450+ Stories of Entrepreneurship Through Acquisition.
The ETA Database lets you filter and sort 5 years of Acquiring Minds episodes by industry, deal size, geography, buyer background, and more. Updated with each new episode.
The number one question I get from listeners is: ‘Will, have you interviewed someone who bought a business in the industry I'm interested in?’ For years I’ve gotten that question. The ETA Database is designed to finally address it.
Sort and search episodes by the filters that matter to you
Exploring a thesis in a specific industry?
Pull up every episode featuring acquisitions in that space — how deals were structured, financed, and what the pitfalls looked like.
Want to connect with searchers in your geography?
Filter by location to see business acquisition stories in your region.
Coming from corporate, tech, finance, the military, or another background?
See how other people with your experience made the transition into acquisition entrepreneurship.
Looking at a live deal and wondering if you'd be crazy to go through with it?
Find episodes featuring similar deal structures so you can benchmark your thinking against someone who's already done it.
Tired of scrolling through the full episode archive on Spotify or YouTube?
This gives you the 30,000-foot view — in a structured, sortable format.
"Acquiring Minds has provided a universe of knowledge for me. I've gotten to explore industries, hear war stories, and gain valuable insights and tips. Most importantly, I've gotten to connect with 25+ people who have been on the pod, it's an incredible network. The service provider sponsors are also useful tools. Now with The ETA Database, it’s all in one place I can navigate with my eyes and not just my ears. This is huge for my learning journey. Go Will."
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"We've acquired several companies at Decada, and we plan to keep building and buying for decades. The Acquiring Minds database is the fastest way I've found to surface other holdco builders working in the industries and geographies we care about — and to share notes, meet likeminded operators, and see how others are approaching the same work."
"What a valuable resource. Be it searchers looking for businesses, or investors eager to see behind the scenes, this will help so many people in ETA home in on the case studies most relevant and interesting to them."
“I've been in the ETA space for a long time, and few resources cover our world with more depth than Acquiring Minds. This new database will help searchers find case studies — good, bad, ugly — that are relevant to them and make this path richer and safer for more entrepreneurs to pursue.”
"The ETA Database helps buyers find the most relevant episodes when they need them — to test their hypotheses against real-world stories."
“Will has generated an incredible set of perspectives from a wide-ranging set of entrepreneurs. This new database is such a strong way for folks to narrow down on the learnings & experiences they find most relevant to them. For new searchers, I recommend starting with the Horror Stories.”
“As a professor of ETA, I lean heavily on case studies to show my students the many paths (and pitfalls) of small business acquisition. This new database from Acquiring Minds will definitely be a resource I point them to going forward.”
“A great resource for searchers, investors, and vendors alike — I wish I had this when searching.”
"Acquiring Minds is THE resource for acquisition entrepreneurs. The ETA Database has become my first stop for getting smart on an industry. This is a must-have for searchers and sponsors.”
“The ETA Database will be a key resource for aspiring acquirers and operators alike.”
“Will Smith has created an incredibly useful database for anyone interested in learning about search. The ETA Database allows people to find the lessons most applicable to them and rapidly learn. Well done!”
“So many ETA case studies in one place will allow searchers (and investors) to quickly find the stories and people that matter to them. No other resource like it exists.”
Ready to Access The ETA Database?
Sort and search 450+ real acquisition stories recorded over 5 years — by the filters most relevant to you.