Author Archives: Jim Sharpe
Learning About Search
Learning about EtA (Entrepreneurship through Acquisition) is challenging, just like searching for a business to buy! It takes persistence, perseverance, hard work and chasing down a lot of dead ends. For entrepreneurial start-ups there is…
Why Search? Is it right for you?
Searching for a business to buy almost sounds too good to be true! You want to be an entrepreneur, but have no "great idea" to launch a start-up. Perhaps you have just completed an MBA…
Roll Up Strategies
Acquiring multiple businesses within the same industry is a dream for many searchers, but it’s far from reality in actual practice. While the acquisition process is very similar to Entrepreneurship through Acquisition (EtA), the additional…
When to Search?
Deciding when to start your search is one of the more significant decisions in your entrepreneurial life; be sure you get it right, as you may likely get only one chance. Search is not for…
Where to search from?
Choosing the geographic boundaries of your search has far-reaching implications on your tactics, fundraising, personal expenditures and even the perception of the sellers you may purchase from. Selecting a home base from which to work…
Searching Internationally
An increasing number of searchers return to their "home country" to launch a search. This post is based on input from over 20 international searchers who have launched within the last 5 years and share…
International Searchers Inside the USA
The USA has the highest number of searchers in the world and a robust infrastructure to support them, yet many international searchers choose to return to their own country to find a business (See Blog…
Choosing a search partner – or not!
After fully committing to a search, one of the next critical decision is whether to identify a partner for the journey, or to forge ahead as a solo searcher. Remember, you may be fully engaged…
Funding the Search
Determining how to fund your search process can have a significant impact while searching and afterward as a CEO and business owner. Over the past few decades, search has evolved in many ways, and in…
Searching Mid-Career
When to start an EtA (Entrepreneurship through Acquisition) search in your career can be a vexing and very personal question. Should you do it now, or wait? And if you wait, will "life" get in…