcast Think Big, Buy Small.

And happy 300th episode everyone! Thank you for listening & helping me get Acquiring Minds this far.