Mastermind for ETAs

May 28, 2025

by a searcher from University of Massachusetts Amherst - Isenberg School of Management in Bothell, Washington, USA

I’m looking to join a mastermind group for acquisition entrepreneurs. I’m currently pursuing my MBA and eager to deepen my understanding of deal-making beyond just reading and research. My husband and I were pre-qualified for an SBA loan to buy a business, but I feel I still need more hands-on knowledge before moving forward. I’ve considered becoming a business broker to gain real-world experience and better understand the industry from the inside. I’m based in Seattle for now but planning to relocate to Florida. If anyone has recommendations or is part of a group that supports aspiring acquisition entrepreneurs, I’d love to connect. Thanks in advance!

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Reply by a searcher
from Massachusetts Institute of Technology in Captain Cook, HI, USA

I joined Kyle Mallien’s deal community about a month ago and it’s already been worth the hefty price tag IMO. They have a quarterly 3 day in person event that I was able to go to a week after I joined and the quality of people was fantastic, not only professionally accomplished but just good helpful people and easy to talk to. His in person events usually have a few hundred people. But the real value in joining the higher tier for me is there are calls every weekday that you can join and get feedback on your deals live with the mentors, and Kyle himself does the Wednesday calls which can run for 3 hours. More specifically being part of the community helped me clarify my search very quickly. I had been searching for about 6 weeks before joining and I was all over the place as far as what I was looking for. Kyle and the community has a specific buy box that they strongly encourage us to stay within to minimize risk and maximize chances of success: at least 10 years in business, 10 employees, $1M+ revenue (really $3+), and 20% net profit. But these are just guidelines and every deal has its own nuances so getting real live feedback is helpful particularly if a deal doesn’t mean all the criteria. I now have a deal I’m excited about under exclusive LOI and I probably wouldn’t have considered this business if I hadn’t joined the community. Happy to answer any questions about it.

Reply by a searcher
from University of California, Berkeley in Seattle Metropolitan Area, WA, USA

If you're quite serious about acquiring, the only real way to experience is to go out and attempt to acquire. Every potential deal is different, and once you figure out your criteria (within a potential bankable/investable box), the only filter is your ability to act. Saying that as someone who has been a QOE/valuations/third-party provider, adviser, SBA Lender in Search, consulting partner. None of those compared to the emotions of actually acquiring (and subsequently selling), which we completed in###-###-#### and exit last year). Having said all that, happy to meet and share (I'm in Bothell also). The Seattle ETA monthly meetups are a fun collection of starters, late search, deal makers, acquisition vets, and operators.

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