The Acquisition, Transition, and Operation of a Technology Solutions Company in Texas

William Young became CEO of Aerowave Technologies in January of 2021. While he has no regrets about his pursuit of the ETA path, his journey to the company’s helm was a difficult one. His story is distinct in that he started out in a partnered, brokered search but ended up as a solo searcher, focusing on proprietary outreach in Dallas-Fort Worth and Boston. Once he closed on Aerowave, Will was met with a number of challenges, including a seller transition that ran over a year; COVID; supply chain issues; running a technical business with very little technical expertise of his own; early culture problems; and the ever-daunting task of hiring talented salespeople. In this conversation, Will also reflects on Aerowave’s many tailwinds, his decision to implement a new enterprise resource planning system, the benefits of speaking directly with his customers, and how he views being CEO through the lenses of fatherhood. Though Will has some scars to show from his search process and early days at the company, listeners will learn a great deal from his accomplishments and his ultimate success in adapting the business to the life he wants to lead.

Om Podcasten

Are you looking for an alternative to a career path at a big firm? Does founding your own startup seem too risky? There's another compelling path open to you: acquiring a small business and running it as CEO. Co-hosted by Harvard Business School Professors Richard Ruback and Royce Yudkoff, the show is an extension of their courses on small firms, including Entrepreneurship Through Acquisition, which has been taken by thousands of MBA students, and their highly-regarded book, HBR Guide To Buying A Small Business, which has sold more than 65,000 copies. In this series, Rick and Royce guide listeners through the different milestones of the journey to acquiring an enduringly profitable small business, sharing insights on how to evaluate prospects, raise capital, and ultimately determine if this path is right for you.