Time for a Change

Most times when I meet people, their first question is “How are things going?”, and usually this translates to: “How is work going?”, since in the U.S., work is a central part of our identity. And my typical response is, well, I’m unemployed, but things are great.?

I haven’t worked full time since running TSUMo Snacks last year, and I finally got to take the break I had originally wanted to take back in 2021, after I left Kiva. This has meant traveling, spending lots of time with my niece, getting back to ceramics after a 20 year break, and hanging out with my friends and family. You know, the things we all talk about wanting to do, but never actually accomplish.?

In my younger years, this lack of work would have driven me crazy - I’d be bored after a month and dying to get back to work, but with age comes perspective and other priorities in life. I’ve also come to question the “hustle culture” that has defined my generation. We work like crazy and sacrifice so much, to what end? To make more money and consume more goods? One amazing thing is that when you travel a lot like I do, you’re constantly exposed to different cultures, and you realize, we don’t have to live this way - actually, a lot of the world doesn’t. Why not fill my life more with the things I actually enjoy, rather than trying to climb the ladder, constantly seeking a better title and making more money. You know, the things I’ve spent the last 20 years of my career doing.

It’s not like I sat idly by. I did some consulting, networked like crazy, joined a board and looked for potential job opportunities, but my industry has changed significantly (see all my previous posts), and also, I’ve changed. I realize I no longer want to work 40 hours a week for someone else. In fact, I really like being in charge and running a business, and above all else, I value my independence. So in response to the question “How are things going?” my new response is “Great, I’m looking to buy a boring business.”?

What does that mean? Well, one subject we learned a lot about at Haas is entrepreneurship, and I’ve worked at startups for my entire career (and run 2 of them). But the emphasis has always been on starting your own business, and maybe that’s due to being so close to Silicon Valley. But the fact is: MOST START UPS FAIL, and I am really tired of working for companies that have never been profitable (basically 95% of the businesses that I worked for. I came up with that number because I’m assuming that at least 1 or 2 of the businesses I worked for must have been profitable, I just don’t know which ones). Something that I didn’t really learn about until recently is entrepreneurship via acquisition aka buying a business.??

Considering that I went to business school, and am surrounded by entrepreneurs and business owners, it’s really surprising to me that I don’t know many people who have acquired businesses - in fact, it’s something that has never really come up. But it turns out that there has been growing interest in entrepreneurship via acquisition, and after looking into it, I realize that it fits much of what I’m looking for at this point in my life.?

And in terms of HOW I’m gonna do it, well, I hope you’ll follow along on my journey, since I’ll be documenting it all. You can check out my website at www.katybrookllc.com , follow my company on Linked In , Instagram and Youtube:

Yes, I realize that it’s all bare bones right now, but I’ll be filling it with content. It took me 10 years post MBA to learn about entrepreneurship through acquisition , and I want to make sure that I share this process, so you, too, might be able to learn about it.? In particular, I want women of color to know that they can do this, too. So thanks for reading and please check back for updates!!