who's thinking about building their own thing. Some of you I've been talking to already. A lot of you I'll meet on Friday. Those years built skills that matter a lot when you own a business: redacted • Reading a P&L and knowing where the cash really goes • Knowing which questions to ask before a deal closes • Building a model, then pressure-testing it • Working with lenders and investors I'll be at the 13th Annual Booth-Kellogg ETA Conference this Friday, October 30, at the Hyatt Regency Chicago. Nearly 500 searchers, 500 investors, and 40+ speakers. This could be the most important event we've attended yet. A lot of attendees live around Chicago, which is exactly where we're looking to award our first 8 Tommy Pollina franchise territories. These aren't traditional startup territories. They're carved out of our existing 45-year service area, with advantages from day one: • Existing recurring revenue and customer relationships • First-page Google visibility for drainage and other high-value services • Established AI/LLM search presence • 45 years of referrals and local brand goodwill • Decades of proven pricing and operating history • Established local marketing and lead generation • Direct access to our Mount Prospect headquarters and leadership You're not starting from zero. You're building on 45 years of established business history. If we've been messaging, let's set up a time to connect during the conference. I'd love to show you what we're building, hear about what you're looking for, and share my own experience going from employee to entrepreneur, scaling a business from $0 to $40M in cumulative revenue, acquiring another, and now launching a franchise. Who else will be at the Hyatt on Friday?