ETA Insider Podcast

This month’s episode features a live recording from the Harper Center with Aizik Zimerman, MBA ’23, CEO of J Blanton Plumbing, a business he acquired during his second year at Booth. Unlike many ETA students focused on quick exits, Zimerman is dedicated to long-term growth, aiming to build the business into the nation's largest home services company. Influenced by his family's immigrant background and entrepreneurial success, Zimerman brings a wealth of experience from investment banking, private equity, and management roles in tech companies like Uber Eats. His journey exemplifies resilience and a commitment to creating lasting impact through entrepreneurship.

This podcast explores the changing world of search funds, discussing demographic trends, investor landscapes, and concerns about market growth. They highlight the opportunities and challenges of navigating the search fund frontier, emphasizing the normalization of search funds and the evolution of search fund models

This month’s episode features Peter Jackson, the owner and CEO of Miller Industrial, as he shares his remarkable journey from the world of Wall Street to becoming a key player in Main Street entrepreneurship. The discussion delves into Peter’s diverse career experiences, from corporate finance to his pivotal role at Groupon, leading up to the acquisition of Miller Industrial in 2018. Explore the challenges, triumphs, and lessons learned as Peter navigated the complexities of self-funding, searching for a business, and the ongoing responsibilities of industrial entrepreneurship.

Former President & CEO of SMS Assist, Marc Shiffman, shares his journey transitioning from finance to innovation and building a billion-dollar enterprise. Topics include strategic decision-making during the pandemic, the importance of technology, and scaling up a small business through diversification and clear vision.

Manny Saxena, Founder and Chairman at Mars Energy Group, discusses his experiences in corporate America and the startup world. He shares pivotal decision-making moments that led him to embrace ETA, the importance of confidence and emotional intelligence, building a support network, and successfully competing in the contract sweeping industry. Manny also talks about his new venture in the solar industry and his plans to acquire multiple companies.

This month’s episode of the ETA Insider Podcast features Lisa Forrest, Director of Live Oak Bank. At the time of the taping last March, the LMM SBA market was in the throws of adjusting to the interest rate shocks. Deal flow at that time was in a state of disarray as buyers, sellers, and lenders were all trying to figure out acquisition structures in this rate environment. Almost 7 months later, the market is starting to adjust and many lenders like Live Oak Bank will end up with solid 2023 production and heading into 2024 with a good pipeline of transactions. Ms. Forrest also refers to some potential SBA SOP changes that, as of this drop, are still in flux. It would be an understatement to say that the LMM for self-funded searchers has seen disruption in 2023. But with disruption also comes opportunity. Released October 31, 2023

Tim Lahey, CEO of r:Home, discusses personal risk assessment in entrepreneurship, acquisition process, challenges of scaling a service-oriented business, and the value of industry knowledge. He reflects on personal growth and learning experiences in ETA, encouraging aspiring entrepreneurs.

Clement Lucas, Principal of Relay Investment, discusses the importance of diversity within the ETA ecosystem and the value it brings to both resumes and teams. The episode also covers the significance of partnering with investors who have pattern recognition and values alignment, common mistakes in ETA, and advice for aspiring searchers and CEOs.

This month’s episode of the ETA Insider Podcast features Jan Simon, the Managing Partner of Vonzeo Capital, a Professor of the Practice of Management in Entrepreneurship at IESE, and the Academic Director of its International Search Fund Center. Jan’s expertise and research focuses on investment strategies, mergers and acquisitions, and entrepreneurial acquisitions. Prior to working in the investment world, Jan spent four years in the Special Forces. In his conversation with Brian, Jan discusses how to think about market inefficiencies, performance persistence, stage-appropriate capital, and risk-adjusted returns in ETA.

In this episode of the ETA Insider Podcast, Brian interviews Nick Oberhouse, MBA ‘20, CEO of DAWGS (Door and Window Guard Systems, Inc.). After graduating from Chicago Booth, Nick partnered with NextGen Growth Partners (NGP) to acquire a business, eventually acquiring DAWGS in October 2021. DAWGS serves municipal and commercial property owners by securing their buildings with DAWGS' patented steel security system. Nick discusses how he transitioned from a background in consulting to a career in ETA, how he navigated building long term relationships with businesses during the global and economic uncertainty of the pandemic, why he chose an incubated/sponsored search as his search method, and how he maintains a symbiotic relationship with the original founder of DAWGS.