The Operator’s Perspective: Running a Business for an Owner

Most acquisition conversations focus on how to buy a business—and maybe how to run it in the early days. But what happens when you’re ready to step out of the day-to-day?

In this office hours, Chelsea sits down with Ted Bronstein, who brings his experience running operations for Tim Ericson (COO of Acquisition Lab).

Chelsea will also bring her own perspective, having been brought in by Walker Deibel to build and run Acquisition Lab.

Together, they explore:

• What helped build trust early between owner and operator
• Where expectations aligned—and where they didn’t
• What worked well in practice (and what didn’t)
• The biggest challenges they faced running the business day-to-day
• Lessons learned about communication, decision-making, and accountability

This is a candid, behind-the-scenes look at what it really takes to make the owner-operator relationship work.

We also connect the dots on a few of the recurring challenges operators and owners run into, and how those realities have shaped the way we think about supporting Lab members post-close.

If you’re planning to hire an operator, this session will give you a practical lens into one of the most important—and often misunderstood—roles in the business