SMBash

Thanks to our generous sponsors SMBash is ready to roll. Speakers ✅ Activities ✅ Food & Drinks ✅ Don't wait until the last minute. Just over a month until the stage gets lit. See you there! @firstib @Hollywellteam @SBA_Matthias @PreferredData @smblawgroup @systemsixbooks @patrick @NewCoRisk PPS Solutions @bylinebank @AxialCo @ampleo_ and Elite Video

It's not a business conference until the happy hour is in full swing! Come join us on Wednesday, 5pm at The Rayleigh Underground for appetizers and drinks. Introduce yourself to the hosts @KHendersonCo and @TwoTeesSMB Say hello to our Opening Bash sponsors Appletree Business Services (@patrickdichter ) Get ready for a jam-packed SMBash - we can't wait to see you there!

Every year we say it—and here we are saying it again: this event would not exist without our sponsors. The companies supporting SMBash understand that the strength of the ETA and SMB communities comes from the support and education we offer searchers and operators. And it’s through all of our collective effort that our economy stays strong, our neighbors have jobs, and businesses continue to meet the needs of our cities and states. So a huge shoutout to Axial, @smblawgroup, @firstib, Amplēo, @Hollywellteam , @PIONEERCAPADV, Byline Bank, Appletree Business Services @patrickdichter , @systemsixbooks, NewCo Risk @MrJoshFro @andyharbut , PPS Solutions, @PreferredData , and Elite Video @SuccessWithJake Thank you so much!

Thanks to Amplēo's sponsorship, SMBash is hosting a pre-event this year! When we tell you that the networking is top-notch, we're not kidding. The sponsors, service providers, owners, operators, and searchers that attend SMBash are in the thick of the ETA and SMB worlds. The connections made have the potential to save you money, steer your journey, or maybe even right your ship. The collective knowledge and experience can't be found anywhere else. So, before buying that plane ticket, know that the pre-event starts Wednesday, April 22nd at 3pm. We hope to see you there! Light snacks and chill drinks will be served. You won't want to miss @KHendersonCo and @TwoTeesSMB vying for 1st place of giant Connect 4!

@SBA_Matthias @JackieHirsch_ @SMB_Attorney @Sam_Rosati @girdley @pinpulleddrmf @CTW_SMB @MatznerJon @guessworkinvest @JaredJohnsonSBA @laxman2221 @KHendersonCo @StrongpointRich @SuccessWithJake @JermanMichael

Only six and a half weeks until SMBash 2026! Sponsors are being locked in. Speakers are almost finalized. The meals have been chosen. And lanyards are at the ready. A quick reminder: SMBash isn’t a huge conference. We intentionally cap attendance so the room stays intimate, the networking stays useful, and the connections you make are real. If you’re planning to come, don’t wait too long to grab your ticket.

Every panel and speaker is carefully chosen before stepping onto the SMBash stage. We want to give our attendees the best and most up-to-date information when it comes to the ins and outs of entrepreneurship through acquisition and small business ownership. The speakers at SMBash are honest about the ETA deals they've been on or seen. They come to help your journey be as successful as possible. Here's a clip from last year with Heather Endresen and @JaredJohnsonSBA , two incredibly experienced business folks from the lending side of the deal. Get your tickets on our website today!

@girdley @CTW_SMB @SMB_Attorney @pinpulleddrmf @laxman2221 @Sam_Rosati

So excited to start announcing our speaker lineup! Here is your first glance at SMBash 2026, hosted in Dallas, TX, April 22-24! Get your tickets before they run out.

Big news for searchers 👇 @AxialCo x SMBash Scholarship Applications are OPEN. Axial is offering a limited number of scholarships to help promising searchers attend SMBash. Thank you @petelehrman This short application is designed to identify candidates who will both benefit from — and meaningfully contribute to — the room. If ETA is on your radar and you’re serious about learning from real operators, lenders, and fellow searchers… this is your chance. 👉 Apply on our website Know someone who should be in the room? Tag them. Searching doesn’t have to be a solo sport.

It's time to plan your trip to Dallas! SMBash comes once a year. So once a year you have the opportunity to learn from experienced business owners and buyers. Founded by the amazing ETA educator, @SMBootcamp_'s @Sam_Rosati, and hosted by the team behind @smblawgroup, @KHendersonCo and @TwoTeesSMB. This is the ETA event you cannot miss. Head over to our website and get your tickets today. Before it's too late.

One of the fastest ways to break a small business? Unclear expectations. In this clip, Christian Ruff @pinpulleddrmf talks about why systems and processes matter — not to create bureaucracy, but to give teams clarity, consistency, and confidence. When people know what’s expected of them, operations run smoother, leaders make better decisions, and growth becomes sustainable. This is the kind of lesson you don’t learn in a textbook. At SMBash, we don’t just teach how to search for and acquire a business. We bring in operators who’ve lived the messy middle — the part where systems are built, expectations are reset, and leadership becomes real. Christian’s insights come from experience, not theory. And that’s exactly the kind of learning SMBash is built around. If you want to buy well and operate well, get in the room. 🎟️ Tickets for SMBash 2026 are on sale now.

This is going to be a GREAT year at @SMB_ash! Stay tuned...speaker announcements starting this week!

@ryanraysr @SMBJackieHirsch @KHendersonCo @SMB_ash I can already tell this is going to be a good year at @SMB_ash!

We're looking for a great speaker recommendation for @SMB_ash 2026 to speak to the operator track on revenue growth strategy. Help us crowd source some great ideas for the best entrepreneurs to speak on this topic. Sound off in the comments with your recommendations!

Deals rarely fail because of numbers alone. They fail because someone—buyer, seller, or intermediary—wasn’t aligned. A good intermediary listens. A bad intermediary pushes. And the consequences often show up months (or years) later. In your experience: 👉 What makes an intermediary great? 👉 What’s a red flag you’ve learned to spot early? 👉 How have misaligned incentives killed deals for you? Let’s make this a thread worth saving. Your story might keep someone else out of a bad deal. Thanks @ReidTileston for your 2025 panel!

One of the most underrated skills in ETA and small-business ownership? Learning from other people’s real experiences—not just their highlight reels. That’s why the openness inside SMBash matters. When operators, searchers, lenders, and advisors share: - mistakes they made, - red flags they ignored, - cash-flow challenges they navigated, - leadership lessons learned the hard way… …it accelerates everyone else’s learning curve. This kind of transparency isn’t common at most conferences. But in ETA, the fastest way to grow is by understanding where others stumbled and how they corrected course. No posturing. No ego. No gatekeeping. Just the collective knowledge of people who’ve actually done the work. If you want education grounded in real stories—not theory—SMBash is where it’s happening. Thanks @itsmikebotkin for an epic 2025 panel.

@SMBootcamp_ @Sam_Rosati Our founder @Sam_Rosati is at it again - creating amazing and useful content for searchers, acquirers, and operators! Never a dull moment.

Our Wednesday Winter Webinar Series starts next week! 6 sessions hosted by @Sam_Rosati on fundamentals every searcher needs: • Financial modeling • Investor equity • Deal flow • LOIs • Debt raise • M&A strategy Join live starting Dec 10. at 12 PM EST Register below 👇

Good operators build a support system. Great operators know when to lean on it… and when to show up, grind, and lead from the front. If you want both—counsel and clarity—then SMBash is for you — real operators sharing real answers. @dmontenegrox3 & @evelin_district have spoken on stage for two years at SMBash, sharing candidly the hard lessons they learned from the first month to the first few years of operating.