Alex Mears brings expertise from the world of big private equity to our world of buying small businesses. Alex has worked at both Carlyle and Blackstone, two of the marquee names in private equity, and along the way has helped upwards of 70 searchers on the side, 40 of whom have actually completed their searches and bought businesses. Alex and I get into: how to evaluate quality in a business you're considering buying sussing out the integrity of the seller how to protect against employee surprises after you're handed the keys and much more We also talk about search accelerators: what they are, how they're different than conventional search fund investors, and the Brydon Group, Alex's own newly launched search accelerator that Steve Ressler, a name you'll recognize, is his partner in. Alex's depth of business-buying expertise, both large and small companies, is evident in the first minutes of the interview. So enjoy this meaty episode with Alex Mears of the Brydon Group.

redacted