The 4th annual first Bigelow Connectors event focused on the shifting global environment and how these macro trends connect to the world of private business ownership.

The 2024 Bigelow Connectors event brought together over 100 world-class advisors who serve Entrepreneur Owner-Managers (EOMs)—a unique group of principals who are mostly “accidental” entrepreneurs. Attendees included leading M&A attorneys, CPAs, tax professionals, wealth managers, and consultants whose typical clients range from private equity-backed to publicly held companies. At Bigelow, we live at the intersection of corporate finance and behavioral psychology—and this event is our opportunity to share learnings from the EOM ecosystem that may not be obvious from a traditional advisor’s perspective.

This year’s keynote was delivered by Peter Zeihan, a geopolitical strategist and bestselling author known for his bold and data-driven forecasts. Zeihan offered a sweeping view of the shifting global landscape—covering demographics, energy, deglobalization, and trade—and connected these macro trends to the world of private business ownership. His engaging, unscripted talk challenged attendees to think critically about how future global dynamics may affect their EOM clients’ businesses, exit windows, and personal decision-making.

As always, Connectors isn’t just about information—it’s about re-aligning our frameworks. This year, we re-emphasized the gap between being an agent and being a principal. The advisors in the room don’t typically work with owners who are their businesses. But we do. And our hope is that sharing these insights—with candor and intellectual generosity—leads to better advice and better outcomes for the EOMs we all serve.