The Search Fund Podcast with Graham Weihmiller

Graham ran a global networking company that relied almost entirely on in-person meetings. Then COVID hit. His ETA journey has some great real-world examples of crisis management and scaling. His story includes: - Acquiring in a Downturn: Graham bought Griswold Home Care during the Great Recession. He scaled it from 100 to 250 locations before successfully exiting to PE in 2012. - Professionalizing a Platform: In 2014, he acquired BNI via Pioneer Equity Partners, taking it from a founder-led organization to a professionalized global platform. - The Pivot: He led the effort to migrate over 9,500 in-person BNI chapters to an online format during COVID-19 to keep the business alive. - Tactics: He discusses his "three bucket framework" for founder transitions, why he thinks franchising is undervalued in the ETA space, and how to scale without burning out. You can listen to the full episode here: https://www.smeventures.com/insights/bni-griswold-home-care-graham-weihmiller