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The 90-Day Syllabus
From first curiosity to search-ready, in sequence, at a pace that lets you decide with your head.
Weeks 1 to 2: Decide With Open Eyes
Understand what buying a business actually involves before spending money or telling your boss anything.
- Read Stage 1 of the Roadmap
The honest case for and against, with the data.
- Read Buy Then Build
The community's shared vocabulary and the opportunity framing.
- Listen to a few Acquiring Minds episodes
Single-deal stories calibrate what ownership feels like.
- Take the Path Quiz
Self-funded, investor-backed, or not yet: see the reasoning.
Weeks 3 to 4: Money Reality
Know what you can afford and what the search itself will cost before falling in love with any listing.
- Run the SBA Acquisition Calculator
Your cash to a supportable purchase price, payment, and required SDE.
- Run the Search Runway Calculator
Living expenses plus transaction costs; searches die of underfunding.
- Read the HBR Guide
The rigorous checklist half of the canonical book pairing.
- Bookmark the Rate Tracker
Prime moves your payment; know today's math.
Month 2: Build a Thesis and Open the Funnel
Pick industries you can defend, then start seeing real deal flow against them.
- Read three Industry Buy Guides
Pick one trade, one service, and one wildcard; note the license rules.
- Check the License Rules table
Some industries restrict who can buy at all; know before you aim.
- Build your Buyer Profile
The one-pager brokers ask for, with a thesis statement.
- Set up sourcing and start the Pipeline Tracker
Marketplace alerts plus broker introductions; track everything from day one.
Month 3: Screen Like a Buyer
Develop the reflexes that separate real opportunities from listings, and get financing-ready.
- Screen live listings with the Deal Screener
Twelve checks on three real listings a week builds the eye fast.
- Shortlist lenders with Lender Match
Two term-sheet conversations before you need them.
- Draft a Sources & Uses on a real listing
The real cost of a deal, in the format lenders expect.
- Learn the vocabulary as it appears
Every term links to why it matters at your stage.
After Day 90
The rest is the search itself, and the full Roadmap covers every stage of it: sourcing, screening, the LOI, diligence, financing, closing, and the first hundred days of ownership.