Thank you SoFi for sponsoring this video. Sign up here: https://www.sofi.com/TigerSisters

What if the fastest way to become a CEO isn’t launching a startup, climbing the corporate ladder, or building a personal brand, but buying a business that already works?

In this episode of Tiger Sisters, Jean and Cherie break down Entrepreneurship Through Acquisition (ETA), also known as “M&A for Hot People,” and how people buy “boring” cash flow businesses that quietly create millionaires.

Tune in as we cover:

Why “buy then build” can beat starting from zero
Search funds explained, how they work, & who they are for
The boring businesses that print cash and what to look for
The biggest red flags, and who should not do this

Then special correspondent Codie Sanchez, the internet’s biggest advocate for buying boring businesses, joins Jean and Cherie for a big picture conversation about building financial freedom and how women can leverage their strengths to thrive as CEOs.

Whether you’re climbing the corporate ladder, an aspiring founder, a burnt out startup employee, or just curious about how wealth gets built outside of Silicon Valley & Wall Street, this episode will change how you think about ownership.

... because sometimes the hottest move is buying something boring 💅

Timestamps:

00:01:18 Our episode outline

00:01:55 Buying & then build the business

00:02:30 What is a search fund?

00:05:18 Jean’s experience with search funds

00:10:24 Factors to balance during acquisition

00:11:46 Stanford vs. Harvard search fund history

00:19:05 Who this is for and NOT for

00:19:57 Welcome Codie Sanchez

00:22:34 How to buy a business with $0

00:29:19 The risk for women in entrepreneurship

00:35:45 There is no last best deal

00:36:30 Learn on someone else’s dime

00:37:50 How women are losing as investors

00:44:09 Why women in business should wear makeup

00:48:20 Codie’s secret to negotiation

00:50:27 There are 3 types of men to negotiate with

00:55:54 Rollups and economies of scale

1:00:00 - Cherie’s traffic cone business anecdote

1:06:05 - Outro

🐯👯‍♀️ We’re the Tiger Sisters: Your Wall Street & Silicon Valley big sisters

Decoding Money • Power • Love✨ New episodes every Monday | Shorts all week ✨

💌 Want to partner with us? Sponsorships: partnerships@tigersisters.co

Why trust us?

▫️ Cherie Brooke Luo — 100M+ views demystifying tech, finance & MBAs

▫️ Jean Luo — ex-Goldman Sachs, ex-Snapchat exec, 50+ AI patents, startup investor

▫️ Together: 4 Ivy League degrees • built billion-dollar products • two startups — decoded for you

What you’ll get (and keep):

▫️ 🚀 Ivy League cheat sheets — no $250K tuition

▫️ Personal finance playbooks (salary, investing, negotiation)

▫️ Networking scripts behind $100M+ deals & job offers

▫️ Real conversations with CEOs, operators & investors

▫️ Mindset resets — clarity without the pricey coach

▫️ Systems for career, money, and long-term growth

💛 LET’S CONNECT

~ CHERIE

Instagram — /cherie.brooke

TikTok — /cherie.brooke

Substack — cherieluo.substack.com

LinkedIn — /cherie-luo

~ JEAN

Instagram — /jeanluo_

LinkedIn — /jeanluo

👉 Hit Subscribe & tap the 🔔, then leave a ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ review on Spotify & Apple Podcasts. It takes 10 seconds and makes a massive difference in helping new people discover Tiger Sisters.

🛍️ Items:

🍵 Sisters Matcha — www.sistersmatcha.com

🌀 Everything else — https://amzn.to/3z0dx5b