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Think Big, Buy Small

Think Big, Buy Small

Written by: Harvard Business School
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 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.Harvard Business School Careers Economics Leadership Management Management & Leadership Personal Success
Episodes
  • Season Three Questions and Answers with Rick and Royce

    Season Three Questions and Answers with Rick and Royce
    Dec 1 2025
    Hosted by producer Katie Zandbergen, Rick and Royce return for their end-of-season dive into listeners’ most pressing questions – those that many aspiring acquisition entrepreneurs wrestle with. They explore how age and personal finances may influence ETA risk tolerance; whether an MBA truly matters for success in a traditional search; how to handle the loneliness that often accompanies searching for and running a small business; where searchers commonly spin their wheels early on; how to evaluate red flags during diligence; the realities of buying a job versus a business; advantages and drawbacks of franchising; whether now is a good time to search; and much more. Packed with insights drawn from decades of ETA experience, along with stories and humor, this wide-ranging conversation is essential listening for anyone exploring entrepreneurship through acquisition.
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    47 mins
  • Partnership, Purpose, and the ETA Path to Concierge Medicine

    Partnership, Purpose, and the ETA Path to Concierge Medicine
    Nov 24 2025
    Partners in search, Nick Kerr and Shaquille Walker, join Rick and Royce to share their journey from risk-averse upbringings to acquiring HealthBridge, a concierge primary care clinic on Long Island. In this conversation, they discuss how their backgrounds, family considerations, and desire for autonomy led them to entrepreneurship through acquisition, while also reflecting on the emotional highs and lows of searching for, buying, and operating a small business. Furthermore, they describe what it’s like to partner with a founder who remains deeply involved in the practice, why concierge medicine offers an appealing model for both physicians and patients, and how they plan to build a differentiated, prevention-focused platform through thoughtful expansion. Along the way, the conversation explores physician burnout, the value of separating clinical care from business management, and the compelling alignment that strong operational leadership can create for doctors, patients, and investors alike.
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    53 mins
  • Navigating Entrepreneurship Through Acquisition as a Family

    Navigating Entrepreneurship Through Acquisition as a Family
    Nov 17 2025
    In this special “Friends and Family Night” episode, Rick and Royce speak with Meghan Orzetti about the experience of entrepreneurship through acquisition from the perspective of a searcher’s spouse. Drawing on her personal experiences, Meghan shares candid reflections on supporting her husband, Season One’s Michael Orzetti – a Marine Corps veteran, turned searcher, turned CEO – through the uncertainty, sacrifice, and adventure of acquiring a business while raising a growing family. From deployments and cross-country moves to self-funding a search and closing on a deal, Meghan reflects on the practical realities of uncertainty, mobility, and financial planning, as well as the deeper importance of partnership, mutual support, and shared values. Her story highlights how clarity of purpose, open communication, and a commitment to family can transform the ETA journey into something deeply meaningful.
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    38 mins
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