Notes From the Trenches: Trying to Buy a Small Business

Join us for the second Twin Cities Small Business & ETA Group meetup, a casual but slightly more structured gathering for people interested in buying, operating, investing in, advising, or selling small businesses.

This week, I’ll share high-level notes and stats from my own search so far: 100+ seller conversations, brokered vs. proprietary deal flow, deals pursued, lessons from submitting LOIs, and what I’m learning about seller motivations and deal dynamics.

If time permits we can also discuss the economics of different paths to small business ownership, self-funded search, traditional search fund, and independent sponsor models.

If you own a business, this can be a useful way to hear what buyers look for, how buyers think about risk and valuation, and what makes a business more transferable when an owner is thinking about succession.

This is not a formal lecture. The goal is to compare notes, ask questions, and build a useful local community around buying, growing, and transitioning businesses.

Agenda:
6:00 to 6:20 PM: Networking
6:20 to 6:30 PM: Introductions
6:30 to 7:05 PM: Notes from the search trenches
7:05 to 7:30 PM: Search model and deal economics
7:30 to 8:00 PM: Open discussion and networking

Who should attend:
Searchers, aspiring acquirers, small business owners, operators, investors, lenders, brokers, advisors, students, and anyone interested in small business acquisition or succession.

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