Last week, I concluded my self-funded search with the acquisition of an industrial water filtration company. The Searchfunder community was an invaluable resource during my search and facilitated introductions to several parties that were vital to completing the transaction.
I’d like to thank ^Searchfunder member‌ and his tea‌m at First Bank of the Lake for supporting the deal from the initial stages and ultimately financing the transaction. Bruce provided an early read that gave me confidence in my debt financing from the early stages. Importantly, he and the FBOL team worked through their credit process quickly to issue a commitment letter, giving my counterparty comfort around transaction financing. His team worked tirelessly to push the deal across the finish line prior to the holidays, and I greatly appreciate their support to bring the deal to a successful close. He said he could finance the transaction from the beginning, and he delivered.
^Searchfunder member‌ and his team at LCS Forensic Accounting & Advisory conducted the quality of earnings and supported my financial and tax diligence. They played a pivotal role in reconciling financials with tax returns, evaluating cash flow and working capital trends, and helping me understanding the strengths and weaknesses in the company’s approach to financial reporting. They were very accessible and completed their analysis on a tight timeline.
I would also like to thank ^Searchfunder member‌ and his team at Oberle Risk Strategies for supporting my insurance and benefits due diligence. They helped me evaluate the company’s existing policies and add additional coverage where needed in a cost-effective manner.
^Bill Strench and his team at Frost Brown Todd served as my legal counsel on the deal. They provided the resources and expertise of a large, national law firm and took a common-sense approach to documentation and negotiation to work within my legal budget. I relied heavily on their counsel and they played an important role in keeping the process on track without letting anything on the legal front fall through the cracks. I was impressed by their work throughout.
I was introduced to ^Searchfunder member‌, ^Searchfunder member‌, and ^Searchfunder member‌ through the Searchfunder community, and collectively, their experience with searchers and small business transactions made the process much smoother. I highly recommend each of them to those in the Searchfunder community pursuing acquisitions of their own.

There were several others in this community that provided feedback and insights around deal structure, investor outreach, and the transaction process along the way. I greatly appreciate the support, and I hope to reciprocate with fellow searchers on this site in the future.