Selling a company that carries the family name.
Succession, a partial sale, or a full exit. A family company is sold once, and how it is handled is remembered. We run a discreet, competitive process that protects the name as carefully as the number.
For a family-held company, LePrince Group runs a confidential sale or succession process that balances price with the buyer, the legacy, and the family relationships that outlast the deal.
It was never only about the money.
A family sale carries questions a financial buyer never thinks about. These are the ones that matter, and how we hold them.
Most advisors run a family sale like any other. We treat the things that are not on the spreadsheet as part of the mandate.
A process built around the family, not just the asset.
Handled by the person who took the mandate, with the discretion a family name demands.
The honest read
Free, ConfidentialAn evidence-based view of value and options: hold, partial sale, or full exit, with the trade-offs of each.
Align the family
Shareholders, GovernanceWe get every shareholder to a shared, factual picture before the company goes near a buyer.
Run a discreet process
NDA-gated, CompetitiveA staged, confidential process across qualified buyers chosen for fit as well as price.
Close and transition
Diligence, HandoverWe hold terms through diligence and plan the handover so the business and the people carry on well.
What a managed process protects.
Selling quietly to the first approach is the most expensive and most exposed way for a family to exit.
A price the family is proud of
Competitive tension, not a single unsolicited offer, is what proves and lifts the value.
The legacy, protected
You choose who carries the name forward, on intent and fit, not just the cheque.
Discretion throughout
A staged, NDA-gated process keeps the sale out of view until the right moment.
Sold once. Remembered for a generation.
The number matters. So does the name you hand it to, and the people who carry it forward.
The questions behind a family transition.
Beyond the headline sale, a family company has structural choices that change the outcome. We map them honestly.
Full sale or partial?
Selling a stake can release value and de-risk the family while keeping involvement. We model both against what the family actually wants.
Who in the next generation continues?
A clear answer on management and ownership succession strengthens the story buyers pay for, or shapes a clean exit.
Recurring revenue and owner dependence
A company that runs beyond any one family member is worth more. These levers decide the multiple.
Clean, defensible financials
Family companies often carry personal and business affairs together. Separating them before market protects the price.
When a company is not ready, we say so, with the reasons and the work that closes the gap. That is what value creation is for.
You won't find our deals online. That is the point.
We do not publicise mandates, name clients, or announce transactions. The best outcomes are reached quietly, and confidentiality protects the seller, the process, and the price.
Confidential by default
A sale is the client's business, not our marketing. The market learns only what serves the client.
Selective by mandate
We take a limited number of companies and turn the rest down. Selectivity is the product, not a constraint on it.
Vetted and verified
If we represent a company, it is proven to be one of the best in its category, with a clear opportunity for the right buyer.
Questions families ask us.
How do you keep a family business sale confidential?
Buyers are approached under non-disclosure agreements, sensitive details are released in stages, and the company name is withheld until a buyer is qualified and serious. Discretion is built into how the process runs.
Should we sell the whole company or just a stake?
Both are options. A partial sale can release value and reduce family risk while keeping involvement and upside. We model a full sale against a partial one so the family decides on facts.
How do you handle different shareholders wanting different things?
We give every shareholder the same honest, evidence-based picture of value and options, so the decision is made together on facts rather than pressure or assumption.
What happens to our staff and the family name after a sale?
The right buyer matters as much as the price. We vet buyers for how they will treat the team, the brand, and the legacy, and bring the family the ones that fit.
How long does selling a family business take?
A well-run mid-market process usually takes six to twelve months from preparation to close. Aligning the family and preparing the company well shortens diligence later.
Where to go next.
Thinking about the future of the family company?
Every conversation starts with the LePrince Read: our honest, evidence-based view of what a company is worth, whether it would sell, and what would change the number. Confidential, and yours to keep whatever you decide.
We take a limited number of mandates. Request a conversation if:
- The company is in the $10m to $100m+ enterprise value range
- It operates in or adjacent to our four sectors
- You want an honest read, not a flattering one