Ex-consultant and fintech exec Toby Henry shares how he self-funded an ETA, acquired Accelerator Solutions (a 25-year people and culture firm), and stepped into the CEO role. We dig into deal structure with founders staying on, funding realities for services, what “culture as advantage” looks like, and where AI actually helps SMEs without wrecking teams. Practical, people-first, zero hype.

We look into a £9.7m-turnover vinyl and merch listing claiming ~£1.83m EBITDA. Outsourced production, EOT complexity, print-on-demand disruption, lender appetite, and how you’d structure a carve-out that actually cash flows. Who should buy it, what to diligence, and why we still give it two cautious thumbs up.

Board advisor and acquirer Tonia Nagle shares how to buy and build creative agencies without killing their culture. We cover no-PG deal structures, keeping founders engaged, leadership teams that scale, and her GROWTH framework. Plus a smart AI product turning car listings into studio-quality assets. Practical, candid, and very usable.

Jenna Hill of FIA Investments shares how she’s acquired seven small businesses - with no money down - while preserving jobs and legacies. She’s now teaching others to do the same through the Business Buying Blueprint and Small Business Fanatics community.

Gareth sits down with Alexander Kalis - investor, entrepreneur, and founder of the B.O.R.I.N.G. Investment Club - to discuss why “boring is beautiful” in SMB acquisitions. From his early hedge fund career and running a $1bn global asset manager, to backing unicorns and Oxford spinouts, Alexander brings institutional-grade insight to the ETA world. They explore the equity gap in small-cap buyouts, what makes a great searcher worth backing, and how co-investment clubs can open ETA to more investors. Essential listening for anyone navigating ETA, search funds, or SMB M&A.

Mid-career scientist-turned-investor Robert Shore (Shorefox Partners) shares how lab discipline powers a traditional, healthcare-only search: building the right cap table, using AI-proofing as a diligence pillar, and balancing brokered vs proprietary deal flow on the road to acquisition.

Live from the Serial Acquirer’s Symposium: Al Zucker on why UK search is coming of age, the capital shift reshaping deals, and how today’s operators and sellers are finding common ground.

On-market or off-market, where should UK acquirers spend time? Alfie & Gareth compare speed vs value, broker types, bidding dynamics, deal structures, and why a blended pipeline wins. Plus: Seller Verified listings and BizCrunch’s AI-ready VDR. Chapters inside.

Alfie and Gareth dive into the future of SMB M&A: from academic momentum behind search funds to shifting investor behaviour, rising employee ownership trusts, and how AI tools are reshaping deal sourcing and diligence. A deep look at trends shaping acquisition entrepreneurship in 2025.

Alfie and Toby analyse a North West UK logistics business combining driver training, haulage and storage. With £2.5m turnover, £700k gross profit and a £1m asking price (ex-assets), is it an opportunity or overpriced? A real-world look at valuation, risks, and deal structuring in SMB M&A.

Cold outreach is the bridge between research and real deal flow. In this solo episode, Alfie shares how acquisition entrepreneurs can build lists, write effective emails, send letters, and avoid legal pitfalls, plus how BizCrunch makes outreach faster and easier.

Jan-Marc Pickhan left a corporate career with Schneider Electric to build and transform UK engineering SMEs through acquisition. In this episode, he shares his leadership approach, cultural turnarounds, tech adoption, and lessons from running multi-site manufacturing groups in a challenging talent market.

Join Alfie Lambert in conversation with Cal Shelton, founder of Precision MSK Health, as they dive into Cal’s unconventional journey from chartered accountancy and insolvency practice to acquiring his first business. Learn why Cal chose a smaller, self-funded first acquisition, the critical lessons learned, and his innovative strategy to scale through consulting-for-equity.

Join Gareth Hawkins as he sits down with "Search Fund Royalty," Bramley Johnson, to explore the evolution of search funds, why mentorship matters, and how to build a lasting legacy through Entrepreneurship Through Acquisition (ETA).

Gareth Hawkins hosts Amit Rai (Astra Holdings), Michele Corradi, and Andrea Allegrini (Lindbergh S.p.a.) to explore differences between public and private serial acquirers and strategies for executing rapid, successful acquisitions

Robin Goldhagen from Novastone Capital Advisors joins us live from the Serial Acquirer Symposium to explore Europe's growing search fund market, the operator-led acquisition model, and tips for attracting European investors to SMB M&A deals. Essential listening for aspiring entrepreneurs and search fund investors.

In this Buy-side Breakdown, Gareth Hawkins and Alfie Lambert deep-dive into a creative and digital agency up for acquisition. They explore valuation challenges, AI integration potential, owner-dependency risks, and how to navigate inflated seller expectations.

Serial entrepreneur and award-winning coach Paul Avins joins host Gareth Hawkins to unpack the real playbook for turning a good company into a multi-million-pound asset. Paul shares battle-tested lessons from five exits (and two “spectacular fails”), reveals the repeatable stages of the Scale-Up Mountain, and explains why your first move should be swapping “Managing Director” for CEO on LinkedIn. From hiring A-player talent and funding velocity jumps to leveraging AI for instant quoting and multilingual marketing, Paul breaks down the exact levers that move a firm from £1M to £10M - and when to pivot to M&A for a £50 M+ payday.

Diplomat-turned-consultant Nadim Kapadia has swapped global policy for local impact. Through Aligned Partners—a self-funded holding company—he’s hunting profitable UK care homes and early-years providers to own for the long haul. He reveals why autonomy and mission outweighed venture capital glamour, how he built a no-win-no-fee deal team before writing any cheques, and what negotiating with governments taught him about seller psychology. Expect candid talk on failed offers, daily progress habits and the culture checkpoints he uses to screen targets. If you’re considering a self-funded search—or want a behind-the-scenes view of UK ETA—this episode delivers.