What is a search fund and how it works

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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

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▫️ 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):

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▫️ Personal finance playbooks (salary, investing, negotiation)

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▫️ Real conversations with CEOs, operators & investors

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

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