Hi all! I'm excited to announce the launch of the At Work, Under Pressure podcast, where we host real conversations about building workplaces that are safer, steadier, and better equipped for high-pressure human moments. @redacted‌ and @redacted‌ invited me to share our episodes here, and while @redacted‌ is not the first interview on the show, he is the first from an ETA background and the first of the guests that I connected with from Searchfunder. Please enjoy the episode, and if you're prioritizing HR post-acquisition, please subscribe for other amazing interviews! redacted -- What does it take to buy, build, and scale a business without losing sight of ethics, culture, and people? In this episode of At Work, Under Pressure, I sit down with Jim Tolbert of ExecCap Advisors to talk about entrepreneurship through acquisition, the business of education, regulated industries, private equity, trade schools, leadership, and what it takes to grow companies responsibly. Jim’s connection to entrepreneurship started long before his professional career. His father, an Air Force veteran, bought and ran a trade school in Baltimore, making trades education part of Jim’s childhood and family story. After starting his career in investment banking and consulting with organizations including Morgan Stanley, Walt Disney, and McKinsey, Jim returned to those roots by building a company that provided tuition financing for trade school students. That journey eventually led him to acquire, operate, and scale trade schools himself, including growing one platform from a single location to nine locations across four states over 15 years. Today, through ExecCap Advisors, Jim partners with experienced executives, veterans, and former business owners who want to buy and run companies. In this episode, we discuss: - How Jim’s childhood around a family trade school shaped his entrepreneurial path - Why trades education matters and why the world does not need everyone to follow the same academic route - The tension between for-profit and nonprofit education - What it means to operate ethically in a highly regulated industry - Why regulation can become a competitive advantage when handled well - How to build a culture of ethics inside a growing company - Why regulators should be treated more like customers than enemies - What changes when a business grows from one location to nine - Why the right leader at two locations may not be the right leader at nine - What entrepreneurship through acquisition is and why experienced executives can be strong acquisition entrepreneurs - Why veterans may be especially well-suited to buying and running businesses - The people-related challenges that come with buying, scaling, and leading companies This episode is for entrepreneurs, investors, executives, veterans, business owners, searchers, leaders in regulated industries, and anyone interested in acquisition entrepreneurship, ethical growth, and the human side of scaling a company. Because growth is not just a financial strategy. It is a leadership test.