This week, Victor and Benton spoke with A.J. Wasserstein, Professor at Yale School of Management where he teaches courses on SMB leadership, acquisitions, and entrepreneurship. In our conversation, we covered:

- What is a programmatic acquisition strategy and why it matters

- How AJ implemented this strategy while leading ArchivesOne, forming the third largest records management business in the US

- Lessons learned from 17 years buying small businesses at ArchivesOne

- What factors to look for when determining whether this strategy is right for a business

- How NOT to implement a programmatic acquisition strategy

This week, Victor and Benton spoke with Mark Valdez, founder of Eads Bridge Holdings. Mark has a deep background in tech, previously serving as the chief of staff for Marc Andreessen before jumping ship to build a tech-enabled small business holding company. In our conversation, we covered:

• The thesis behind Eads Bridge Holdings
  
• EBH’s 4 step digital strategy
  
• How Mark is building a tech-enabled platform for small businesses
  
• How to implement new software systems in a small business
  
• Mark’s experience as Marc Andreessen’s chief of staff
  

This week, Victor and Benton spoke with Jeff Sands, founding partner of Dorset Partners, a firm specializing distressed business turnarounds. Jeff is also the author of "Corporate Turnaround Artistry: Fix a Business in 100 Days." In our conversation, we covered:

- What strategies Jeff uses in the first 100 days of a business turnaround

- How to negotiate with creditors

- A balance sheet turnaround vs. an income statement turnaround

- How to run a business during lean times