Wes Thompson
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Hey Wes — similar path in a way (both ended up in the M&A / acquisition world). been thinking a lot about proprietary origination for founder-led businesses lately. would be good to connect.
Hey Wes, we seem to have landed in similar territory — acquiring and operating founder-led businesses — though I came at it through IB and growth equity in London, not through the military and corp dev route like you. origination was always the same story for me — clear thesis, decent network, but no proprietary system of record tying it together. every deal sourced from scratch, nothing compounding over time. curious if that's still how most independent acquirers operate or if I'm behind the times? — Russ
Hey Wes, looks like we both ended up in the acquisition world, though from different directions — I came through IB at Credit Suisse & Greenhill into growth equity in London, not through military leadership and corporate development like you. the pattern I keep seeing with most funds and independent acquirers is weirdly consistent — clear thesis on what they want to buy, solid relationships, but no proprietary system of record. the people, tools and ideas are never really connected. every deal is virtually sourced from scratch, nothing compounds on itself. curious if that resonates with how origination works at Soldier Saint Steward or if you've built something different? — Russ
hey Wes — no worries if the timing's off. most acquirers I talk to have tried some version of building origination in-house — pulling from databases, maybe using an analyst or broker network, dumping leads into a spreadsheet. each piece kind of works, but there's no system of record tying it together. the people, tools and ideas stay disconnected, so there's tonnes of wasted energy and everything ends up out of sync. been helping a fund like Mentmore work through that exact thing. curious if you've hit the same wall at Soldier Saint Steward? — Russ
totally get it if origination infrastructure isn't top of mind right now — most people searching for their acquisition have 10 things ahead of it on the priority list. the acquirers I've seen crack it early just tend to compound deal flow in a way that's hard to replicate later. if it ever moves up the list, I'm easy to find. — Russ
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Wes - Army Ranger to search fund founder is a path you don't see often. Respect the mission-driven approach to acquiring one great business. I went from Credit Suisse and growth equity to building deal origination systems for funds like yours. We find founder-led companies matching your thesis and run authentic outreach that books meetings. No cobbling together tools — just conversations in your calendar. Seeing great results with similar funds like Noble Rock (18+ portfolio companies). Worth a quick call? searchloop.ai linkedin.com/in/russellt23
Wes - Finding $3-15M revenue businesses where founders care about legacy and employees is a narrow thesis. Most cold outreach tools weren't built for that kind of precision — and half those emails land in spam anyway. We solve both problems. Targeted sourcing with infrastructure that actually hits primary inboxes. Happy to show you how it works. Russ
Wes - Working with 20+ funds in the US and UK right now. Axiom Equity and Noble Rock are using this to get in front of founders without the manual grind. Same approach works well for search funds targeting the lower middle market. Open to a quick call this week? Russ
Wes - Know you're busy building Soldier Saint Steward. If sourcing ever becomes a bottleneck, happy to chat. Door's open. Russ
Prospect Research
## PROSPECT INFORMATION: Name: Wes Thompson Title: Founder Fund: Soldier Saint Steward Background: PROSPECT SUMMARY: WES THOMPSON, MBA CURRENT FOCUS Wes is a Partner at LoneStar Succession in Dallas, where he describes himself as a "Mergers and Acquisitions Riverguide." His mission is to assist small business owners with transitions, specifically exploring SBA loans, leveraged buyouts, and family or employee successions to protect "Main Street’s future." He is also the Founder of Soldier Saint Steward, an initiative where he seeks to personally acquire, lead, and operate a single business for the long term. BACKGROUND AND EXPERIENCE He is a U.S. Army veteran with a significant leadership background, having served as a Reconnaissance Platoon Leader, Executive Officer, and Operations Officer. His military tenure included a deployment to Afghanistan (OEF XIII) and graduation from the elite U.S. Army Ranger School. Transitioning to the private sector, he worked in Corporate Development for AllerVie Health (PE M&A) and later in Finance and Accounting recruiting for Addison Group. He holds an MBA from Texas A&M’s Mays Business School. KEY SKILLS Full-cycle M&A (due diligence, valuation, LOI, and closing), business development, leadership and team building, operational logistics, and transition consulting. POSTS AND ENGAGEMENT 2025-01-15: Shared his progress in professional development, completing the "Planning Explorer" learning path via Oracle University. 2025-01-09: Shared his completion of "Introduction to Oracle Cloud Essentials" and "Oracle Cloud Applications Overview," indicating a recent focus on cloud-based business systems. 2023-07-14: Reposted content regarding finding purpose in work, stating: "Embracing your craft is the key to unlocking this transformative experience, where the lines between work and passion blur, and every day becomes an opportunity for growth and fulfillment." 2019-04-03: Shared thoughts on his education, saying: "Why business school? Here is a perfect example. The lessons learned here, along with many of life's passions and curiosities, serve to grow us as individuals in order to be able to contribute more to the world around us. The more you grow, the more you can contribute." Fund details: - Description: Soldier Saint Steward is an entrepreneurial investment company seeking to acquire and manage a healthy, stable company in the United States which generates annual revenues between $3-15 million. Wes, a successful professional and the company founder, is committed to dedicating his experience and acumen to a single transaction to smoothly transition the company to new ownership. We are very interested in situations where business owners are seeking exit options while preserving their legacy and continuing serve the interests of the employees. Wes Thompson's mission is to seek and buy one great business to lead over his career. His purpose is to serve the legacy of the founder, interests of the employees, and grow the company into the next generation. If you think you, or someone you know, might be interested in transitioning stewardship of your business please consider Soldier Saint Steward and connect with us. - Website: https://www.soldiersaintsteward.com/ - Location: Dallas, Texas, United States - Lead qualification: Research: - Query: =Soldier Saint Steward Wes Thompson recent investments fund thesis - Answer: Wes Thompson recently invested in real estate, emphasizing the importance of relationships over money or marketing. His fund focuses on long-distance investments. Thompson's approach is highlighted in his YouTube discussion.