Experience with ETA Programs?

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February 13, 2025

by a searcher from Columbia University - Columbia Business School in New York, NY, USA

Has anyone had either direct or secondhand experience with ETA Programs, like a Codie Sanchez's 'Contrarian Thinking' or Ben Kelly's Acquisition Ace? I had some introductory calls with them some time ago to kick the tires, but didn't end up following through for a whole host of reasons.

Just wanted to see if anyone has had any experience/success/failure with these types of programs and would be willing to share their thought process.

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Reply by a searcher
from University of California, Davis in United States
Sam Rosati has given me my biggest leaps in learning in the SMB space. In addition to his badges (attorney, CPA, and very successful buyer, seller, investor...) what I love most is that his pedagogy is absolutely stunning. I always find it well worth it to pause the audio, try to do myself what he's describing, and take notes as I go.

His free webinars and pods thru Acquiring Minds, free email courses, and free resources linked to them (his financial model is now everywhere) are IMO a very worthy foundation to entering this space well informed without paying a dime.

Getting on the phone with him and some of his colleagues have cleared up some of my deepest confusions. I haven't attended their in-person bootcamps but I imagine it's a similar experience.

After trying out some of the other communities, I really enjoyed Sam's "just here to help" vibes. He's plenty busy being an SMB boss.
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Reply by a searcher
from Lee University in Chattanooga, TN, USA
I am a member of Contrarian Thinking (Codie's group), AMA. I have been in the group since 2023, have acquired since being a member and so am also part of the owner's circle. I also attended one of their in-person events in November###-###-#### I also know ^redacted‌ is a member of a different group and so could provide another opinion.

In my opinion the biggest benefit to CT is its very large and active Slack community. It is quick and easy to get additional opinions and feedback from more experienced acquirers on deals you are considering. If your plan is to get everything you need from the course(s) that come with the membership you will likely be disappointed. In my opinion that is just a basic familiarization that I have supplemented with other free resources. The value has been in connecting with others and having them analyze my deals and analyzing theirs.
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