You've spent decades building something real.
You know every corner of your business — what runs itself, what still needs you, and what it would take for someone else to keep it going without destroying what you built. You're not sure you're ready to sell. You're not even sure who you'd trust with it.
Minslow Partners buys established businesses from owners who want a straight conversation — not a sales pitch.
I’ve been where you are.
I spent nearly 30 years building and operating specialist businesses across Africa, the Middle East, and Asia. At 55, I saw a window. My kids were at the right age to make the move. The opportunity in the US was real. And the trajectory in South Africa — politically and economically — was not heading towards somewhere I wanted to build a future. I've never second-guessed it.
I didn't arrive with a fund or a mandate. I identified an existing business, negotiated terms, purchased equity, and got to work. That's how I built a life here — the same way I've always operated. Find something real, earn the trust of the people involved, and make it work.
My first acquisition was in South Africa — purchased from the owner using seller financing. I know what it takes for an owner to trust a buyer enough to hand over something they built. I've been on your side of that table.
What Minslow is - and isn’t.
Minslow Partners is a direct buyer. Not a broker. Not a consultant. Not a private equity firm deploying other people's capital on a five-year clock.
I only acquire businesses I'm prepared to be genuinely accountable for — not at arm's length, not through a management layer I'll exit in three years. I stay involved, I stay informed, and I hold for the long term.
Industrial services, field operations, specialist trades — these are businesses I understand from the inside. That matters when it comes time to talk about what your business is actually worth and what it needs to keep running well.
All conversations are confidential by default.
My name is Deon Botes.
I've built businesses in difficult markets, on difficult timelines, with teams that had to perform under pressure. I've seen what happens when an operator sells to someone who doesn't understand the work — and what's possible when the transition is handled with care.
I don't have investor pressure forcing my hand. I'm not building a portfolio to flip. I make decisions on a 10-to-15-year horizon because that's genuinely how I think. When I acquire a business, the people in it — the ones who know how it actually runs — matter to me. Keeping a good team intact isn't a nice-to-have. It's the point.
I'm not desperate for deal flow. I'm not proving anything. I'm looking for one good business, run by someone who built it right, and wants to know it's going to capable hands.
A conversation isn't a commitment.
If your business might be a fit, let's talk. If it's not, we'll both know quickly and part ways. No pressure. No games. No obligation.