My ETA Journey: The Emotional Rollercoaster
Five months ago, I joined my husband full-time on his Entrepreneurship Through Acquisition (ETA) journey. Up until then, I had been cheering him on from the sidelines, but stepping into the process myself was a whole new experience. I thought I was ready—I had read all the books, joined the Acquisition Lab, taken courses, and listened to countless episodes of Acquiring Minds. I felt confident and prepared, armed with knowledge and strategies. But once I was fully immersed in the day-to-day realities of ETA, I quickly realized that nothing could have prepared me for just how emotionally intense this journey would be.
The Highs and Lows
As we navigated the ETA journey, we experienced moments that were both exhilarating and heartbreaking. One moment stands out vividly. We found a company that checked every single box on our list—and to top it off, it was our 9-year-old son’s dream business. We didn’t tell him much about it, but we knew he would be so excited, and honestly, we were too. It felt like the perfect fit. We did all our research, placed a bid, and got our hopes up. But then we were outbid.
It was disappointing, but we moved on, diving back into the deal flow grind. Weeks later, out of the blue, the broker called to say we might still have a shot if we improved our offer. That night, we stayed up yet again until midnight crunching numbers, meeting with banks, and fine-tuning our bid. The excitement came rushing back—only to be dashed again when the owners signed with another buyer.
The emotional swings in this process are intense. One moment you’re thrilled about a potential deal; the next, you’re drained from the negotiations or let down when things don’t go your way.
A Team Effort
If there’s one thing that has kept us going through this rollercoaster ride, it’s doing this together. Making big decisions—like raising an offer—is nerve-wracking enough, but having someone to talk it through with at 1 a.m., someone who truly understands the stakes, makes all the difference.
We’ve also found that we balance each other out emotionally. When one of us starts feeling anxious about not having found the right company yet, the other somehow manages to stay optimistic. It’s not something we planned—it just happens naturally—but it keeps us moving forward without losing momentum.
Lessons Learned
One thing I wish I had known before starting this journey is how important it is to get organized early on. At first, we tracked everything in Excel, but as deal flow picked up, it quickly became overwhelming. There are so many moving parts in an ETA search—leads coming in, follow-ups to track, valuations to calculate—and without a solid system in place, things can fall through the cracks fast.
That’s when I set up our search process in ClickUp. Suddenly, everything felt manageable again. Automations ensured nothing slipped through the cracks, and we had peace of mind knowing everything was under control. With that system in place, we were able to bring on interns—three in our first cohort!—and scale up our efforts even more.
What’s Next?
We’re still deep in the search process and learning something new every day. This journey is challenging in ways I never imagined—but it’s also rewarding beyond words. I’m excited to share more stories from our ETA adventure in future blogs: lessons learned, tips for staying sane during deal flow chaos, and maybe even (fingers crossed) what happens when we finally find the one.
If you’re on your own ETA journey—or thinking about starting one—I hope this gives you a glimpse into what it’s really like and helps you feel a little less alone. Also, I’d love to hear about your journey!