Business Owner Panel - Real Experiences from ETA Owners

https://youtu.be/LLWT9cD8u_o Had an event in Nashville a couple weeks ago with local ETA business owners. I was somewhat successful in recording it this time and wanted to share it with everyone. In this Entrepreneurship Through Acquisition (ETA) panel, I sit down with five business owners who’ve each taken very different paths into ownership. We cover how they found their deals, what shocked them in the first 90 days, and the challenges they’re wrestling with right now as they grow. This session was recorded live at our quarterly ETA meetup in Nashville, hosted at The Sapphire Suite and sponsored by Old National Bank (SBA lending). 👥 Panelists & Their Businesses Lisa Piercey – Keystone Specialty Pharmacy (wound care, specialty pharmacy, multi-state growth) Honey Cantrell – Likeable Media (social media marketing agency, “buying back” the company she helped build) George Vallone – Nuveldy’s Apartment Turnover Services (turnover/cleaning services in Nashville) Brad Kelly – Tennessee Awnings (awnings, canopies, and walkway coverings manufacturer/installer) Paul Dent – Pyramid Pest Control (residential & commercial pest control) 🧩 What we cover Different paths to finding a business to buy: cold outreach, brokers, conferences, networking, and “boomerang” acquisitions How their actual businesses compare to what they thought they’d own when they started searching The hardest parts of the first 90 days: Healthcare costs and benefits in a small business Leading from uncertainty in a new industry Contract transfers and client communication Professionalizing a legacy business without breaking what works Current, real-time challenges: Scaling faster than hiring can keep up Opening a second location in a regulated healthcare business Shifting from “in the weeds” operator to visionary CEO Implementing systems and tools without losing long-time employees Do they think they overpaid or underpaid—and does it even matter in hindsight? How each owner thinks about exit vs. holding forever: legacy, family, and “Schrödinger’s hold vs. sell” strategy 00:00 – Welcome, event intro & sponsor shout-outs 02:59 – Meet the panel & Question 1: How did you find your acquisition? 13:26 – Is this the kind of business you expected to own? 18:50 – Question 2: Biggest challenges in the first 90 days 24:00 – Professionalizing and scaling: systems, people, and growing pains 27:54 – Question 3: What is your greatest challenge today? 30:49 – Audience Q&A: Did you overpay or underpay? Does it matter? 32:51 – Audience Q&A: Are you building to sell, hold forever, or pass it on?