Boulay is proud to sponsor Search Party Video-Podcast, a new podcast series focused on elevating knowledge of the Entrepreneurship Through Acquisition (ETA) strategy.
Search Party features a rotating roster of expert guests who explore the unique opportunities, market dynamics, and best practices shaping the ETA ecosystem. In this episode, we’re excited to join the conversation with Boulay’s own Emily Young and Jake Bitz featured as guests.
In “Upgrading the Finance Function: Critical for Lower-Middle-Market Success,” host David Snow is joined by Anthony Walker, Managing Partner at Next Coast Legacy; Sam Swan, CEO and Eric Lougher, CFO/COO at TaskRay; and Emily Young, Transaction Advisory Manager and Jake Bitz, Consulting Controller at Boulay.
Together, the panel unpacks why the finance function is often underdeveloped in founder-led businesses—and how that gap becomes a liability during the first year of new ownership. Many lower-middle-market businesses run on gut instinct and bank balances—rarely on dashboards or KPIs. For new CEOs, this creates a steep learning curve and forces an early realization: forward-looking financial visibility is nonnegotiable.
For long-term ETA success, operators must align the company’s current financial infrastructure with its future growth objectives. As Emily explains, “The first step is—know the business. Know where it is today, know where you want it to be tomorrow, a year from now, five years from now.” A professionalized finance function not only improves operational decision-making early on, but also lays the groundwork for a future exit. As Jake notes, buyers, lenders, and future acquirers all expect reliable financial operations: “Hiring the key people and having that process put in place for how you close the month and how you report is the foundation.”
To learn more about how Boulay assists entrepreneurs throughout the search fund lifecycle and beyond, connect with us today.