Most people who want to buy a business don't stumble at the deal — they stumble before it, because no one ever taught them how to decide what they're actually equipped to own, evaluate it honestly, and finance it. We built ETA to fix exactly that. ETA is a rigorous, cohort-based training program developed by M&A Club Canada together with McGill University's Dobson Centre for Entrepreneurship. It's built for professionals, executives, managers and prospective search-fund founders who want to acquire and operate a small or mid-sized business. (If you already own a company and want to grow through add-ons, that's a different program — this one is for first-time owner-operators.) Canada is entering a decade-long wave of SME ownership transfers as a generation of founders retires. There are far more businesses coming to market than there are prepared buyers. ETA is designed to make you one of the prepared ones. WHAT YOU LEARN — PHASE I (SIX MODULES) 1. Investment thesis — define your acquirer profile and build a rigorous acquisition thesis and selection criteria. 2. Sourcing & evaluating targets — where to find SMEs, how to qualify them, and how to spot red flags early. 3. Financial & tax — valuation, performance analysis, and buyer-side tax structuring. 4. Legal — key documents, reps & warranties, due diligence and risk management. 5. Structuring financing — seller financing, debt, equity and hybrid structures. 6. Leadership & the post-acquisition transition — planning the takeover, keeping the team and operations intact. TWO FORMATS — SAME CURRICULUM, SAME CERTIFICATION - Intensive Boot Camp — 4 consecutive days, in person in Montreal. First cohort: October 27–30, 2026. $3,500. - Extended format — 3 months, evenings and weekends, for those balancing a demanding full-time role. PHASE II — THE ETA LAB Graduates can submit an acquisition-thesis brief to join an active search lab: hands-on mentorship, direct access to M&A investors and lenders, and warm introductions across the M&A Club network. WHO TEACHES IT Practitioners, not lecturers — transaction advisors, investors, mentors and operators who have actually bought and run businesses. The program is led by Marc Deegan (founder of R33 Ventures, lower-mid-market M&A advisor, and ETA instructor at Concordia's John Molson School of Business). Cohorts are kept deliberately small and are bilingual (English or French, depending on the cohort). Registrations open soon. If you're thinking about buying your first business — or launching a search — add your name to the expression-of-interest list for priority notice. Program page: redacted Expression of interest: redacted For those who've already made the journey: what do you wish you'd known before your first search?