11. Ex Facebook VC: How To Build Your Small Business Deal Sourcing Engine: Elizabeth Knopf

E11: Tech Venture Capital is the big leagues where billion dollar valuations are the norm and the behemoth companies that we now can’t live without are born. But what do venture capitalists know that the rest of us don't? And what lessons from this space can give us an edge to dominate the world of small business investing and operating.Today’s guest is as certified as it gets to answer these questions. Today we’re speaking with Elizabeth Knopf, an M&A investor and operator with over 15 years of experience in the tech industry, including 6 SaaS exits - 1 of which was an IPO, scaling a 9 figure tech company to more than $1 billion in ARR, launching an ecommerce marketplace in Latin America to over 7 figures in only 9 months and over +$40M of capital invested. She’s facilitated mega transactions on companies like Facebook and Groupon, and now she’s leveraging her Venture Capital and Start Up skillset to crush small business investing.Topics discussed:• Small business deal sourcing best practices• 3 key reasons to consider a government contracting business• Career intentionality and seeking upside through equity as an intrapreneur• How to capitalise on the multi-billion small business tech-tsunami opportunity• How to build an exit ready business to go from business operator to owner to investor• Step by step process for building out your small business buying deal sourcing engine• How to negotiate the transition with the past business owners to protect your downside risk• Creative strategies to get into deals and transaction opportunities beyond traditional M&A• Geo-cloning start up strategy for cloning successful US business models in foreign markets• How to determine whether starting vs buying a business is the right path for you out of your 9 to 5• How to identify and exploit your unique competitive advantage to maximise your small business acquisition’s potentialThis episode breaks down the venture capital industry’s inside secrets and details how to apply them successfully for small business investing.You are in for a treat with this one. Enjoy!Follow along on my SMB journey:Twitter: @JakeMRichardsSign up to the Salary to CEO Newsletter for exclusive behind-the-scenes content, small business tips, and reminders when each episode releases:https://salarytoceo.beehiiv.com/subscribe