A.J. Wasserstein is the Eugene F. Williams, Jr. Lecturer in the Practice of Management at the Yale School of Management. His research, writing, and teaching concentrate on search funds, entrepreneurship, programmatic acquisitions, and small businesses. Additionally, A.J. is a multiple-time CEO and private investor interested in lower middle-market firms and philanthropic organizations, where he can be a positive impact by using his experiences, time, and investment capital.

He received the Faculty Teaching Excellence Award for outstanding teaching in elective courses at the Yale School of Management in 2022. A.J. was also recognized as the Small Business Person of the Year in Connecticut by the US Small Business Administration. He is the author of What Matters Most: A Young Adult’s Roadmap For Life.

Many people have preconceived notions of what it takes to be an entrepreneur. So, who is equipped for entrepreneurship, and what does it take to become a thriving entrepreneur?

You don’t have to be a superhero to become an entrepreneur, but you must realize that it’s like running successive marathons. Even though the journey can be long, lonely, scary, and nebulous, anyone can be an entrepreneur with the right amount of determination and grit. The first step is picking a desirable industry for you before embarking on this journey. Once you’ve decided what that is, there are several ways to get started, including franchises, venture capital startups, search funds, or the genealogical takeover of a family business. With the appropriate information and confidence, aspiring entrepreneurs can rigorously evaluate which entrepreneurial path best suits their specific interests, needs, and goals by factoring risk, lifestyle, and exit strategies into their decision-making process.

In this episode of The Game is The Game Podcast, Keith Burns sits down with A.J. Wasserstein, Eugene F. Williams, Jr. Lecturer in the Practice of Management at the Yale School of Management, to discuss entrepreneurship. A.J. explains the four key questions aspiring entrepreneurs should ask themselves, the role investors play in the process, how to transition through the stages of entrepreneurial development, and his advice for post-exit entrepreneurs.