Tech Ladies Talk Live: Entrepreneurship through Acquisition
Event Description:
Founding a business isn't the only path to entrepreneurship—you could also acquire an existing business, stepping in to grow it as the new owner and CEO. Katherine Butler-Dines, a successful self-funded searcher and the CEO of Affinity Travel Co., took this very path. After a successful career at a travel startup and then getting her MBA, Katherine joined a private equity firm as an operating partner at an IT services firm. She grew profits 30% YoY of IT services but experienced none of the upside, given she was without meaningful equity ownership.
This experience convinced Katherine she needed to take the leap into entrepreneurship, but rather than found a company, she decided to search and acquire an exisiting business. In 9 months, she ran a successful self-funded search, acquiring a travel business in September 2024. In this event, Katherine will share her experiences of Entrepreneurship Through Acquisition (ETA), offering insights into the pros/cons of buying vs founding a business, demystifying the steps you need to take to acquire a company, and sharing her experience as a female searcher and now CEO in the largely male-dominated world of "search funds."
Target Audience:
This is for women in senior leadership roles at companies currently, who are interested in entrepreneurship but aren't about how/when to take the leap.
Speaker Information:
Katherine is a successful self-funded searcher, and the CEO of both Affinity Travel Co and Women Travel Abroad.
After college, she went to work for a travel startup in Morocco, starting its group travel division. Her clients included Harvard University, Estée Lauder, and her favorite, Idris Elba. As she planned travel for groups large and small, she discovered its power to create community and intercultural exchange.
During the pandemic, she returned to the US, getting her MBA from Duke and operating a business on behalf of Evergreen Service Group. While she loved being an operator and CEO, she was eager to return to the travel industry.
Today, she runs two companies. Affinity Travel Co. plans custom group travel like corporate offsites, education/alumni trips, and even family reunions. Her other brand, which she acquired in 2024, is Women Travel Abroad, a boutique tour operator running 30+ small-group, all-women's trips around the globe each year. She plans to acquire 2-3 more niche travel companies over the next 18 months.
For Katherine, travel isn't about checking destinations off a bucket list; it's the best way to learn about yourself. She loves helping people discover new cultures and become more thoughtful, engaged global citizens.
Connect on LinkedIn:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/katherine-butler-dines/
https://www.linkedin.com/company/affinitytravel
Connect on Instagram: @womentravelabroad
More Details:
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This event will be recorded. All registered attendees will receive a recording via email.
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