I have spent more than 40 years starting, buying, building and operating businesses—and I am still learning. Not because I need another certificate or more information stored on a laptop. I continue learning because the acquisition market changes, funding evolves and every business, seller and negotiation presents a different challenge. But there is also a trap. It is easy to convince ourselves that watching another video, completing another course or reading another book means we are making progress. It doesn’t. Knowledge only becomes valuable when it changes a decision or leads to action. My commitment inside The Acquisition Boardroom is to take what I learn and test it against real opportunities. That means approaching sellers, questioning the figures, exploring funding, negotiating terms and being prepared to walk away when the evidence does not support the deal. Some lessons will help move an acquisition forward. Others may prevent an expensive mistake. Both have value—but only when they are applied. So today’s Boardroom question is: What is one thing you already know you should be doing—but still haven’t acted on? Pull up a chair and be honest. Mine is continuing to follow up consistently when brokers or sellers go quiet.

Hi everyone, and thanks for the welcome, Patrick. I'm Ismail, based in Kent. My background is operating rather than buying — I've spent 30 years running and transforming technology and service businesses, including taking a loss-making IT services company back to profit, and I've mentored a lot of founders along the way. So I know how to run a business; buying one is the new part for me, and it's why I'm here. I'm looking to acquire and personally operate one established, profitable UK business — mainly technology and service companies (IT and managed services, SaaS, e-commerce, B2B tech-enabled, professional and healthcare services), in Greater London and the South East. Looking forward to following the journey and learning from how others here assess deals. If I can ever be useful on the operating or turnaround side, happy to share what I've picked up. Ismail

You’ve completed Lesson 6. Now turn the lesson into action. Share your answers in the comments below: • What was the most useful thing you learned? • What action will you take next? • Was anything unclear or missing? Remember to tap the circled ✓ at the top-right of the lesson page so Skool records your progress. Constructive feedback is welcome—it will help us keep improving the course.

Startup new business buying gold from local miners in Sierra Leone and selling at Guinea Conakry to gold dealers at international prices and later will sell at Dubai UAE at international prices at trade free zones