redacted I think it reveals a much bigger problem with how we approach buying businesses. That word is “searcher.” I think we should replace it with “Operator in a Search.” Because that’s what you really are. Or at least, that’s what you should be. You’re not searching for a business to become a professional searcher. You’re searching for a business to become an operator. Yet so much of the ETA community is focused on the search itself. Finding deals. Negotiating LOIs. Raising capital. Securing financing. Getting to closing. And don’t get me wrong. Searching is incredibly difficult. But after acquiring a 45-year-old business in 2024, I’ve learned something. Searching is actually the easier part. The real challenge begins the morning after closing. Now you’re responsible for employees, customers, payroll, cash flow, hiring, firing, and solving problems you never even knew existed during diligence. There’s no seller to negotiate with. No deal to walk away from. And unlike searching, operating doesn’t have a finish line. Searching is temporary. Operating is the entire point. You might spend two years searching for a business - or five But you could spend the next 10 or 20 years operating it. That’s why I think this is more than just a change in terminology. It’s a change in mindset. And I’ll take it one step further. If you’re uncomfortable calling yourself an “Operator in a Search,” maybe you should reconsider whether you should be searching for a business in the first place. Because buying a business isn’t the accomplishment. Successfully operating it is. Should we retire the term “searcher” and start calling people “Operators in Search”?