Hey there, Acquire & Builders! Your weekly business buying newsletter that gives you just the right setup to catch more deals.

This week’s setup:

1. Deal Sourcing with a Baby in One Arm and a Monster in the Other

Deal Sourcing with a Baby in One Arm and a Monster in the Other

Sometimes deal sourcing as a father of four looks like this: rocking our newborn in my arms as my oldest plays monster at my feet while I’m on the phone with a broker.

I’ve learned it can be hard to find balance. Deal sourcing never really stops—but neither does parenting. Meredith, my true compass, recently pointed out that I seemed engrossed and distracted with all the deal activity. Her reminder hit home: let work be work, and let family time be family time.

I’m still figuring it out, but here’s what’s helping: working in sprints.

• 4:00–5:45 a.m. → Thinking & planning sprint

• 5:45–7:15 a.m. → Gym

• 7:30–9:00 a.m. → Family sprint (breakfast, school prep, morning play)

• 9:00 a.m.–12:00 p.m. → Big boulders (deep work on deals)

• 12:00–2:00 p.m. → Lunch & family

• 2:00–4:00 p.m. → Clean-up sprint (calls, follow-ups, deal details)

• Evening → Family time

Is it perfect? No. Deal sourcing creeps in. But Meredith and I agreed that simply naming it out loud—telling her or the kids that I need to step away to talk with a lawyer, accountant, or banker—helps everyone know it’s temporary. And when I come back, I’m all-in: playing Sorry, riding bikes, reading books, or flipping logs to find salamanders.

The lesson? These worlds can be integrated, as long as I don’t keep one foot in each.

I’m not perfect, but I’m trying. And the whole reason I’m chasing business ownership in the first place is freedom: to spend more time, when I choose, with the people who matter most.