Entrepreneurship Through Acquisition (ETA) Services
Build, buy, and grow a business with confidence, supported by strategic finance, due diligence, and real operational experience.
Entrepreneurship Through Acquisition is one of the most powerful ways to become a business owner. Instead of starting from zero, you acquire an existing, profitable company with real customers, real operations, and real cash flow.
But buying a business is not simple. ETA founders face a steep learning curve, financial diligence, cash flow forecasting, valuation, debt structuring, transition planning, team leadership, and the first 100 days of operations.
This is where we come in.
We help ETA entrepreneurs acquire healthy companies, avoid costly mistakes, and grow into confident owners.
Who We Help
We work with people who want to buy a business and operate it, not from theory, but from a position of financial clarity, confidence, and practicality. Typical clients include:
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Search fund entrepreneurs (self-funded or funded)
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First-time buyers pursuing ETA after corporate careers
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Operators in tech, consulting, and finance transitioning into small business ownership
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Family buyers acquiring a local business
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Entrepreneurs seeking their second or third acquisition
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Buyers targeting service, industrial, B2B, healthcare, education, or recurring-revenue companies
We support clients across the USA and Canada, with a particular focus on stable, profitable companies between $1M–$20M in revenue.
Challenges ETA Entrepreneurs Face
Buying a business is exciting, but it’s also filled with pitfalls that new buyers underestimate:
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Difficulty evaluating the true financial health of a target
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Unreliable or messy seller financials
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Overpaying because of poor valuation modeling
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Structuring debt incorrectly and running into cash shortages later
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Being unprepared for the first 100 days of ownership
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Underestimating payroll, seasonality, and capital requirements
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No clear plan for operational handoff or the owner transition
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No financial system in place to support long-term growth
You don’t need a full-time CFO.
You need a strategic partner who understands ETA and can guide you before, during, and after acquisition.
Pre-Acquisition Support
Pre-Acquisition Support
We review financial statements, tax returns, payroll, margins, expenses, and cash flow patterns to validate the stability of the business you're buying.
Valuation Modeling & Scenario Planning
We build financial models so you understand:
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What the business is truly worth
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How much debt it can support
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The impact of pricing, costs, and growth changes
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Expected returns under conservative, base, and aggressive cases
Financing Guidance (Debt + Equity)
We help you prepare financial packages for lenders and investors, understand SBA and conventional lending options, and structure terms that keep you safe.
Operational Risk Assessment
We identify early red flags — customer concentration, margin compression, key employee risk, deferred maintenance, or hidden expenses.
What We Do for ETA Buyers
We help you gain clarity, quantify risks, and make smart decisions, from your first deal screen to the first year of ownership.
Support at Closing
Cash Flow Planning for the First 100 Days
We build a cash plan so you know exactly how much runway you have, what your obligations are, and when cash will move.
Transition Planning
We help you prepare for the founder transition, staff communication, process handoff, and customer continuity.
Systems & Controls Setup
We stabilize your finance environment from day one — reporting, bookkeeping, payroll, KPIs, dashboards, banking, and basic controls.
Post-Acquisition & Ongoing Support
CFO Advisory for New Operators
We support you as you become the operator: reviewing monthly results, interpreting performance, and guiding decisions.
KPI Development
We help you build a simple, repeatable dashboard focused on:
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Cash
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Margins
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Collections
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Retention
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Cost control
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Debt service
Profitability Improvement
We identify unnecessary expenses, process gaps, pricing opportunities, and margin improvements.
Growth Planning
Once the business stabilizes, we support expansion — adding services, raising prices, entering new markets, or acquiring bolt-on businesses.
Our Approach
Spend every day growing your business, not wrestling the chaos.
We are experienced growth CFOs who’ve weathered a climate of austerity. You get insights from running and scaling a real tutoring company with more than 90 tutors. You'll also get practical private-equity experience advising and evaluating other companies as an investment.
Our job is to help business owners build an enduringly profitable company. With real-world experience at scale, you'll finally have a thought partner.
Proven Experience in Growing, Scaling and Selling Businesses
Successfully scaled and sold businesses ranging from a $100K accounting firm to a $100M software company.
Searched with an Accelerator
Gained extensive experience as a searcher, partnering with a leading accelerator in the industry. Reviewed over 800 deals, made more than 80 offers, and engaged in several due diligence processes.
Ongoing Personal Commitment to ETA
We remain committed to the ETA ecosystem. We sponsor events, mentor/coach searchers and provide free coaching sessions to aspiring acquisition entrepreneurs.
The ETA Success Path (How We Work)
01
Discovery Call
We discuss your search criteria, deal flow, prior experience, concerns, and the type of business you want to buy.
02
ETA Financial Diagnostic
We analyze your current deal pipeline or review a specific target.
You get clear insights, risk assessments, and next steps.17
03
Acquisition Support
We help you evaluate the target, build the financial model, and prepare for conversations with lenders or investors.
04
Closing & First 90 Days
We stabilize finances, build your reporting environment, and set your business up for success.
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Ongoing CFO Advisory
Monthly reviews, forecasting, and financial guidance as you scale.
NEWSLETTER
Do you work with SBA deals?
Yes. We frequently support buyers using SBA loans and help model debt service risk.
Do you replace my accountant or lawyer?
No. We work alongside them. We focus on financial modeling, analysis, and operational strategy.
What size of business do you support?
Typically between $1M–$20M in revenue, but we occasionally work outside this range.
Can you help me evaluate multiple deals?
Yes. We support clients reviewing several deals throughout their ETA search.
Do you work with funded searchers?
Yes. We work with both funded and self-funded searchers.
Do you help after the acquisition?
Yes. Stabilizing the business after close is one of our strongest value areas.
