Best way into search fund field?
December 01, 2024
by a searcher from University of California, Riverside in Rancho Cucamonga, CA, USA
I see posting looking for interns, unfortunately a 100% salary reduction does not seem possible for me at the current time. I also see some searchers looking for experienced operators. I have experience in the transportation field which I imagine a lot of people are shopping in right now. If I had the opportunity to acquire or be involved in a transportation related acquisition. I would be very open to help.
from Boston University in Iowa City, IA, USA
From what I have seen so far, finding a reasonable deal that meets your criteria is a crucial initial part of the search fund process. Folks often add that good deals naturally attract investment capital.
The searching portion is such a large deal that Stanford Model Search Fund are paid a salary for up to two years (often >100K/yr + budget) to search for a company (which many searchers seem to have zero experience doing themselves when adding in interns).
As a result, I disagree with the whole free “internship” concept in the search fund area. How can first time searchers teach anything?
If the work has economic value, pay for it/get paid.
This is capitalism not charity or academic research.
Prospecting and cold calling is easy to learn (some jobs literally don't teach you just hand you a list and a script), and much more profitable to do for yourself. All the rest that you'd learn from a searcher I think you can learn without volunteering to make someone else money.
from Stanford University in Charlottesville, VA, USA
@andrew, I'd recommend starting to get on differents newsletters from brokers so you can begin to see deals that might be interesting to you. Google a few of the big firms, or explore BizBuySell for some exposure. I'd also get clarity about what it is exactly you want to do (buy, lead, work for a search-acquired business). All three options will help you get into the space, but starting to get familiar with deals, listening to deal podcasts (i.e. Acquiring Minds, Think Like an Owner are great), and getting clarity (and conviction) on what route you want to go down is crucial.