Software engineering manager with no business background looking for advice

Member resources:

Frequent asked questions:

What is Searchfunder.com?

Searchfunder.com is an online community of searchers, investors, lenders, brokers and other professionals. Over 80% of those involved in searchfunds maintain a Searchfunder account to help them network, hire, and mentor others.

What are the benefits of membership?

In addition to accessing the most active online network of business buyers, Searchfunder licenses research that is simply not cost effective for individuals. Access over 15,000 industry reports and 50,000 transaction financials. You also get monthly credits for contact information for your company sourcing campaign with the option to purchase more at drastically discounted rates. Searchfunder has pre-purchased access from these data providers in order to empower individual buyers and to help searchers level the playing field versus private equity.

Do you have deals?

While we are primarily a buy-side network, we do have hundreds of brokers that regularly post deals to the community.

Can I find an internship on Searchfunder?

Absolutely! We have the industry's largest intern job board. If you are considering a search, the first step is to help another business buyer so you can hit the ground running.

What does it cost?

Searchfunder is a subscription service. We offer flexible monthly, annual and lifetime memberships.

Monthly

$79 / month

Annual

$19 / month

Lifetime

$432 / once

Those who maintain an account with us for over 4 continuous years are permanently added to the community without the need for a membership.

Do I need an MBA to join?

While a large number of our members come from dedicated programs at Harvard Business School, Stanford GSB, Chicago Booth, and other top programs, searching is no longer reserved for the elite. With the current abundance of dry powder in private equity, and an increasing number of business owners reaching retirement age, good deals rarely go unfunded.

Post a question, deal, job, etc...

Make a post...

Complete registration to post.

by a searcher from University of Massachusetts at Amherst
in New York, NY, USA

2h ago

Software engineering manager with no business background looking for advice

Hey all, I am currently the manager of a software engineering team at a large tech company. Over the past year or so I have been considering switching careers and have become very intrigued by ETA. I have read all the standard ETA canon and listened to the podcasts. I have some more studying to do but am interested in eventually pursuing a self-funded search. However, I have no formal business background. I'd love some advice from others in this world. A few assumptions I've made, tell me if I'm wrong: - Traditional search is off the table for me without a business background - Lenders and sellers will scrutinize me more heavily than most - I'll have a hard time finding investors and will likely need to self-fund the equity and max out an SBA loan Has anyone here gone from engineering/tech into a self-funded acquisition without prior business experience? How did the first year actually go? What skills did you find you were lacking that really set you back? For anyone reading this: - If you were me, would you spend 6-12 months closing gaps first (e.g. studying) or just start searching and learn in the flow of deals? - I make a great salary with my current job, should I search part time to keep the paycheck? Should I consider a buy-side advisor that handles a large portion of the search? - Should I target companies where my SWE expertise will be a real edge? - Does finding a partner to fill these gaps make life considerably easier without giving up too much upside? Or is it more trouble than it's worth? Truly looking for advice or two cents from anyone!

2 Likes

40 Views

reply by a professional-advisory 2h ago
from University of Utah in Sandy, UT, USA

I work with buyers like you all the time. I give them the same advice, never buy a business that you cannot add immediate value to. For example, marketing is my jam. If I see a company that already has an awesome marketing strategy, I disqualify it from my search. If I come across a company that doesn't have a functioning website, blog, socials, etc I know I can add immediate value. If you have been in the software field for a while, I would use that expirence when looking for deals, talking to investors, applying for SBA loans, etc. Highlight the skills that you have.