INC. Magazine: Did you have any misgivings about selling to private equity?
Carey Smith: “The thing about private equity investors is that they all say the same thing: ‘We really respect what you've done. We want to continue growing it, because we want you to be proud of it.’ But they have an interest in making a return. There's nothing wrong with that--it's just a different type of business. They're bankers. The most boring people in the entire universe. It's like if you went to the undertaker and you were picking out a casket, and they were trying to convince you that they really care about your afterlife. Give me a break. You're just putting people in the ground.”
private equity