Entrepreneurship Through Acquisition Training Course

Overview

Entrepreneurship Through Acquisition Training Course is a one-week intermediate course for entrepreneurs, executives, investors and successors, who leave with an ETA Search and Acquisition Decision File. The course connects acquisition thesis, search models, target screening, outreach, valuation, due diligence, financing, negotiation, transaction structure, transition, governance and value creation. It addresses the path to owning and leading an established business without treating acquisition as guaranteed success. Agile Leaders Training Center presents entrepreneurship through acquisition practice.

Who Should Attend

• People responsible for evaluating entrepreneurship through business acquisition
• People responsible for search-fund or self-funded search decisions
• Teams responsible for acquisition analysis, financing and transaction support
• Family-business successors evaluating ownership transitions
• Executives preparing to acquire and operate an established enterprise

The course assumes participants can read basic financial statements and assess business opportunities; it leaves out jurisdiction-specific legal, tax and investment advice.

Departments and Industries

The course supports entrepreneurship through acquisition across privately held business sectors.

• Entrepreneurship, strategy and business-development functions
• Investment, finance and transaction teams
• Family enterprise and succession offices
• Professional services, technology and education businesses
• Healthcare, distribution and business-services firms
• Private investors and search-fund communities

Learning Objectives

By the end of this course, participants will be able to:

• Compare ETA and search-fund operating models.
• Build an acquisition thesis and target criteria.
• Analyze valuation, diligence and financing evidence.
• Evaluate transaction structures and negotiation positions.
• Prioritize transition, governance and value-creation actions.
• Build an ETA Search and Acquisition Decision File.

Course Agenda

Day 1: Define the ETA Path

• Entrepreneurship Through Acquisition Lifecycle Map
• Traditional Search Fund and Self-Funded Search Comparison
• Searcher Readiness and Resource Assessment
• Acquisition Thesis and Investment Criteria
• Search Budget and Timeline Model

Day 2: Find and Screen Targets

• Target Industry and Business Quality Scorecard
• Proprietary and Intermediated Sourcing Plan
• Seller Outreach and Conversation Guide
• Target Screening and Prioritization Funnel
• Confidentiality and Information Request Checklist

Day 3: Value and Investigate the Business

• Normalized Earnings and Cash-Flow Review
• Comparable and Cash-Flow Valuation Range
• Commercial, Financial and Operational Due Diligence Plan
• Customer, Supplier and Management Dependency Map
• Red-Flag and Deal-Risk Register

Day 4: Structure and Negotiate the Acquisition

• Indication of Interest and Letter of Intent Terms
• Debt, Equity and Seller-Financing Mix
• Purchase Price and Consideration Structure
• Negotiation Mandate and Trade-Off Matrix
• Closing Conditions and Transaction Workplan

Day 5: Practice Ownership Transition

• Exercise: Test an Acquisition Thesis Against Targets
• Exercise: Review Valuation and Due Diligence Evidence
• Exercise: Structure a Financing and Offer Position
• Exercise: Build a First 100 Days Governance Plan
• Capstone Exercise: Complete the ETA Search and Acquisition Decision File

Practical Exercises

The course uses suggested activities based on business services, software, education and distribution acquisition scenarios.

• Suggested activity: compare traditional search-fund and self-funded pathways.
• Suggested activity: screen targets against recurring-revenue, concentration and owner-dependency criteria.
• Suggested activity: identify valuation adjustments and diligence priorities from a case file.
• Suggested activity: negotiate an offer position and first-100-day priorities.

FAQs

Who suits entrepreneurship through acquisition training?

Entrepreneurship through acquisition training suits aspiring owner-operators, executives, successors and investors assessing the purchase and leadership of an established business.

How does entrepreneurship through acquisition differ from a startup?

Entrepreneurship through acquisition begins with an operating business, customers, people and financial history, while a startup builds those elements from an earlier stage.

What is a search fund in entrepreneurship through acquisition?

A search fund is a structure in which an entrepreneur raises investor capital to finance a search and, if a suitable target is found, support its acquisition and leadership transition.

What evidence matters during small-business acquisition due diligence?

Acquisition due diligence examines earnings quality, cash flow, customers, suppliers, people, operations, contracts, assets, liabilities, compliance and the assumptions supporting value and financing.

Why is a first 100 days plan needed after acquisition?

A first 100 days plan sequences stakeholder communication, governance, cash controls, leadership transition, operational priorities and evidence gathering without assuming immediate large-scale change.

Conclusion

Participants take back an ETA Search and Acquisition Decision File linking the thesis, search model, targets, valuation, diligence, financing, terms, transition and value-creation priorities. The file makes assumptions and decisions traceable. It supports disciplined evaluation and ownership preparation while preserving the need for qualified legal, tax, financial and investment advice.