Real World Lessons In Buying Your First Business In this episode, Jake and Sam talk with Stephen Owens, an engineer-turned-entrepreneur who shares his transition from the corporate world to small business ownership. Stephen dives into how his background in chemical engineering and time at companies like Koch Industries shaped his approach to buying and running a business. Listen in and find out: How he chose buying over starting a business — and why The challenges of sourcing deals and why he passed on some early opportunities What he learned about seller relationships and how that impacted the deal His mindset during negotiations, due diligence, and closing What surprised him post-acquisition, including operational realities and confidence-building What he would do differently if he could go back — a key part of "lessons learned"