When I told people I was leaving my engineering leadership job, the most common reaction was that it sounded a lot like 'that overlanding thing' I do. At first, the connection wasn't obvious, but the more I thought about it, the more it clicked. Overlanding is about self-sufficient travel where the journey is the destination (complete with the risks and gear to survive it). My career transition is no different—it is an expedition driven by curiosity, guided by values, and sustained by preparation.

I recently saw a post claiming that you shouldn’t buy a business if you haven’t built one from scratch (a pointed question about where your 'point of reference' comes from). As someone leaving corporate to do exactly that, it got me thinking. From my time as a process improvement engineer in healthcare to stepping into subject-matter-blind roles, I’ve learned that corporate life is a fertile training ground if you approach it with the right mindset. I might not be a 'starter' who loves a blank canvas, but I am a 'builder'—and there is a massive difference between the two.

I’m not going to lie, I’ve had doubts recently (not about leaving corporate, but about the path I’ve chosen). After a nudge from my coach, I reached out to six businesses, but instead of feeling energized, I felt nothing. I’m realizing that while 'boring businesses' are the darling of the ETA world, they don’t always align with the leadership leverage I’m actually seeking. Here is how that realization led to a major pivot for my partnership and a potential cliffhanger for what comes next.

It has been exactly one month since I left the 9-to-5, and I can already tell that time in this new life moves differently (some days feel like ages, while others vanish in a flash). While everyone asks how the business search is going, the truth is that this first month has been about a 'yes phase'—saying yes to reconnecting with old colleagues, touring CNC shops, and diving into short-term therapeutic projects. I am learning that quitting the job wasn't the final decision; it was just the first in a series of conscious, value-aligned choices.

Most people ask me what business I’m going to start (usually while my wife rolls her eyes at my hundredth idea), but the truth is, I’m not starting one at all. I’m looking to buy one. It’s called Entrepreneurship Through Acquisition (ETA), and it’s about skipping the high-risk 'startup struggle' to step into a business that already has customers, employees, and cash flow. Here is why I believe buying is better than building from zero.