I was talking with @J_M_Vogt and part of the conversation was about how a lack of familiarity with finance/transaction skills in EtA inhibits qualified people from jumping in.

I hate this, so here's my 'hype thread' for operators who are scared by the deal aspect of acquisitions

There's a belief that LOIs, financial models, and due diligence are the domain of Wall St. and the jargon (EBITDA, etc) reinforces that.

While I have an MBA, my 1st deal was terrifying. I am self taught as a buyer and I made lots of mistakes, but if I can do it, you can, too.

For SMB purchases, advanced skills are seldom necessary and can even be detrimental by being too savvy and scaring away less sophisticated sellers.

Think of all of the people w/o MBAs or prior jobs at an investment bank who buy companies. If they can do it, so can you.

Is it a good idea to be as familiar as you can with the basic process steps and concepts? Yes, of course.

This info is very accessible on the internet.

Read articles, download templates, DM people on Twitter.

Use the same tenacity you have as an operator to get smarter.

If you are confident in your ability to lead a business, but have felt intimidated by the deal process, don't worry, you've got this.

But, start now. Even a bit of knowledge paired with a competent lawyer and a CPA will be enough in most cases to lead to a good outcome.

Entrepreneurs solve problems and overcome obstacles. This is no different and you will figure it out.

Find a company, get it under contract-if you're honest & work hard, the rest will follow.

Don't let a process of a few months sabotage a much longer life changing opportunity!