Sourcing from Competitors During a Self-Funded Solo Search – Best Practices?

Hi everyone, I’m currently launching a geographically restricted, self-funded solo search in Switzerland (1.5M population metro area). My target range is companies with an enterprise value between CHF 1M and CHF 4M. I’m doing this part-time while working full-time as an M&A broker for SMEs. That’s also where it gets interesting (and a bit tricky): my main sourcing strategy will likely be via brokers — which happen to be my direct competitors in my day job. Many of them I know personally; I have a good sense of who’s cooperative and who’s tight-lipped. My questions to the community: 1. Has anyone here approached brokers who were also competitors in your W-2 role during your search? If so, how did you navigate that relationship? 2. How do you handle disclosing your search to your current employer? Is it smarter to keep it under the radar or to proactively communicate and set boundaries? My current thinking is to maintain discretion while avoiding any conflict of interest — but I’m open to perspectives from others who’ve been in a similar situation. Would appreciate any thoughts, especially from others who’ve done a part-time / geographically focused search while still employed. Thanks in advance