Operators & Long-Term Business Owners · Greenville, SC

You've Built Something
Worth Preserving.

If you're thinking about what comes next for your business — your team, your customers, your legacy — we want to have that conversation. We're operators who have built and sold a company. We know what this decision costs. We buy to run and grow, not to flip.

Talk to Joe & Roxy Our Criteria

What We're Looking For

Cash Flow / Earnings

Typically $250K+ SDE

Business Size

Typically $1M – $5M

Location

Upstate South Carolina

Types of Business

Home Services · Specialty Contractors · Design/Build · Professional Services · Niche Retail

What We Look For

Founder-led, relationship-driven, strong reputation

Is This You?

You Might Be Ready to Sell If...

Most owners don't wake up one day and decide to sell. It's a slow realization. If any of these sound familiar, it's worth having a conversation.

You're tired of carrying everything yourself — and there's no clear successor in the business.

You don't have a family member who wants to take over, and you're not sure what comes next.

Growth has become harder than it used to be, and you're not sure you want to do what it takes to get to the next level.

You want to unlock the value you've built — but you care deeply about your team and customers being in good hands.

You've been approached before, but the buyers felt wrong — financial, transactional, not operators.

You're ready for a new chapter, but you want someone who will honor what you've built, not dismantle it.

Why Sell to Us

Operators Who Understand
What You've Built

We buy with the intention of owning and operating businesses for the long term. We built and sold our own company — we know what it costs to create something real. Our goal is to honor that work and keep building on it.

Operator, Not Investor

We've run businesses and led teams through real growth. We understand operations, people, and what it takes to sustain momentum after a transition.

Founder-Friendly Process

Straightforward, respectful, and private. No games, no low-ball tactics. We move efficiently and communicate directly throughout the process.

Continuity First

Your team, your customers, your culture — these matter. We're not coming in to blow it up. We're coming in to protect what works and build on it.

About Us

Founders. Operators. Buyers.

Joe Fenten

"I built South Carolina's first craft distillery, grew it to two locations and 40 employees, and successfully exited to private equity."

Built South Carolina's first craft distillery, scaled to a $10M P&L and 40 employees across two locations, and exited via seven-figure private equity transaction after 12 years.

Since the exit: Fractional COO and Operating Partner across founder-led and PE-backed companies in trades, professional services, and technology — including reversing a division from $20K/month losses to breakeven, building financial controls from scratch, and installing operating systems for businesses from startup through $20M+ revenue.

Joe leads deal structure, financing, valuation, and due diligence on every acquisition.

Background

Founder → COO → Buyer

Prior Exit

Built & sold SC's first craft distillery to PE

Focus

Deal structure, financing, due diligence

Roxy Fenten

"I rebuilt a company's entire pricing function from scratch and moved margins from 48% to 53.5% at a $30M+ distributor. Before that, I co-built our distillery from zero to exit — every system, every hire, every customer relationship."

Co-built and operated the same distillery alongside Joe for 11 years — from a single-location startup through multi-location expansion and the private equity exit — running guest experience, staff training, and front-of-house operations, and building the loyalty and service programs that became the operational backbone of the business.

After the exit, spent three years at a $30M+ industrial parts distributor, where she built the company's pricing function from scratch — improving company-wide margin from 48% to 53.5% — along with its first sales support department, vendor relations program, and customer support KPI framework, training her own successors before leaving.

Background

Operator → Builder → Buyer

Track Record

Built pricing function improving margin 48%→53.5% at $30M+ company

Focus

Team, culture, customer & transition experience

Joe drives the deal — structure, financing, valuation, and close. Roxy leads the operational read — your team, your customers, what a smooth handoff actually looks like on the ground. That's not two people doing the same job; it's two real disciplines working in parallel, covering the full picture of what a good transition requires.

The Process

Simple. Private. Respectful.

Most sellers have never done this before. Here's exactly what to expect — no surprises, no games.

Introductory Conversation

A low-pressure call to understand your situation and whether there might be a fit. Completely confidential.

A Look at the Financials

If we both want to go further, we sign an NDA and you share financials and operational details at your comfort level.

Valuation Discussion

Joe shares his thinking on value and structure — directly, honestly, with no low-ball tactics.

Letter of Intent

If we agree on terms, we issue a clear, straightforward LOI outlining price, structure, and timeline.

Due Diligence

Joe leads financial and operational due diligence. Roxy reviews what we learn through an operational lens — culture, team structure, what a smooth Day 1 looks like — without disrupting your business before close.

Close & Transition

We close on agreed terms. We work with you on a transition that protects your team, customers, and legacy.

Ready to move when you are. Joe has completed a successful business exit, built relationships with acquisition lenders and advisors, and understands both the financial and operational realities of ownership transition. Together, we've been on both sides of the table.

Why We're Different

We've Lived Both Sides
of This Transaction.

We've sat on both sides of the table — as sellers handing a business to PE, and now as buyers who want to do right by the next seller we work with.

We built a business from scratch — zero revenue to $10M, two locations, 40 people — so we understand what it actually takes to create what you've created.

We've been through a private equity transaction ourselves. We know what due diligence feels like from the other side of the data room.

We've managed real growth, real downturns, restructurings, and transitions — not in a spreadsheet, but in the actual day-to-day of running a business.

Between us, we cover the numbers and the people — deal structure and cultural fit, financial discipline and operational continuity. Most buyers focus on either the deal or the people. We care deeply about both.

A Note from Joe & Roxy

We know that selling a business isn't primarily a financial decision.

For most owners, it's the most personal financial decision they'll ever make — years of work, real relationships, a reputation you built one customer at a time. The financial outcome matters, but so does what happens after you sign.

If you decide to reach out, our promise is simple: we'll be direct, respectful, confidential, and honest. We'll tell you clearly if we think there's a fit. We'll tell you just as clearly if there isn't — and we won't waste your time either way.

We're not trying to close a deal. We're trying to find the right one.

— Joe & Roxy Fenten

What Founders Say

Built on Trust. Proven in Practice.

Joe and Roxy have spent years inside founder-led businesses — leading teams, fixing operations, and earning the trust of owners who had a lot on the line.

"Joe has been a breath of fresh air, bringing a much-needed level of structure, clarity, and direction to the chaos of entrepreneurship."

Adam Anderson · Hook Security, Co-Founder

"Joe stepped in and helped me untangle the mess. From pricing and processes to team structure, he brought clarity and calm to the chaos."

Lindsay Niedringhaus · TealHaus Strategies, CEO

"Joe transformed our company by streamlining workflows across departments. He built scalable frameworks that boosted efficiency and saved us over 10 hours each week."

Luke Johnson · Katalyst, CEO

For Brokers & Advisors

Working with a Seller Who Might Be a Fit?

We move efficiently, communicate directly, and don't waste your time. If you have a client in Upstate South Carolina that matches our criteria, we'd like to hear from you.

$250K+ SDE

$1M – $5M business size

Upstate South Carolina

Home services · Specialty contractors · Professional services · Niche retail

We've completed a successful business exit ourselves and understand how to work with advisors professionally and efficiently.

Send Us a Deal Please include a brief business description, revenue range, and SDE or EBITDA. NDA available upon request.

You've Built SomethingWorth Preserving.