Today I bought a 50-yr-old family business. Almost 4 years of searching while I kept my W2. Two deals blew up during diligence but finally was able to close and begin this new phase. The ETA community got me here so I want to pay it back by sharing my learnings as I figure it out.

Every morning, the seller re-dates every invoice that hasn't been picked up yet. That, plus scratchpad notes on his desk, has been the order-tracking system for decades. The playbook says wait 90 days before changing anything. I'm not sure I can wait that long. Now weighing an off-the-shelf CRM vs. building my own with AI. Small distributors, what's worked for you?

Budgeted a new forklift at month 10 in my diligence model. Week two after close….one breaks down. Turns out the equipment did not get the memo. Luckily was able to repair it but seems like that line item is coming due early!!

Nobody warned me I'd love this part. A customer we have never done business with found us this week. I quoted fast, answered his questions, closed a big order. I was fired up, selling stuff is energizing!

Finished my forklift certification and got to drive one for first time today!! in such a small business when a warehouse employee is out and/or many customers picking up at once, need to be ready to jump in. Safety first!

Day 1 and 2 done! Long days as expected but energy at 200%! Long list of things to do but I was able to complete my top priorities: 1. coffee machine up and running 2. System access and logins setup (tried to find help from the IT dept but i then realized that’s also me) 3. Key customer intros completed 4. First few orders in the books Let’s goo!!

Most important of all, this would not have been possible without my wife. Her support, encouragement and love kept me going, and I know we are just getting started!

None of this happens alone. I want to thank @SMB_Attorney your post from 2022 is the one that pulled me in, @whentheresawill podcast got me through the lonely stretches, @walkerdeibel book was the initial map, and @Sam_Rosati boot camp was the reset I needed halfway the search

A space exploration enthusiast visiting @spacex site in TX and the amazing #starship prototype. Thanks @elonmusk for inspiring young generations. Looking forward to colonizing Mars! #spacex

"Entrepreneurship is not risky, being unprepared is risky" Kiyosaki

Enjoy the journey!