Standard Searcher / Operator Compensation?

searcher profile

July 02, 2025

by a searcher in Boston, MA, USA

I understand that salaries for self-funded searchers in the operator / manager seat vary based on a number of factors (particularly location), but have found that $150,000 seems to fairly standard these days. Is that agreed up salary generally the extent of total compensation, or does the searcher also generally reap benefits like insurance and retirement contributions in excess of that? This would be in the context of a searcher raising their equity from investors outside friends & family - think self-funded investors found on Searchfunder, etc.
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commentor profile
Reply by a searcher
from Rice University in Columbus, OH, USA
Everything is a negotiation but there are benchmarks you can use to help influence that negotiation. Check the 2024 Search Fund Study on the Stanford CES site. Page 22, exhibit 9. In addition to things like geographic location, business size, profitability, etc, this study should be your most helpful tool to benchmark against what’s “standard.”
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Reply by a searcher
from Marquette University in Minneapolis, MN, USA
Tbh, when I started I was obsessed with thinking about paying myself a lofty amount from the SDE. Then I realized as I dug in and really started modeling things out... you can't burn the cash on salary. It's just dumb. You get so much more value reinvesting the dollars back into the business and getting the great payday later.
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