Insights

In 2018, fresh out of USC and working a corporate job I was never fully bought into, I started building something on the side that scratched a real itch. Adult pickup basketball was broken.

You know the deal. You show up to the gym, wait hours to play, deal with arguments over fouls, mismatched teams, and no structure or consistency. I thought, what if there was a version of pickup hoops that felt more like a SoulCycle class. Same energy, same community, but clean, organized, and actually fun to show up for.

So I started renting gyms across Los Angeles by the hour. I hired referees. I built a simple brand and a rough scheduling system. We ran one hour games, talked to players afterward, and made changes constantly. We tweaked everything from the rules to the playlist to the check-in process. Over time, the experience got tighter. And players kept coming back.

Crosscourt became a real business. We had strong recurring revenue, a loyal member base, a great team, and a product that people genuinely loved. But after a years of trying to expand, I had to admit something to myself. As much as we had built, the model just was not as easy to scale the way I originally imagined. What started as a big vision eventually settled into a healthy lifestyle business. That gap between dream and reality forced me to take a hard look at where I wanted to go next as my ambitions were still sky high.

What I Learned About Myself

I love building. I love rolling up my sleeves inside a business and solving problems. I love thinking about brand, growth, operations, and customer experience. But I realized I do not need to start from scratch to do that. In fact, starting from zero often works against you.

You take on all the risk. You burn through years trying to prove something even deserves to exist. And if you do succeed, you usually end up owning very little of the outcome.

What I really wanted was to build and own something meaningful. To work on businesses that already worked, and make them even better.

That realization led me to acquisitions and uncovering the best business models in the world.

What Seven Years of Operating Taught Me

Originality is Overrated

I used to think the only path to success was building something no one had seen before. What no one tells you is how expensive and exhausting it is to create a new market, educate customers, and fight for attention. Most startups fail trying to convince the world their idea should exist. There is a reason the best businesses are often doing something simple very well.

Cash Flow is Freedom

Startups chase growth at all costs. That usually means raising round after round, diluting ownership, and staying stuck on a treadmill. A business that generates real cash gives you freedom. You can reinvest, reward your team, and actually control your own future.

Durability Compounds

Crosscourt was not flashy, but it was reliable. Members kept showing up. Revenue kept coming in. That kind of stickiness is not always exciting on the outside, but it builds something far more valuable than hype. It builds predictability, and predictability is the foundation of any business worth owning.

I Fell in Love with B2B

Running a B2C consumer brand and experience like Crosscourt taught me a lot, but mostly by fire. Every customer needed to be acquired one by one. Churn was always chasing us. Margins were tight. Demand was seasonal and emotional. And we were constantly trying to convince people to want something they didn’t necessarily need. It felt like pushing a boulder uphill every month.

That experience opened my eyes to a better way.

When I started studying vertical market B2B businesses, it clicked instantly. These companies sell products that are mission-critical. They serve specific industries with real pain points. Customers are not just buying convenience. They are buying infrastructure. These are businesses that solve essential problems in markets with little tolerance for downtime. They are sticky. They are valuable. And they tend to grow quietly in the background while others are chasing attention.

The best vertical B2B companies have all the things I used to wish I had at Crosscourt. Recurring or usage-based revenue. High customer lifetime value. High margins. Customers who rely on the product to do their job. Sales motions that are repeatable and often driven by real ROI. These businesses often grow through reputation, trust, and word of mouth instead of paid ads and brand tricks.

What I love most is that many of them are hiding in plain sight. They are not flashy, but they are scalable. They have strong bones, great economics, and the ability to run lean. That’s exactly where I want to be.

Why Acquisitions Are the Right Fit for Me

I am not looking to be the next unicorn. I am not chasing trends or betting on hype. I want to own good businesses that are already solving a real problem and have built something sustainable.

But I am not a financial buyer looking to cut costs and cash out. I am an operator. I have been in the trenches. I have dealt with broken systems, rebuilt customer journeys, expanded products, and managed teams through chaos. I know what it takes to build something from nothing. And I respect it deeply.

When I buy a business, I am not trying to erase what made it special. I am trying to protect it. Learn it. And build on it.

I believe most great companies are built quietly. They are often misunderstood by outsiders because the magic is in the details. In the relationships, the tribal knowledge, the way decisions get made. That is the stuff I want to preserve.

How I Think About Growth

When I step into a business, I focus on the things that actually move the needle:

- Improve the product in small but meaningful ways - Build or strengthen the sales and marketing engine - Put the right people in the right roles with the structure to succeed - Make smart acquisitions that expand the offering or the market

This is not about adding complexity. It is about tightening the foundation and creating long term value. No vanity metrics. No chasing growth for the sake of it. No wasting capital to look busy.

Why This Feels Right

This is not theory. I have lived it. I know what it is like to launch something from scratch, to feel the pressure of payroll, to have to learn every function of a business because there is no one else to do it. And I also know how rewarding it can be to work on something that really matters to people.

What excites me now is the chance to start with a company that already works and make it even stronger. To apply what I have learned in a way that creates value quickly and sustainably. And to do it with people who care about where their business ends up.

If you are an owner thinking about what comes next, I would love to connect. I will ask thoughtful questions. I will take the time to understand what you have built. And I will treat your business with the respect it deserves.

Because I am not just here to buy something. I am here to carry it forward.