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ETA Insider PodcastA podcast series featuring all things related to Author: Polsky Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation
A podcast series featuring all things related to search funds and entrepreneurship through acquisition. Hosted by Brian O'Connor, Adjunct Professor of Entrepreneurship at the University of Chicago's Booth School of Business and Managing Partner of NextGen Growth Partners. Language: en Genres: Business Contact email: Get it Feed URL: Get it iTunes ID: Get it |
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Military Leadership Meets Small Business Ownership
Friday, 30 January, 2026
In this episode of the ETA Insider Podcast, Alex Panosian, MBA ’18, joins the podcast to discuss his path from the U.S. Army to ETA and operating small businesses. Alex reflects on how military leadership shaped his approach to ownership, discipline, and decision-making. He shares firsthand experiences operating acquired businesses, including the day-to-day reality of being both an owner and an operator, the “duality” of doing manual work while making strategic decisions, and what it looks like to involve family in the journey. The conversation also touches on evaluating acquisition opportunities, lessons learned from operating across different industries, and how his perspective on business ownership has evolved since leaving the Army and completing Booth.
