External Sale

Full External Sale

If there is not an internal transition pathway, a full sale to an external party is a common option.

Partial Sale

Depending on the buyer’s financing plan, there may be opportunities to retain a portion of your business. Sometimes this may be attractive to prospective buyers as it demonstrates your confidence in the business thriving beyond the transition.

Key considerations

• Employees can be spooked by news of a potential sale–consider if/how you inform the team. The last thing you want is for folks to start looking for other opportunities and losing momentum as a business.
• Confidentiality is key.
• There are lots of different types of buyers. Some will help maximize your personal gain, some will maximize the long term outcomes for your team. While it’s possible to find a buyer that does both, there are often tradeoffs.