Connor Smith, and I am a corporate finance professional ready to leap into entrepreneurship. I founded Wagon Creek Holdings with the sole purpose of acquiring a single established business. I plan to leave my W2 role and relocate post-close to manage the business full-time.
I was born and raised in rural Northern California where my parents owned and operated a veterinary clinic for 30 years. I gained an appreciation for the ins and outs of running a small business, including payroll and employee management, SOP documentation, property and equipment maintenance, customer satisfaction management, etc. I was not exempt from more humble responsibilities either, having worked for my parents to clean kennels, pick up dog poop, and stack hay bales from a young age. This upbringing framed my growth mindset and seeded the desire to pursue entrepreneurship.
After graduating as valedictorian of my class, I studied Economics at UC San Diego with a minor in Accounting. My first job out of college was at a technology-focused investment bank in San Francisco. During that time I gained a deep appreciation for the anatomy of a deal, from CIM preparation to LOI submission, due diligence, and purchase agreement negotiations. I saw how poor communication can turn sellers off and how unmanaged attorneys can tie deals up in legal redline hell. I am keenly aware that time kills deals and I understand the need for quick decisions and clear communications. Successful buyers not only optimized for risk mitigation but deal momentum.
While working as an intermediary was invaluable, I felt I lacked a first-hand perspective of how the companies we represented operated. So, I joined the corporate finance group of a publicly traded software company called Splunk. My experience in this role gave me visibility into the key drivers of a business and the data and metrics to understand them. During that time Splunk was acquired by Cisco in one of the largest software deals to date, and I got to witness that process from the inside while supporting due diligence and integration efforts.
Now, having cut my teeth in the corporate world, I want to move beyond supporting others’ ventures to take on the full responsibility and reward of leading a business myself. As an aspiring owner/operator, I am attracted by the opportunity to make an outsized positive impact on the lives of my family, employees, and the local community. With my cumulative experience, I am well prepared to bring a transaction to close and steward the succession of a legacy business.
My goal is to get a deal done by the end of 2025 (sooner the better). I plan to optimize for the deal's success rather than re-trade on points that don’t move the needle. I understand that buying a business is inherently risky and I promise to bring a pragmatic approach to risk mitigation.
I plan to fund between $200k-$300k from my personal balance sheet and raise the remaining capital from investors for a 10%-20% equity injection. With skin in the game and a personal credit score 800+, I am confident in the odds of securing an SBA (7a) loan for a quality business.
I’m an alumnus of SMBootcamp, a reputable in-person workshop to learn everything about searching, closing, and transitioning from transaction advisors and former searchers. The camp has earned a strong reputation for producing well equipped buyers that go on to complete successful transactions. I also have prior career experience as an M&A advisor and I observed my parents sell their vet clinic to Private Equity.
I don’t want to undo what has already been driving great outcomes. I understand that a successful transition is not just about taking over operations but also about earning the trust of employees, customers, and partners.
Unlike Private Equity or Strategic buyers, I am the sole decision-maker in my search and can move quickly to finalize a deal. I have the discretion and flexibility to adapt to circumstances as they arise and I do not have a board of directors or an investment committee to slow down negotiations.
My plan isn’t to implement cost-cutting measures. Small businesses are way more than line items on a spreadsheet and I aim to generate value through continued investment in people, process, and product.
I am currently based in Sonoma County in Northern California. While I will consider local businesses, I am otherwise looking outside the state and would plan to relocate at closing. My target geography can be described as ranging from the Pacific Northwest to the east side of the Rockies. This region includes Washington, Oregon, Idaho, Montana, Wyoming, Utah, and Colorado. I am also interested in the greater Reno, Nevada area.
"Connor and I worked together at Splunk in both the GTM Finance & Corporate Finance functions. He is very intellectual, inquisitive, analytical, and strategic. During our time working together, Connor took on a lot of interesting but complex, unstructured problems to solve. He is a super logical person and delivered very organized, data-driven conclusions that helped us drive the business forward. Connor is also extremely competent with models and data tools. He taught himself SQL very quickly and learned Anaplan models fast as well. Connor has been one of my favorite people to work with and manage over the years!"
"I had the pleasure of directly overseeing Connor on the Growth Finance team at Splunk. In addition to having a rock-solid foundation in finance, Connor is an extremely well-rounded individual with natural leadership capabilities, able to take on complex projects with minimal direction and see them through to their highest potential. From what I've directly observed, he has a high level of technical acumen with data and related analytics tools, and at the same time is able to communicate effectively across the organization, from the analyst level up to the C-suite. Connor has also consistently exhibited compassion and teamwork, boosting morale by fostering a collaborative environment where colleagues feel supported and valued. I have no doubt that Connor will do great things in his career, and he's one of the few people I would seek first when building a high-impact team or working on a high-impact project."
