Broker / Owner
The Cardenas Group
My South Florida residential and commercial brokerage — I represent owners, buyers, and investors on both sides of the border.
Visit siteSouth Florida
Carlos
Cardenas
M&A advisory, real estate brokerage, and the WhiteHorse platform — one operator, from first conversation to closing.
I give senior-level counsel across the sale of a business and the sale of a building — one operator, one integrated platform, from first conversation to closing.
Ventures
The Platform
Managing Principal
WhiteHorse Capital Partners
My M&A advisory practice for founder-owned businesses in the lower middle market, with enterprise values between $2M and $20M.
Visit siteMy broader WhiteHorse platform also operates WhiteHorse Environmental and WhiteHorse Construction — vertically integrated capability so I can support owners through assessment, remediation, and build-out.
Notes from the Deal Table
Insights
FeaturedM&A
What Buyers Actually Pay For
Multiples are a symptom, not a cause. After a decade at the deal table, the businesses that clear the highest price share four unglamorous traits.
August 12, 2026 · 6 min read
Read the essay →
Real EstateJuly 24, 2026
South Florida Is a Cross-Border Market
Treating Miami as a domestic market misreads the capital. Half the conversations that matter start in Spanish and end in a U.S. closing statement.
Exit PlanningJune 30, 2026
The Exit Starts Three Years Early
The most expensive decision an owner makes is waiting until they are tired to start planning. Here is the sequence I walk owners through.
OwnershipMay 18, 2026
Vertical Integration for Small Operators
Owning adjacent capability is not empire building. Done narrowly, it protects margin and shortens the distance between a problem and its fix.
About
Carlos Cardenas
I'm Managing Principal of WhiteHorse Capital Partners, a boutique lower-middle-market M&A advisory, and Broker/Owner of The Cardenas Group, my South Florida real estate brokerage. I advise founder-owners through the transactions that define a career: selling the company, buying the building, planning the exit.
I hold an MBA from Florida International University, and I work across the U.S.–Latin America corridor, where a transaction is rarely conducted in one language or one jurisdiction. Alongside advisory, I operate a vertically integrated WhiteHorse platform spanning environmental services and construction — the same discipline applied to assets rather than balance sheets.
Education
MBA, Florida International University (FIU)
Florida Licensure
- Florida Real Estate Brokerage
- Florida Mortgage Brokerage
- Florida General Contracting
- Mold Assessment & Remediation
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Whether it's a listing, a letter of intent, or a conversation three years ahead of one — start here and I'll take it from there.
South Florida · Serving Miami-Dade, Broward & Palm Beach