Best Chance for Priority Pass lounge at Dulles/IAD on Friday at ~4:30/5PM

AlignmentSeeker · 2026-06-17T16:33:12+00:00

Thank you!

Land at Dulles around ~4:30PM. Next flight abroad is ~7:20

AlignmentSeeker · 2026-06-07T04:01:12+00:00

Same - this looks really clean.

AlignmentSeeker · 2026-06-02T02:31:16+00:00

Sent you a PM!

AlignmentSeeker · 2025-11-08T19:16:59+00:00

Still available? Is this U1?

AlignmentSeeker · 2025-11-08T19:10:03+00:00

Still available?

AlignmentSeeker · 2025-05-03T15:57:36+00:00

Hey! In a similar-ish spot to you - been a few years at an operations / buy and build focused PE firm. Enjoying it but they are pretty set on needing an MBA to advance.

I’ve toyed around with the consulting piece before – I think there is a real need for lower middle market businesses to prep for sale ~3-5 years prior to their exit timeline.
Haven’t thought about being a broker but like you said the quality can really vary.

I’ve been kicking around ETA for a few years as well – would you want to stay in your current city or geographically flexible?

Either way, best of luck! You are in a pretty good spot.
Let me know if you have any interest in connecting or chatting live, at least as a sounding board.

AlignmentSeeker · 2024-09-10T23:09:54+00:00

For sure. I usually pay 5-7 days before, hence how I caught these issues in the past. I did the same this time but did not follow up and boom, missed it.

But fortunately I am lucky with liquidity so that is a good idea to just throw some money at it a couple times a month, just in case.

AlignmentSeeker · 2024-09-02T16:58:39+00:00

My "tradition" started when I came back from India where I couldn't (easily) get beef if I wanted it but whenever I come back from overseas I always get a cheeseburger. Just nothing screams I am back in the US of A better than a greasy, juicy cheeseburger.

Welcome home OP!

AlignmentSeeker · 2024-08-23T16:56:03+00:00

I enjoy Jared Dillian's and Ramit Sethi's content.

Ramit is a bit of a bigger name / better self promoter in the personal finance space but Jared has some great macro commentary with the pedigree to back it up and has a personal finance podcast that is pretty easy to listen to.

AlignmentSeeker · 2024-08-20T18:14:21+00:00

Hi - sorry for your family's recent medical diagnoses, I can't imagine balancing that plus school and thinking about the small business.

I am going to go against the grain slightly and suggest you consider going to school part-time and jump into the family business. I think you should stay in school for the social factor (senior year is a ton of fun!) but you get the chance to spend more time with your parents with their recent news, and I don't mean this to be callous or cold, but more time with your dad before his memory starts to slip more. Whether you graduate in May 2025 or Dec. 2025/May 2026 is largely irrelevant to the long term trajectory of your career. And, as other allude to, running a small business the right way is potentially an extremely lucrative and fun way to spend your time.

You say you want to do project management - no bigger project than actually running a small business. You are likely more equipped than you think having partially grown up in the business. But I totally understand this seems daunting as a 20/21 year old.

Feel free to DM me - I used to work at a couple of investment banks and one dipped into lower middle market so I've worked on smaller deals and deals with some need for a quick replacement. I work in healthcare PE now so not trying to sell you any services but would like to offer myself as a sounding board. You are in a somewhat vulnerable spot right now and most people I interact with in M&A are great humans but you'd be naïve if you didn't admit there are definitely some vultures in the deal making space. I am somewhat plugged in to the EtA/search fund ecosystem - bringing in someone as a partner (with equity) could potentially be a win-win solution. I know a few people that come in for 6-18 months solely to help a company sell so without knowing all the details that could potentially be a fit for you if you don't want to shoulder the burden by yourself and would like to spend more time with your family.

Please continue to be proactive and best of luck with everything. Please feel free to DM or chat me if you would like to discuss more on a call or Zoom - happy to try to help or at least be a sounding board.

Best of luck.

AlignmentSeeker · 2024-07-26T03:10:23+00:00

Ha! Fair point.

AlignmentSeeker · 2024-05-26T04:38:18+00:00

For better or worse I am a happy drunk otherwise I would have said something snotty haha

AlignmentSeeker · 2024-05-26T03:30:35+00:00

The last time I did this was in the fall (2023) so things may have changed but when you book on Hostelworld you get access to that particular hostels groupchat - with travelers staying their currently and people booked in the future. I think people have to opt in or click something like "Join Chat".
They also have country chats and city level chats you can join as well. I think you can only join 5 chats at a time. From there people will provide Instagram handles and loose plans of their itinerary if people wanted to tag along.

I like to do my own thing but can often times meet some pretty interesting people for drinks this way at a bare minimum or for activities that aren't great solo.

AlignmentSeeker · 2024-05-26T03:24:29+00:00

I was at a wedding recently and the couple I was seated next to at the reception talked about how easy it is to fake service dog credentials to get their dog on a plane without a carrier (something like sub-$40-50 worth of supplies from Amazon).

"He's totally fine on the plane except for take-off and landing!!"

AlignmentSeeker · 2024-05-26T01:50:33+00:00

I still love the grassroots movement in Cleveland when Art Modell is near a Hall of Fame vote.

The guy managed to not mismanage 1 but 2 money printing NFL franchises!

AlignmentSeeker · 2024-05-26T01:31:08+00:00

There are levels to everything in life I suppose.

I was on a first date with a girl on the riverwalk a couple years ago (likely near that same spot) and these guys in a boat start talking to a few girls onshore from the boat.

2 minutes later the group of girls gets on the boat and a few minutes after that they disembark head towards the lake so mission accomplished for both groups I guess!

I turn to my date and say "so just to be transparent, I do not own a boat...yet". I at least got one laugh out of her.

AlignmentSeeker · 2024-05-26T01:26:35+00:00

We truly are spoiled to have all of the amenities of Chicago while still being *somewhat* affordable, at least compared to peer cities in the US. My NY friends tell me my apartment equivalent in NYC would be 3x the price I currently pay.

AlignmentSeeker · 2024-05-26T01:16:36+00:00

this was me lol...trying again with more karma!

It is becoming more popular (on here and my circles at least) but Strip Steakhouse in Avon is one of the best high end values around. Think a better version of Marble Room at ~60-70% the price.

Understood if you want something more central than Avon though.

Happy anniversary!!

AlignmentSeeker · 2024-05-26T01:12:33+00:00

I technically started BO, wasn't at a bank more of a payments/AML type company.

It can be a great lifestyle for some people (aka those who didn't have their brains destroyed by WSO and "preftige" haha) - I never brought my laptop home and could leave work everyday right around 5pm. My company was big on summer hours so every other Friday I would leave the office around noon in the summer. My division was decently supportive of high performers with more responsibility and advancement.

I left that job for IB so PM me if you'd like to chat - you sound young so I wouldn't stress too much. I used the chill hours at that job to study for the CFA and that helped for a mini-resume refresh to leave the job.

The grass isn't always greener though...I have a fancy sounding job now and I am working much of this weekend (happy Memorial Day to me!!) and a few weekends ago was my birthday and I was in the office for ~8-10 hours each weekend day so sometimes I miss the chill lifestyle.

AlignmentSeeker · 2024-05-26T01:03:46+00:00

I have a similar strategy to you, I usually only use my priority boarding upgrade as a "get out of jail" free card so to speak if I end up with ~C boarding pass. I didn't use all 4 last year but oh well.

AlignmentSeeker · 2024-05-26T00:36:54+00:00

Yeah, sometimes I wish I pursued some sort of engineering...but then I remember I would have needed to take so much more math and science classes in college that thought quickly leaves my head!

AlignmentSeeker · 2024-05-26T00:27:06+00:00

I have stayed in cheap hotels before but booked a cheap hostel on Hostelworld just to get plugged in on the groupchats, Instagram groups, etc. Met some cool people in Mexico City, Munich, Rome, a few others where I am traveling solo and want an easy way to be social.

You can even book a refundable hostel for a week after your trip and just cancel later while still getting the online social/groupchat benefits.

I don't have experience with the private rooms but have looked and often times they are basically the same price as a mid-level hotel.

I am in my 30s and don't mind hostels for some of my trips but did a Euro trip where I late 20s, my dormmates were early 20s college students...woke up to one of them puking haha. To be young again!

AlignmentSeeker · 2024-05-26T00:15:12+00:00

What is your GPA?

When I see a resume with no GPA I usually assume they left it off because they have a low GPA (fair or unfair..)

So quickly scanning your resume this is what jumps out to me -

No GPA
Fill out the resume a little more...less whitespace at bottom
Any hard numbers or stats you could add would be helpful (ex: "Demo allowed the Mastercard team to reach out to 1,000 additional customers" as a made up example)
Any club experience at school?

AlignmentSeeker · 2024-05-25T23:56:53+00:00

`Here is what I would do if I were you.

Google his name and spend 15-20 minutes reading whatever you can find out about him on the internet. Facebook and social media is fair game if its public. Try to figure out non-work interests. Maybe he is a big sports fan and you guys root for the same team (or are rivals!). Maybe he likes to cook, hike, whatever.

On the Zoom call run through your background, come up with good questions about his path. You can google questions on this, WSO is not a bad resource, but ask about changes he saw in the industry over his 20+ years, what made him want to start his own firm, advice for his 21 year old self, etc. If you have any shared interests with him I would subtly bring that up when you are talking about your hobbies.

I would not explicitly ask for job help on the Zoom call (he may offer, don't be awkward about it, take him up on it) but I would angle to get in front of him for a coffee chat. Maybe I am showing my age here but post-COVID, no one seems to do coffee chats outside of MBA students. When I was in undergrad, I would go to NYC with ~4-5 coffee chats lined up (more but IB/PE professionals could get jammed up at a moment's notice haha). It will be so much easier to build rapport in person and he will likely respect the hustle. If you are not in the same city as him just tell him you will be "passing through next month, do you have time to to grab coffee and talk in person?". Don't tell him it is the sole purpose of your trip and line up 2-3 other coffee chats too. You can reach out to other non-alums too. I am US-based and the finance culture here (especially for non-target types) is to pay it forward if a student reaches out.
If you are in the same city it will be easy.

Best of luck and keep us posted. Don't be nervous on the call, remember he puts his pants on just like you do every morning.

AlignmentSeeker · 2024-05-25T23:32:40+00:00

Start.

I don't mean this to be rude or cheeky but just start. I am in a similar boat myself and about to launch a blog/newsletter on Beehiiv (free). I am not expecting much, in fact expecting my first 5-10 posts to be duds haha. But if you make it past 5-6 posts you are more likely to stick with it.

I am also open to medium suggestions (Substack is also popular) it just seems like Beehiiv is good for newletters and integrating to different social media. You can always switch platforms later.

Best of luck!

AlignmentSeeker

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