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OUR MISSION
Carolina Search Ventures, LLC is a private investment holding company that partners with early and mid-career entrepreneurs to achieve their goal of business ownership by acquiring successful, established small and medium sized companies in North Carolina and the surrounding region.
Our mission is twofold: to help current NC business owners obtain rewarding exits for their life’s work, and enable aspiring CEOs to buy and successfully transition these firms so they remain enduring businesses that serve their customers, employees and local communities.
We provide a pathway to entrepreneurship through acquisition, offering not only access to funding, but also a robust network of seasoned professional advisors. By combining capital, mentorship, and a collaborative ecosystem, we set entrepreneurs up for success from the start and support them along the way.
Investing in our community and the next generation of business leaders.
ABOUT US
Earl Hines | Founding Principal
Earl Hines is an accomplished leader with over 30 years of executive and operational experience spanning technology and financial services. A North Carolina native, Earl began his career as a software engineer at IBM before advancing to several global executive roles at Intel Corporation. There, he gained deep expertise in business development and strategic partnerships, notably managing the company’s global initiatives with more than 2500 software companies. These roles required operational leadership and P&L accountability, crucial for driving business growth. Guided by an entrepreneurial spirit, Earl changed careers and founded a Wealth Management firm in 2007, serving as CEO for twelve years. He successfully built and scaled the business before negotiating a venture-backed transaction and joining the successor company's leadership team in 2019. At the time of his exit, the combined firm oversaw more than $4B in private client assets.
During his tenure in finance, Earl also specialized in advising private business owners on their growth and succession strategies, taking an active role in several successful exits that enabled sellers to realize the financial rewards of their life’s work. This experience, coupled with years of board stewardship, provides Earl unique insight into a variety of business models and their specific management challenges. Today, Earl is happy to utilize this knowledge to support emerging CEOs as they find, acquire and scale their own successful businesses.
Earl holds a Bachelor of Science in Computer Science from NC State University and a Master of Fine Arts from Pacific University.
COMPANIES WE'RE INTERESTED IN
INDUSTRY
Agnostic
Though we have deep sector expertise in software and technology services, hardware manufacturing, and financial services, we are agnostic as to specific segments, favoring instead "boring" companies in fragmented markets, regardless of industry. We're looking for steady year-in, year-out revenue generators, which often deliver unglamorous (but indispensable) products or services, are not overly dependent on high CapEx, and remain resistant to technological disruption.
EBITDA
> $500K
Consistent free cash flow, with a high percentage of recurring revenues in the range of $1M to $2M or more from a diversified, loyal customer base.
OWNERSHIP
Single or family owned SMEs
Clear financials and greater than 5 year operating histories.
LOCATION
North Carolina and surrounding area
Small businesses are vital to our local communities -- both in terms of the products and services they provide, but also the people they employ, and customers they serve. Enabling the continuity of great firms with proven business models, while ensuring existing owners realize the rewards of their labor, is very important to us.
WHAT WE LOOK FOR IN A SEARCHER / CEO
We partner with ambitious, experienced professionals ready to step into Owner/CEO roles, committed to long-term value creation and community impact. Ideally, they possess proven leadership and management experience, including Profit & Loss (P&L) responsibility. Prospective CEOs demonstrate a clear vision for operational excellence and sustainable growth, emphasizing value creation through active, hands-on management over purely financial strategies. Deep commitment to preserving a business's legacy by ensuring a smooth transition for sellers and employees is paramount. Exceptional communication and relationship-building skills are crucial for engaging with business sellers and inherited teams, complemented by an enthusiastic willingness to learn and quickly adapt to unfamiliar industries and functional areas. Grit, perseverance, a strong craving for direct responsibility, and a drive to delight customers and their investors, enables them to propel the company forward while recovering from inevitable setbacks.
Proven Leadership
Relationship Oriented
Long Term Commitment
Exceptional Communications
Financial Accumen
Perseverence