Think Big, Buy Small A Bird’s Eye View of ETA
40 snips
Sep 15, 2025 
Will Smith, Partner at Minds Capital and host of the Acquiring Minds podcast, brings a wealth of insight from his extensive interviews with searchers-turned-entrepreneurs. He discusses key traits that distinguish successful searchers, including adaptability and grit. The conversation delves into evaluating business acquisitions, emphasizing the importance of quality revenue. Will also highlights the challenges in small firm transactions, including buyer-seller relationship complexities and common pitfalls that can derail ventures, offering invaluable advice for aspiring business owners.
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From Discovery To Podcast
- Will Smith discovered ETA later in life and launched the Acquiring Minds podcast instead of immediately buying a business.
- The podcast grew quickly and became his primary focus while he continued to contemplate a future acquisition.
Persistence Trumps Specific Skills
- The common trait among successful searchers is commitment and persistence more than any single technical skill.
- Search is self-imposed work that rewards discipline and the willingness to keep going despite dead ends.
Quality Over Binary Recurrence
- Quality of revenue is the top thing to evaluate; recurring revenue is highest quality but not the only path.
- Assess the likelihood a dollar repeats year-to-year rather than treating recurrence as binary.