Our origin story? We were rejected by every franchisor we approached—except one. In 2013, our journey started as Burger King franchisees. The rumor across the system was we were related to the King himself—we aren’t. We rolled-up our sleeves, we made mistakes, and we figured out just how hard it is to build a business. We were operators first; the investment firm came next.
Garnett Station Partners
We’re Invested in America.
We back driven entrepreneurs with big ambitions. Over the last 10 years we’ve partnered with more than 20 different companies to accelerate growth by re-investing in their core business, leading technology adoption, and instituting a capital allocation tool-kit tailored and unique to each opportunity. We work with founder-owned companies to win—together.
We like to think we're different. Luckily you don't have to take our word for it.
Certain founders, former owners, or personnel of GSP investments and/or GSP operating partners are current GSP investors. And, as a result of their relationship to GSP, such persons could be inclined to provide a more favorable description of GSP than might otherwise be the case.
Sector Focus
Investment CriteriaEveryone Starts Somewhere
We may not always have the answer, but we are 100% transparent 100% of the time. There’s no space for backroom conversations. We like to leave it all out on the table.
We’ve partnered with more than 20 companies to accelerate growth by reinvesting in their core business, leading technology adoption, and instituting a capital allocation toolkit tailored to each opportunity. We know that there’s no one-size-fits-all solution, so we take an integrated approach to helping you grow that covers a wide ground, whether that means embracing a new tech tool or helping improve operations.
Yes and no—above all, we’re invested in multi-unit, franchised, American core economy businesses. While we focus in sectors like food and beverage, health and wellness, automotive, and business services, we are intrigued by those with an entrepreneurial story that’s focused on building an authentic, consumer-focused brand in their communities. If this sounds like you, we want to hear your story.
Building a business takes guts and conviction. Above all, we look for companies that have strong entrepreneurial roots and that aren’t afraid to chase the American dream. Of course, there are other qualities and criteria we look for: Strong leadership, credibility, market opportunity, white space for growth, a unique focus on the consumer experience, and more. But we feel really strongly that if we connect on a deeper level and fit culturally, the rest will follow.
For the list of more technical criteria, our investment criteria can help provide more clarity.
We’re not here to step on toes or hinder your day-to-day operations. We’re here to provide real support and help brainstorm concrete ways to improve your business, all while respecting everything you’ve built and continue to build. Your day to day may include a few more touch points here and there, but we’ve never been fans of meetings just for the sake of meetings. We leave the daily operations to you, and support as we’re needed.
We’re New Yorkers ourselves, but we’re invested in entrepreneurs who are chasing the American dream in their communities outside the hot metropolitan areas. Our companies are proof that you don’t need to be a trendy tech company in Silicon Valley to be hugely successful—you can create greatness by appealing to the everyday American consumer—and doing it better than anyone else.
Valuing a business is a complex process, to say the least. After all, a company, with its culture and people and leadership, is so much more than its numerical price tag. Our valuation process involves a combination of financial analysis, market assessment, and industry comparisons, among others. We believe it’s both an art and a science and have worked on honing our process over the decade we’ve been in the business. Our ultimate goal is to be as transparent as possible.
We can’t speak for every founder, objectively speaking, but a common barometer that can be helpful to measure against is cultural fit. Can you see yourself working together with this team? Do you have a similar culture that aligns with the firm’s culture? And most importantly, will the firm stand by you when things don’t go as planned?
We know we won’t be the right fit for everyone, but we do like to think that we’re different from most other firms. See if we hold the same beliefs.
The answer varies from company to company, but there are common threads every founder we partner with can expect. Sometimes this process can take months. For founders like Tony, it took years (no really, we’re not kidding).
- Initial meeting: First and foremost, we want to answer the elephant-sized question in the room—do we connect in a way that would allow us to work well together? We don’t treat this question lightly. That aside, we use our first meeting to learn more about you, your company, and your vision for it. We also work to answer any questions you have about our background (including the mistakes we’ve made ourselves), or the investment process.
- Follow-ups and additional touch points: We understand that building the relationship is key. We don’t expect you to meet with us once and sign the deal immediately—this has never happened, and we don’t expect it ever will.
- Due diligence: At different points in our conversation, our team takes a look through your company’s financials, operations, market positioning, growth potential, risks, and more. We work to make this process as transparent as we can, and if we lock in the deal, we use all this information to help identify potential ways you can grow and scale.
- Creating the investment terms: This includes careful crafting of the investment terms and structures (AKA key deal points) that align with your growth strategy. The goal here is to make sure that we’re fully aligned and headed in the right direction as partners.
- Sealing the deal: We become trusted partners in your corner and work to further lay out the future roadmap, while keeping in mind that the goal posts will always change on an as-needed basis.
You don’t need to hear it from us—hear it from the founders we partner with instead.
Certain founders, former owners, or personnel of GSP investments and/or GSP operating partners are current GSP investors. And, as a result of their relationship to GSP, such persons could be inclined to provide a more favorable description of GSP than might otherwise be the case.
Culture isn’t just a buzzword for us, it’s a cornerstone to our approach. We understand that culture plays an integral role in what makes your company special, and we’re not here to ruin it. Our commitment to preserving your culture starts with active listening and better understanding the values that drive you. We make sure that our strategies stay rooted to those values throughout every stage of the process.
We like to get to know you through a simple conversation. Reach out to us to find a time that works for you.