Lesson 97: Courtesy

About the Searcher

On New Year’s Eve, I sat in a hotel lobby waiting for a friend’s wedding to begin. With 2026 only hours away, I wanted to set my goals for the new year. The problem was I did not know how to begin. I typed into Google Gemini: 

I want to set my goals for 2026. Create a table to organize my goals and action steps.

Here is the template I created using artificial intelligence to fill out my goals for Entrepreneurship Through Acquisition for the upcoming year. As I sipped tea in the lobby, I began to personalize my goals with a template generated in seconds. Business owners leverage AI across their companies each day, and I used it to prepare for this year.

About Entrepreneurship Through Acquisition

In 2012, Markus Scott enrolled in Kellogg’s 1-year MBA program. In 2013, he launched his search to find a great business. In 2015, he acquired EyeQ Monitoring. Today, he operates this AI-powered security and surveillance provider.

When we spoke this week, I noticed how courteous he is. He asked about holiday plans and expressed his excitement for my journey to search and acquire, like he did. Before we spoke, I thought about how valuable artificial intelligence is to EyeQ Monitoring. Many business articles emphasize the need for an “AI strategy,” and Markus certainly does. By the end of the call, I realized Markus also creates value using courtesy.

Courtesy will continue to be a moat in search that AI cannot replace. Artificial intelligence will supercharge my search, but I also believe remaining courteous to people, like Markus does, will produce outsized returns.

About the Bigger Picture

My values are to act with love, humility, and wisdom. Courtesy is sewn into my every fiber. To acquire a great business, I will stick to my values while leaning on AI for specific functions, like organizing my goals.  

Courtesy can get lost in the fabric of the many tools like artificial intelligence, social media, and CRM software. Those who automate connection with these tools sew 1,000 messages each day that do not fit the one person they need to meet. 

If you are interested in leading a business, then staple courtesy into your plan. Handwrite letters, call on the phone, and meet in person. Sew a personalized thread into each interaction.

This is Lesson 97: Courtesy. Next week is Lesson 98: Answers.