Private investment · Sacramento
A long-term owner for well-run local businesses.
Thacker Ventures is how I invest my own capital. I own real estate, and I'm now looking to buy one established business near Sacramento and run it for the long haul.
What I'm looking for
A bookkeeping practice whose owner is starting to think about what comes next.
I'm looking for a firm with steady monthly clients, a team that knows them well, and an owner who cares who takes it over.
- Mostly monthly bookkeeping clients. Tax work is fine as a smaller part of the practice.
- Up to $2 million in annual revenue
- A team of 2 to 10 people
- Within a few hours' drive of Sacramento, with nearby firms first
- An owner open to staying involved through a transition, typically 6 to 12 months
What stays the same
Your clients
They keep working with the people they already know. There's no announcement letter about a new firm and no rush to change how they're served.
Your team
The plan is to keep your team and grow the business with them. Cutting staff after a sale sends a good firm into a spiral, and I'm not buying a firm to do that.
Your timeline
You decide how long you stay involved. The structure is flexible, including keeping a stake in the business if you want one.
Where technology fits
I spent my career in software, and I use AI tools every day. I think they're most useful for the parts of bookkeeping nobody got into the profession to do: chasing statements, matching receipts, prepping the monthly close. A person still reviews every number. The goal is a team with more time for clients and room to take on more of them.
About me
I grew up in rural Texas, served in the Air Force, earned my MBA at UT Austin, and spent my career as a software executive at companies including Salesforce and PagerDuty. Today I also own and run Searcher OS, a software company for people buying small businesses. I live in Sacramento with my wife and two kids.
Real estate
I invest in apartments, retail centers, self-storage, mobile home parks, and short-term rentals.
Questions owners ask
Are you a private equity firm?
No. It's my own capital, sometimes alongside a few individual investors. There's no fund clock forcing a sale in five years.
Will my clients notice a change?
Not on day one, and not without a reason. Any change to how clients are served happens slowly and with your input during the transition.
What about my staff?
They stay. I'm buying the firm because of the people in it, and they're the reason clients stay. The plan is to grow the business with the team you've built.
Do you plan to buy other firms?
Possibly. If the first one goes well, it could become the home for other local practices whose owners are retiring.
How does this start?
Usually with a conversation and no paperwork. You tell me what matters to you, I tell you about myself, and we'll both know fairly quickly whether there's a fit. Everything stays confidential.
If you're thinking about what comes next for your practice, or know someone who is, I'd like to hear from you.