Alternative Path to Entrepreneurship

Do you have an inner desire to become an entrepreneurial leader, but don’t have an “unicorn” idea or the motivation to start a business from scratch? Don’t worry - there is an alternative path. Entrepreneurship Through Acquisition (ETA) enables aspiring entrepreneurs to search for, acquire, operate, grow, and lead an established small medium sized business.

Acquiring an existing profitable business is often less risky and yields greater returns than starting a business from scratch. An existing business typically has existing revenues, cash flow, customer, and supplier base. Thus, the acquisition entrepreneur can focus on performance improvements, revenue growth, and innovation initiatives, combined with their leadership and management skills to drive value creation.

Accelerating Your ETA Journey

True North Search is the premiere Entrepreneurship Through Acquisition accelerator based in the Northern Europe. We offer exclusive training, coaching, resources, support in financing, and world class expertise in search. Our aim is to increase your probabilities of success and accelerate your lead time in completing an acquisition of a small medium sized business.

ETA Catalyst Training

Acquire the foundational skills to increase probabilities for success during the ETA journey:

  • ETA as a Career Choice

  • Search Strategies for the Ideal Target Acquisition

  • Assessing and Valuing Small Businesses

  • Deal Financing & Structures

  • Negotiation and Seller Motivation

  • Transaction Due Diligence

  • Value Creation Post Acquisition

  • Leadership in a Transition Environment

Resources for ETA

Unparalleled resources, tools and support to for searching and acquiring a small business:

  • Deal pipeline: Prospective businesses to buy

  • CRM system: Track your deal pipeline & progress

  • Comms: Email address, templates & call scripts

  • Analytics tools: Financial models, DD checklists

  • Legal templates: LOI, PPM, SHA, SPA, etc.

  • Support for deal financing: Present your deal to equity and debt investors in the TNS network

  • 12 months of group and one-on-one coaching

What People Are Saying

“Having already worked for large multinational corporations and medium-sized firms, I was attracted to the ETA career path. It allows me the possibility to have autonomy, be my own boss, gain equity ownership, and focus purely on creating value. The possibility of significant financial upside is quite attractive and seems very natural for me.”

— Jussi Niemelä, CEO, Oy Meluton Ab

Apply For Our 2024 Cohort

Interested? Start your ETA journey and apply today for our 2024 cohort.