​Searcher Year-End Review: What 2025 Taught Us and How to Navigate 2026

​As the year comes to a close, we’re bringing the community together for one final virtual session focused on real lessons from the 2025 ETA landscape.

This Year-End Review Panel is built to help you step into 2025 with clarity. We’ll cover what worked, what didn’t, and what shifted across deal sourcing, diligence, financing, operator hiring, and Searcher accountability.

​Expect transparent conversations around:

• ​What kinds of deals actually closed this year and which ones consistently fell apart

• ​How Searchers adapted funnels, outreach, and buy boxes as the market tightened

• ​Recurring diligence pitfalls operators saw again and again

• ​What changed about lender reliability and investor expectations

• ​How Searchers sustained momentum through slow quarters

• ​The bold moves (and quiet habits) that separated successful Searches from stalled ones

​This session is equal parts reflection and reset. You’ll walk away with a clear sense of where the market moved in 2025 and the practical adjustments worth making as you prepare for 2026.

​It’s our final virtual event of the year, and we’re closing out strong by gathering the community around real-world insight and shared experience.

​We hope you’ll join us.

​Panelists include:

• ​Jared Johnson, First Internet Bank

• ​Lisa Forrest, Live Oak Bank

• ​Eric Pacifici, SMB Law Group

• ​Patrick Dichter, Appletree Business Services

• ​Jason Ehrlich, Fruition Capital