Family-Owned Businesses
We advise family-owned companies through ownership transitions, whether the right answer is a sale, a partial sale or a transfer to management. We help families reach a shared decision and then carry it out with care for the business, its employees and its name.
What we hear most often
“We don’t all want the same thing.”
“The next generation may not take over.”
“Our name is on the door.”
“We owe our employees.”
How we help
Shareholder alignment
We meet with family shareholders to understand their goals and help them reach a common position on timing, value and priorities before any buyer is approached.
The full range of options
We compare a full sale, a recapitalization, a management buyout and a staged transition on proceeds, control and continuity.
Buyer selection for fit
We identify buyers whose ownership approach, hold period and track record suit the family’s priorities, including family offices with long horizons.
Structures for several shareholders
We design arrangements that let different family members take different outcomes, such as some selling fully while others retain an interest.
Working together
Advising family shareholders
In a family business the transaction is often the easier part. The harder work is reaching agreement among shareholders who share a history but not always a view of the future. Generations, branches of the family and those working in the business versus those who are not may each have reasonable and different expectations.
We start by listening to each shareholder group, then present the realistic options with their consequences: what each path would mean in proceeds, control, timing and the company’s future. Giving every shareholder the same clear information often resolves disagreements that seemed fixed.
Choosing the right owner
Families tend to care about who will own the company next as much as the price. We evaluate buyers on how they have treated acquired businesses and their employees, whether they intend to keep the company’s name and location, and how long they expect to hold it.
- Strategic acquirers may offer the highest value and a larger platform for the business.
- Family offices often take a long-term view and may preserve the company’s identity.
- Private equity partners can provide liquidity while the family retains a stake.
- A management buyout can keep the business with the people who already run it.
We work closely with the family’s accountants, lawyers and estate advisors, who remain responsible for tax and estate planning.
Protecting the business during the process
Family companies are often well known in their communities, which makes confidentiality harder to maintain and more important. We limit the information shared with each buyer to what is needed at each stage, agree in advance how and when employees, customers and suppliers will be told, and keep the family informed so that no shareholder learns of a development secondhand.
Relevant services
Sell-Side Advisory
Sell-side M&A advisory for founder-owned, family-owned and sponsor-backed B2B companies: preparation, buyer outreach, negotiation and closing.
Learn moreManagement Buyouts & Succession
Advisory on management buyouts and ownership succession: structuring, financing partners, valuation and transition for owners and leadership teams.
Learn moreRecapitalizations & Partial Sales
Advisory on majority and minority recapitalizations, growth equity and partial sales, including rollover equity, for owners who want liquidity and a partner.
Learn moreFrequently asked questions
Can some family members sell while others keep their shares?
Yes. A recapitalization or partial sale can allow shareholders to take different amounts of liquidity, subject to the buyer’s requirements and the family’s existing shareholder agreements.
How do we handle family members who work in the business?
Their future roles are an important part of the negotiation. Buyers generally want to understand who will stay, in what capacity and on what terms, and these arrangements are agreed before closing.
Can we keep the company’s name and location?
Often, depending on the buyer. We make it a selection criterion when it matters to the family and seek to reflect it in the transaction terms where possible.
Considering a sale, an acquisition or a recapitalization?
Conversations with Laurent Capital are confidential and carry no obligation. A senior member of the firm responds to every inquiry within one business day.