Trying to Learn ETA – What Should I Actually Be Studying?

May 18, 2025

by an intermediary from Roger Williams University - Gabelli School of Business in Miami, FL, USA

Posting anonymously. I don’t come from a target school or have the typical background, but I’ve spent the last two years in M&A at a small firm and I’m really drawn to ETA. I want to understand this space deeply—especially how to source deals, fund them with as little personal capital as possible, and avoid common mistakes. If you’ve walked this path or are further along, I’d love to know: • What should I actually read/listen to/study to build a real foundation? • What helped you the most early on? • What do you wish you’d done differently? Appreciate any insight you’re willing to share. Just trying to do this the right way.

Reply by a searcher
from University of Nevada in Los Angeles, CA, USA

Hey , am still on the journey to make my first acquisition, but https://acquiringminds.co/ podcast by Will has been very helpful to get real people experiences....He is pretty detailed and tries to get all these info you are seeking from his guest....You can also find him on youtube: redacted@AcquiringMinds

Reply by a professional
in Dubai - United Arab Emirates

My perspective is that passive learning will only help partially. There are many variables involved in acquiring businesses and trying to have them all figured out beforehand is a difficult thing. Getting deal flow is, in my view, a great solution to cut the learning curve. It's a way to familiarize yourself with the process while you review real transactions and learn what questions to ask and so forth. Undertanding how to get deal flow can take time without the right guidance, but once you know how to find transactions, you can start reviewing as many of them as possible and questions will start to come up. Then you can fill the gaps and reverse-engineer the process.

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