Does deal flow slow down around the holidays? I usually see the opposite. It does not disappear. It just changes.

A lot of people assume November and December are bad months to source. What actually happens is that owners shift into a different mindset. They have more space to think. They talk with family. They reflect on succession, burnout and what they want next year to look like. This is often when they finally open the door to a real conversation. Instead of treating December as a dead zone, it can be one of the most productive sourcing periods if you adjust your approach. Here is one thing that helps. Before you reach out, try to understand how the owner communicates. A free tool like CrystalKnows gives you a simple personality snapshot. It is not perfect, but it helps you tailor your tone. Add five minutes of research and send a thoughtful LinkedIn message instead of blasting cold emails. Can you scale this with AI? Yes. But December is not about volume. Precision almost always wins. Ten well researched and well timed messages will outperform hundreds of generic emails. A few principles tend to work well right now: Keep the outreach human and calm. Acknowledge that their schedule might be lighter. Give them an easy option to talk now or in early January. Focus on genuine curiosity about their journey and transition plans. If you also need capital partners, here is a free directory built for this community. It is opt in only, so lenders and investors who support ETA operators can submit themselves. https://ecliptica-ops.com/search-funders If you are planning a December campaign, I would not wait. Matching the season and being intentional with your outreach often leads to better conversations than the January rush.