Schedule a call with a Leland team member who can help you explore your options.
Schedule a call
The Search Fund Coaching package is designed for entrepreneurs who are ready to pursue the ETA path and take ownership of a business. This package offers comprehensive guidance to help you confidently move through every stage of the journey, from shaping your strategy to stepping into the CEO role post-acquisition. Key components of this package can include, but aren't limited to: • Clarify your goals, strengths, and areas for development to ensure you’re prepared for the ETA process. • Compare self-funded, traditional, and incubated approaches to determine the structure that best fits your vision. • Build a differentiated investment thesis and map industries that align with your skills and investor appetite. • Develop polished materials, refine your narrative, and learn effective tactics for securing investor commitments. • Establish a repeatable sourcing engine, including outreach strategies, broker relationships, and deal tracking systems. • Use structured criteria to screen targets quickly and dig deeper into the most promising opportunities. • Learn strategies for structuring offers and managing seller dynamics to reach favorable terms. • Apply a disciplined process to uncover risks across financial, legal, and operational dimensions. • Prepare for the first 100 days post-close, focusing on culture-building, strategy execution, and team management. • Access ongoing mentorship to adjust your strategy, solve challenges, and maximize value creation as an operator. By the end of this package, you’ll walk away with a comprehensive ETA playbook, a refined strategy tailored to your profile, and the confidence to lead a successful acquisition and transition into the CEO seat.
Customized ETA Roadmap – Tailored plan based on your goals, readiness, and fit across ETA models
Investor & Fundraising Playbook – Guidance on crafting your pitch, building relationships, and raising capital
Evaluation & Diligence Frameworks – Tools to analyze targets, run valuations, and conduct disciplined due diligence
Acquisition & Negotiation Support – Strategies for structuring offers, managing terms, and closing deals
CEO Transition Plan – Practical guidance for stepping into leadership and creating value post-close
Coaching delivered via live sessions and .
Services included:
Deal Sourcing
Due Diligence
Investment Analysis
Industry & Company Targeting
Thesis Development
Process Roadmap
Operational Strategy & Support
Board & Investor Management
Funding Strategy
Investor Selection
Schedule a call with a Leland team member who can help you explore your options.
Schedule a call

Joined September 2024
5.0
Self-funded Searcher turned SMB Owner
I have experience structuring a self-funded search, evaluating deals, conducting due diligence, working with sellers, and modeling post-transaction financials. I can help those who are considering this path, are mid-search, or are in the final innings of a deal. In 2022, as an MBA student at Yale School of Management, I took three courses on ETA and wrote two papers with A.J. Wasserstein, Pioneer in the world of Search and ETA. I fell in love with the model and determined that I needed to find a way to do this for my career. Following my MBA, I interned at a Traditional Search fund investor for the summer and learned a great deal about what investors look for in Searchers. Following a two-year stint in Management Consulting, I decided to pursue a self-funded search in my home state of Utah. After 6 months of full-time search, I found a small company at which I was hired with the intention to acquire the company (Acqui-hire) and which I will close by late Summer 2025.
30h of coaching