Succession on your terms.
A staged partnership that pays you properly, protects your people and your name, and runs on milestones rather than a calendar.
The transition, in full
We partner.
The transaction completes at a fair price. No changes on day one to team, customers, brand.
We plan.
A roadmap from owner-led to professionally managed, including either hiring a CEO or grooming an existing GM.
We build.
I work alongside the team on what grows value: pricing, sales, reporting, systems, management depth.
You choose.
Board, mentor, or step back entirely, with the option to reduce your stake over time.
“Transition should be based on readiness milestones, not arbitrary timelines.”
How we grow value together
Foundations.
Reporting, KPIs, systems and process, so the business runs independently.
Profitable growth.
Marketing, pricing, sales process, and (if applicable) further acquisitions.
The team.
A management team with equity, so the business depends on no single person.
Hugh's role as operating partner focuses on the high-value projects that sit outside the team’s day-to-day.
In practice
Sue’s Home Care: a retiring owner’s succession (2025)
A Sydney in-home aged care provider, 70+ nurses and carers, built over 20 years by a founder ready to retire. Searchlight invested alongside the operating partner who now leads the business, and Hugh sits on the board.
- Brokered process. Bid and diligence completed quickly, giving the seller and adviser certainty of close.
- One-year owner transition. New CEO installed, management team retained.
- Risk-sharing structure. Seamless transition for staff and clients.
Searchlight’s role: investor and board member, alongside a new CEO with prior industry experience.
Who’s behind Searchlight
The investors
Committed capital from a private syndicate of founders and family offices, alongside an established SME investment fund. Capacity to fund transactions up to $30M. Co-investors are chosen for industry experience, networks, and Board value-add.
The board
You
Board seat if equity retained
Hugh
Executive director, hands-on
1–2 investors
Chosen for value-add
Independent chair
Industry veteran, neutral voice
A flexible structure
A fair price, paid properly, with structures where both sides share risk and upside.
Rollover available for owners and family who want to stay invested, with secondary liquidity planned together.
Milestones, not calendars determine the pace of your transition and exit.
Questions owners ask
Do I have to stay? For how long?
Milestone-based, not time-based. We jointly figure out where the business depends on you, and put in a plan to progressively backfill that.
What if I’ve already stepped back from the day-to-day?
Then the transition is one of ownership, not operations. We back your GM and team, and you move to the board or out.
What happens to my staff?
No day-one redundancies. The eventual CEO often comes from your own team.
Will you change the business?
Searchlight adds what’s missing to take the business to the next level of growth and maturity. This may be technology, processes, or new capability. What's already working stays.
How do I know you can close?
Committed equity, arranged debt, and completed transactions behind us. Proof of funds before exclusivity.
Will my business get enough of your attention?
Every business has its own CEO; first you, later your successor. Searchlight runs the Board and the projects that grow value.
Who will know we’re talking?
Nobody, unless you decide otherwise. NDA, need-to-know only.
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