Contrarian entrepreneur Carey Smith founded Big Ass Fans in 1999 and led the company for 18 years. While other founders made and lost their fortunes, Carey’s business practices led to sustained, rapid growth averaging 40% annually. Inc. Magazine ranked Big Ass Fans among America’s fastest-growing private companies for 11 years straight — a feat achieved by only 34 others.

Carey has earned national recognition for his common-sense business philosophies, such as selling direct, investing in silver-platter customer service and paying employees more than 30% above the U.S. average. Inc. named him “Economy Hero” in 2011 for refusing to lay off employees during the Great Recession.

By 2017, Carey had grown Big Ass Fans from six employees to more than a thousand and nearly $300 million in annual sales. He did so without investors, a rarity in a society that glamorizes venture capital and quick exits. That year, he sold the company for $500 million with $50 million going right into employees’ pockets.

Following the sale, Carey founded the investment firm Unorthodox Ventures. He assembled a staff experienced in everything from engineering and supply chain to marketing and customer service with the goal of providing founders far more than money. The firm has invested in more than a dozen businesses and given advice and assistance to hundreds of founders without charging a dime.