What Resources Helped You Truly Understand SBA Acquisitions?

July 29, 2025

by a searcher from University of Texas in Austin, TX, USA

Hi all! I just returned to thoroughly exploring acquisitions, and I have been concentrating on self-studying the SBA process, particularly the 7(a) route. As someone early in the game, I'd love to ask those of you who are more experienced: 👉 What books, courses, podcasts, or real-life deal threads helped everything click for you? So far, I've been: - Browsing threads here on SearchFunder (overwhelming but gold!) - Watch YT interviews on ETA/SBA I would greatly appreciate any advice or resources you could provide. I'm all ears and willing to do the work. Thanks in advance!

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Reply by a searcher
from University of Virginia in New York, NY, USA

After scouring every corner of the internet, I’ve found the following to be the best resources I came across: 1) ETA IQ (www.etaiq.com): Financial modeling platform built around the SBA 7(a). 2) Acquiring Minds (www.acquiringminds.co): Great podcast that’s essentially a bunch of Search Fund case studies (many of which used an SBA loan). 3) Seachfunder: The posts here have been really helpful — I wish it was better organized and more easily searchable, but there are some gems in the archives.

Reply by a searcher
from Dartmouth College in San Francisco, CA, USA

My biggest recommendation: Talk to anyone willing to share their experience, both searchers and CPAs, attorneys, lenders, etc. Once I narrowed down to the type of business I wanted, I feel like I should have networked more. I wish I had prioritized conversations over just reading and research early on. Podcasts and courses are helpful (sometimes), but nothing beats learning from people who've actually been through the process. I currently have a signed LOI, and I've learned a tremendous amount in just the past two weeks from speaking with people who've been through the process. The real-world insights and nuanced details you get from these conversations are invaluable. Obviously come prepared by learning through podcasts (Acquiring Minds), etc. but 1:1 conversations are gold. Don't hesitate to reach out to people in the community - most are surprisingly generous with their time and advice.

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