What It Takes To Become an Entrepreneur With A.J. Wasserstein of the Yale School of Management
Episode's Guest

A.J. Wasserstein
A.J. Wasserstein is the Eugene F. Williams, Jr. Lecturer in the Practice of Management at the Yale School of Management. His research, writing, and teaching concentrate on search funds, entrepreneurship, programmatic acquisitions, and small businesses. Additionally, A.J. is a multiple-time CEO and private investor interested in lower middle-market firms and philanthropic organizations, where he can be a positive impact by using his experiences, time, and investment capital.
He received the Faculty Teaching Excellence Award for outstanding teaching in elective courses at the Yale School of Management in 2022. A.J. was also recognized as the Small Business Person of the Year in Connecticut by the US Small Business Administration. He is the author of What Matters Most: A Young Adult’s Roadmap For Life.
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In this episode…
Many people have preconceived notions of what it takes to be an entrepreneur. So, who is equipped for entrepreneurship, and what does it take to become a thriving entrepreneur? You don’t have to be a superhero to become an entrepreneur, but you must realize that it’s like running successive marathons. Even though the journey can be long, lonely, scary, and nebulous, anyone can be an entrepreneur with the right amount of determination and grit. The first step is picking a desirable industry for you before embarking on this journey. Once you’ve decided what that is, there are several ways to get started, including franchises, venture capital startups, search funds, or the genealogical takeover of a family business. With the appropriate information and confidence, aspiring entrepreneurs can rigorously evaluate which entrepreneurial path best suits their specific interests, needs, and goals by factoring risk, lifestyle, and exit strategies into their decision-making process.Here’s a glimpse of what you’ll learn:
- Can anyone be an entrepreneur?
- What are the four key questions to ask yourself before deciding to become an entrepreneur?
- A.J. Wasserstein shares his inspiration for becoming an entrepreneur
- A.J. explains the role of a good investor to new or young entrepreneurs
- The stages of entrepreneurial development and how to transition through them
- A.J. discusses the entrepreneur’s life after an exit
- A.J.’s advice for post-exit entrepreneurs
- What drove A.J. to include a focus on gender, ethnicity, and racial diversity in his case studies?
- The most influential people in A.J.’s business life
Resources Mentioned in this episode
- Apex Physics Partners
- Keith Burns on LinkedIn
- A.J. Wasserstein | Yale School of Management
- A.J. Wasserstein’s email: adam.wasserstein@yale.edu
- "How To Find, Buy, and Run a Successful Business with Nick Gallo and Giovanni Gallo of ComplianceLine"
- "Running a Successful Business as a Person of Color With Jane Kaggwa-Snow of AquaVita"
- What Matters Most: A Young Adult's Roadmap For Life by A.J. Wasserstein
- Grit: The Power of Passion and Perseverance by Angela Duckworth
- Patterns in Entrepreneurship
- Rollups, Consolidations and Programmatic Acquisitions
- Do You Have What It Takes to Be an Entrepreneur?
- Grit: The Power of Passion and Perseverance by Angela Duckworth
- On the Nature of Economic Characteristics
- What's Next?
Show Credits
Hosted by: Keith Burns
Special Guest: A.J. Wasserstein
Produced by: Lullwater & Co.
Edited by: Rise25
Sponsorship
This episode is brought to you by Lullwater.
Lullwater is a private family holding company where we focus on small business investing and operations.
We invest in entrepreneurs who are changing the world, one small business at a time.
This is not just another investing podcast but rather a conversation around building a more just, diverse, fruitful, and thriving world.
Explore the site to learn more about Lullwater & Co., their mission, and who they serve.
Apex Physics Partners
This episode is brought to you by Apex Physics Partners.
At Apex Physics Partners, we provide expert, patient-focused, and relationship-driven partnerships that empower patient care and allow physicists to be physicists.
We provide diagnostic and radiation safety solutions to ensure your practice is regulated and compliant, so your patients are cared for safely.
We partner with medical physics practices to oversee business management and administration, and we offer exciting career opportunities for people in the medical physics industry.
To learn more about Apex Physics Partners, go to apexphysicspartners.com, or you can email us at apexinfo@apexphysicspartners.com.