Always out there.
After having seen many people and organizations sourcing acquisition opportunities, matching them with investors, or investing themselves, one thing has become very clear to me:
Most people are comfortable behind screens.
They analyze. They forward teasers. They wait for processes. They react to what is already circulating.
That’s fine. It works for the established players.
But for someone who comes from nowhere like me, it has to be something else. The Sprezzatura Company needs to be ALWAYS OUT THERE.
Meaning: At industry events, walking up to people. In conversations before someone hires an advisor. On factory floors, not just in CIMs. With companies that are not “for sale” but are thinking.
And for the future: Out there also means being present with portfolio companies. Not managing them through Excel. Actually being on the "factory floor", seeing what works, what doesn’t, and where the friction is. And it means trying things before they are comfortable, proven, and consensus.