At The Loren | Austin, TX (Aug 29)
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On August 29, we hosted a private, one-day M&A & Exit Lab at The Loren in Austin, and it delivered exactly what we designed these Labs to create: real momentum.
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This wasn’t a room of founders collecting ideas.

It was a room of owners actively working through acquisitions, partnerships, and the decisions they need to make now to earn the exit they want later.
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The goal wasn’t inspiration. It was transformation: to help owners leave the room as a different kind of operator, someone who can source deals, evaluate opportunities, structure intelligently, and move forward with confidence.
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This wasn’t open to everyone. Attendees were selected because they’re serious about buying, partnering, or engineering a real exit. 
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The day was built around execution: sourcing, evaluation, valuation, financing, diligence, integration, and reverse-engineering an exit strategy that matches the business you’re building.
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And because the experience matters, we made sure it felt like a premium, high-touch day from the first handshake:
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• Each guest received a gift package including a branded t-shirt, local Austin chocolate, local mug and a branded leather notebook
  
  
• Every attendee received a full physical binder packed with resources - frameworks, checklists, and real templates designed to be used for live deal structuring, not just note-taking
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What follows is a recap of the full-day agenda and why this format consistently creates momentum for agency owners who are serious about M&A.

Full-Day Agenda Highlights

We structured the day to move from mindset → pipeline → deal mechanics → execution, so attendees left with both clarity and momentum.

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Morning: Foundations + Deal Flow:
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• M&A mindset + exit thinking: how to “begin with the end,” understand buyer types, and focus on the valuation drivers that matter.
  
  
• Deal sourcing + pipeline build: the core sourcing channels, plus a hands-on work session where attendees started building a repeatable pipeline and drafted outreach.
  
  
• Quick-fit evaluation: how to run an efficient first call, what to look for early, and what to request before deep diligence.
  
  
• Valuation + deal structure fundamentals: how price and terms work together, and how smart structure reduces risk.
  
  
• Financing overview: practical options like SBA, seller notes, earnouts, and equity rollover - when they fit and when they don’t.
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Midday: Connection:
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• Lunch networking: time to compare notes, workshop ideas, and build relationships with other acquisition-minded agency owners.
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Afternoon: Diligence, Integration, and the Exit Path
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• Due diligence with a “kill the deal” lens: how to pressure-test risk, ask sharper seller questions, and avoid falling in love with the opportunity.
  
  
• Integration planning: what the first 100 days needs to cover to protect clients, team, and margins.
  
  
• Exit reverse-engineering: mapping how the right acquisitions stack into the business (and exit) you ultimately want.
  
  

Commitments + action plans: each attendee left with 3 concrete next steps to execute immediately.

What Attendees Said After the Lab

We received strong feedback immediately after the event. One message captured the intent perfectly:

“Thank you for a truly wonderful time in Austin! That was a far more impactful and practical M&A learning experience than even a ~$150k MBA, and it was great to get to meet you in person.”
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Another attendee echoed something we care about deeply - motivation to get you started:

“As I mentioned in the note I sent (snail mail), I can't thank you enough for the opportunity to join your Lab last week. In just a few short days, it's been a game-changer from a mindset and manifestation perspective. I've had more conversations around M&A in the past few days than most other topics. I see a clear path forward for opening my business up to so much more than just operational coaching, and I haven't been this excited in a long time.”
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This is the kind of momentum we aim to create at every M&A & Exit Lab - small rooms, serious operators, and conversations that move deals forward.
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Future Labs are announced first to our community of agency owners building this path together.

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Why This Format Works

A one-day lab creates what most agency owners are missing:
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• focus (no multitasking, no distractions)
• reps (role plays, real exercises, real outputs)
• a room (people who are actually doing deals or preparing to)
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Most agency owners don’t stall because they lack information; they stall because they’ve never built the muscle.

‍Reading doesn’t create momentum. Execution does.

What Comes Next

When the right operators get in the room, M&A stops being abstract.
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Because the bottleneck for most owners isn’t intelligence. Its execution.

You can “learn M&A” indefinitely and still avoid the first uncomfortable step, outreach, deal criteria, underwriting, and a real pipeline.

Or you can compress months of uncertainty into a single day, work real scenarios, get your thinking sharpened, and leave with next steps that actually get done.

That’s why we run these Labs. They’re built to create momentum.
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If acquisitions or an eventual exit are on your horizon, don’t default to more content.

Get in the room.

Learn about upcoming M&A & Exit Labs →
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Not ready yet?

• Join the community of agency owners building leverage and long-term value through acquisitions.
  
  
• Join the free 21-Day Email Course for clarity on buy vs. build, valuation, and acquisition strategy.

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