David Dodson - Searching, Investing, Teaching - Ep.108

<p><strong>My guest</strong> <strong>on this episode is David Dodson. David</strong> <strong>started the second ever search fund after being a Stanford case writer, purchasing Smith Alarm Systems in 1989.</strong> <strong>Over his career, David has been</strong> <strong>the CEO or executive chairman of five companies,</strong> <strong>has and continues to invest in search funds today through his firm Futaleufu Partners, and he is a professor at Stanford</strong> <strong>Graduate School of Business, teaching</strong> <strong>classes about search and the</strong> <strong>management of small companies. </strong></p><p><strong>My conversation with David</strong> <strong>starts with his time as a case writer before launching his search fund.</strong> <strong>We talk about peaks and valleys in his search career, including some very hard conversations. We dive deep into the topic</strong> <strong>of transitioning from a contributor to a leader of a small firm and important leadership skills. </strong></p><p><strong>We</strong> <strong>also talk about</strong> <strong>how the search fund world has evolved over time</strong> <strong>and where it might continue to change in the future.</strong> <strong>Finally, we</strong> <strong>talk about the relationships searchers</strong> <strong>have with their investors and how to foster better ones. I&#39;ve been really excited to have</strong> <strong>David on the podcast for quite a while, and I hope you enjoy our</strong> <strong>wide-ranging conversation.</strong></p><p>Listen weekly and follow the show on <a href="https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/think-like-an-owner/id1445929750" rel="nofollow">Apple Podcasts</a>, <a href="https://open.spotify.com/show/3Fbv9d4HpDwuO4MOPvgdvO?si=bfa67fb76c654755" rel="nofollow">Spotify</a>, <a href="https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly9mZWVkcy5yZWRjaXJjbGUuY29tLzI1ODM4YjdlLTdlZTgtNGZjMC05ZjU0LTViNjJkZDNmZTBjNg" rel="nofollow">Google Podcasts</a>, <a href="https://www.stitcher.com/show/think-like-an-owner" rel="nofollow">Stitcher</a