Asking all Self-Funded Searchers about off-market deals, what works for you?

Lately, as an investor who works with self-funded searchers, I have had quite a few conversations about the challenges of off-market sourcing and how to approach it. One thing I often encourage: slow down to speed up. • Don’t just jump in and build your savvy data scraping high-tech system, make sure you are running in the right direction first. • Narrow your acquisition thesis, really think hard about the type of business, geography, and size such as I’m looking for B2B light manufacturing within a 3-hour drive with a SDE of $500 - $750. • Be honest and real about your transferable skills, you want to minimize the learning curve post-acquisition and maximize your likelihood of success. • Avoid the appeal of businesses that aren’t in your spec, they’re a distraction and have a low probability of closing. • Envision what you want your day to day look like and what you are willing to do? If you are going to buy a pesticide business, would you be willing to drive and service if an employee doesn’t show up? With that in mind, I’m curious to hear your stories, what strategies, approaches, or tactics have made the biggest difference for you in defining your thesis and finding proprietary deals?