The (M&A)stermind Subscribe Free →
📬 Free Weekly Newsletter

The (M&A)stermind

Buy, build & invest in American businesses

I left Goldman Sachs and BCG to partner with 70-year-old entrepreneurs who built great businesses but have no path to retirement. Every week, I break down the deals, the math, and the lessons — so you can do the same. No fluff. Just the playbook.

Goldman Sachs NYU Law BCG Univ. of Miami USTAAR
🎓 500+ students & professionals mentored
💼 $50M+ capital raised & deployed
📰 Featured in Yahoo Finance
🎤 5+ industry speaking events
The Opportunity
33 Million Businesses.
No Succession Plan.

There are 33.2 million small businesses in America employing almost half the private sector workforce. They're run by entrepreneurs who bootstrapped their companies decades ago — before email, before selfies, before any of us knew what a podcast was.

They've survived every recession, every crisis, every technological revolution. And most of them have no idea how they're going to retire.

My fancy degrees and training from the best institutions in the world pale in comparison to the real-world education these older entrepreneurs give me each week. They didn't give up in the face of adversity. They couldn't. Their families depended on them. Their communities depended on them. Doers do.

"We don't acquire companies, fire half the staff, and flip in three years. That's the old private equity model. We lean into the legacy."

— Darien K. Smith, Esq.

Meanwhile, the wealthy have access to private deals through their networks. Regular people? They get index funds and a pat on the head.

This newsletter exists to change that. To teach you how the game actually works — not the stock market, but real ownership of real businesses that employ real people.

Growth → Opportunities → Jobs → Communities
Who This Is For
Four Kinds of People Read This
🏗️

Aspiring Acquirers

You want to buy a business instead of starting one from scratch. You need the frameworks, the math, and someone who's actually done it — not just taught it.

💰

Private Investors

You have $25K-$500K to deploy and want access to private deals beyond the stock market. SDIRAs, syndications, and deal-by-deal structures demystified.

🔧

Operators & Executives

You have the skills to run a company but no business to run. Learn how to find, acquire, and operate a company that already has customers and cash flow.

🌍

International Investors

You want access to the US lower middle market from abroad. Legal frameworks, deal structures, and syndication models built for global capital.

Probably Not For You If...

  • You want get-rich-quick schemes or "passive income" hacks
  • You're looking for stock tips or crypto plays
  • You think investing without due diligence is anything other than gambling
  • You want guaranteed returns (they don't exist — anyone who says otherwise is lying)
Every Week
What You'll Get
Practitioner knowledge, not academic theory. Real deals, real math, real lessons from the field.
🏢

Deal Breakdowns

What I'm looking at, what the numbers say, and what I'd pay. Real deals dissected — not case studies from 2004.

📊

The Math

How deals get financed, how SBA loans work, how to invest with $25K through an SDIRA. The stuff nobody teaches you.

🧠

Operator Lessons

From my deals, my students, and the 70-year-old founders who give me a master class in resilience every single week.

⚖️

Legal Frameworks

Being an attorney is quite literally a cheat code for dealmaking. Contracts, structures, and protections — without the law school debt.

🌍

Global Access

How to invest in US private businesses from anywhere. Syndications, SDIRA strategies, and cross-border deal structures.

🎓

The Playbook

Valuation, diligence, negotiation, operations — frameworks I teach at the University of Miami, pressure-tested in real deals.

The Difference
Most People Teaching This
Have Never Done It
There are plenty of newsletters about business and investing. Here's why this one is different.
⚖️

Attorney + Dealmaker

An NYU-trained attorney who structures his own deals. Most "gurus" can't read a purchase agreement. Darien drafts them.

🏛️

Wall Street Trained, Not Wall Street Trapped

Goldman Sachs and BCG built the analytical foundation. But he left to do deals — not advise on them from a corner office.

🎓

University Lecturer, Not Influencer

Teaches acquisition entrepreneurship at the University of Miami. Co-founded a $5M student accelerator. This is education, not content.

🤝

Active Practitioner

Currently acquiring and operating businesses. Every lesson comes from live deals — not case studies from a decade ago.

Inside The Newsletter
Topics We've Covered
A taste of what hits your inbox every week.
01

What Is a Private Equity Independent Sponsor?

Your family has no idea what you do. Some friends think they know. Only a select few really understand. Here's the complete breakdown.

02

The SBA Loan Playbook

The government will fund 90% of your acquisition. Most people don't know this exists — by design. Full walkthrough inside.

03

Building Communities, Not Spreadsheets

33 million small businesses. Half the workforce. Why mission-aligned PE — leaning into legacies instead of stripping them — is the future.

04

How to Vet a Deal in 60 Seconds

Revenue quality. Customer concentration. Owner dependency. Cash flow vs. profit. Five filters before going deeper.

05

Self-Directed IRAs: The Access Hack

You can invest in private deals with your retirement account. Wealthy people have done this for decades. Your turn.

06

Shared Values = Shared Success

Why values alignment matters more than valuation multiples. The framework for creating win-win-win outcomes in every deal.

Your Guide
Meet Darien
Darien K. Smith, Esq.

Darien K. Smith, Esq.

First-generation attorney from Chicago's South Side. Many of his high school classmates didn't make it out. He did — and spent a decade at Goldman Sachs, NYU Law, and BCG learning how billion-dollar companies operate.

Then the realization: the biggest opportunity isn't at the top — it's in the middle. In 2019, he founded DKS Capital Partners to acquire and operate lower middle market businesses, partnering with older entrepreneurs who built something real but have no path to retirement.

Today, Darien teaches acquisition entrepreneurship at the University of Miami, co-founded USTAAR (a $5M student startup accelerator), and actively acquires businesses. His first engagement: stepping in as acting GM of a beloved Chicago restaurant chain — cutting costs 70%, growing sales 45%, in 45 days.

"The hours are long. The dead ends are abundant. And failure is a prerequisite. But if you can manage the risks and stomach the ups and downs, you're in for the best ride of your life."

Goldman Sachs NYU Law Stroock & Stroock BCG DKS Capital Partners Univ. of Miami USTAAR
Programs
Three Ways to Learn
Whether you're exploring or ready to close your first deal — practitioner-led education at every level.
Free

The Newsletter

$0
per week, forever

Weekly insights that most people pay thousands to learn. The best free education on buying businesses you'll find.

  • Weekly deal breakdowns & analysis
  • Financing strategies & SBA guides
  • Operator lessons from real deals
  • Legal frameworks simplified
  • SDIRA & syndication explainers
Subscribe Free →
8-Week Intensive

ETA Bootcamp

Apply
20 students max · Next cohort filling now

The complete acquisition playbook. Intensive, hands-on training from a practitioner who's done the deals — not just studied them. Most graduates close within 12 months.

  • 8 weeks of live sessions with Darien
  • Deal sourcing & valuation frameworks
  • Due diligence templates & checklists
  • SBA loan & financing walkthroughs
  • Negotiation & structuring workshops
  • Direct access to Darien & the DKS team
  • Lifetime community membership
Apply Now →
Invitation Only

The (M&A)stermind

Invite
12 members max · By application only

For serious acquirers building real portfolios. Proprietary deal flow, live deal reviews, and a peer network of operators who are actually closing.

  • Everything in ETA Bootcamp
  • Proprietary deal flow access
  • Live deal review sessions
  • Co-investment opportunities
  • Direct line to Darien & the DKS team
  • Mastermind peer group (12 max)
  • Annual retreat
Request Invitation →
Questions
Frequently Asked
Who writes this newsletter?

Darien K. Smith, Esq. — a first-generation attorney from Chicago's South Side with a career spanning Goldman Sachs, NYU Law, BCG, and now running his own PE firm (DKS Capital Partners). He also teaches acquisition entrepreneurship at the University of Miami. Everything in the newsletter comes from deals he's actually doing, not textbooks.

Is this actually free?

The weekly newsletter is 100% free, forever. No paywalls, no "free for the first month" tricks. The paid programs (ETA Bootcamp and the Mastermind) exist for people who want deeper, hands-on training — but the newsletter stands on its own.

I don't want to buy a business. Is this still for me?

Absolutely. Many readers are investors who want to understand private deals, executives curious about the PE world, or professionals who want to invest $25K-$100K alongside experienced operators. You don't have to be an acquirer to benefit — understanding how businesses are bought, built, and sold makes you smarter about everything.

How is this different from other business newsletters?

Most newsletters are written by journalists or content creators. This one is written by someone actively acquiring and operating businesses — and teaching at a university. You get practitioner knowledge, not secondhand summaries. Real deals. Real math. Real lessons from someone who's been told "no" 70+ times and keeps going.

Can international investors participate?

Yes. The newsletter covers deal structures, legal frameworks, and syndication models that work for both domestic and international investors. The US lower middle market is one of the most underserved opportunities in global markets — and access shouldn't require a US address.

What's a Self-Directed IRA?

It's a retirement account that lets you invest in private deals — businesses, real estate, private equity — instead of just stocks and mutual funds. Wealthy people have used SDIRAs for decades. Most financial advisors won't tell you about them because they can't charge fees on the assets. We cover this extensively in the newsletter.

Join Free

The Playbook Wall Street
Doesn't Want You to Have

One email per week. Real deals, real math, real lessons from a first-generation attorney who's been told "no" 70+ times and keeps going. Because doers do.