A Private Equity outcome
without the Private Equity.
It's called an Independent Buyout (IBO) and lets you sell some or all of your ownership and gives you the liquidity and valuation of a PE deal without PE and without surrendering control.
And you can do it tax free.
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The Challenge
An IBO is the liquidity path most owners don't know exists.
Traditional exits — private equity and strategic sales — often require giving up control, accepting earn-outs, or navigating restrictive deal structures that don't align with your vision.
There's another path: one that provides liquidity, minimizes tax exposure, and keeps the business you built under your leadership.
That other path, that third door — that is an Independent Buyout (IBO).
The Mechanism
What is an Independent Buyout?
An Independent Buyout (IBO) allows you to buy out some or all of your ownership — effectively creating a tax-free leveraged buyout of your own company.
Instead of selling your company to a Private Equity firm — which would use company debt to buy out your shares — we execute the same type of sophisticated financial transaction but without the Private Equity.
This is the type of deal PE hopes you never learn about.
Eliminate Shareholder Capital Gains Tax
Eliminate or defer selling shareholders' capital gains tax burden.
Retain Independence
The company continues to be run by existing leadership — no outside strategic influence.
Participate in Future Upside
Participate in future upside as your company continues to grow.
Reduce or Eliminate Company Tax
Reduce or eliminate the company's taxable income.
Benefits for cost+ Gov Contracts
Under cost-plus contracts, ESOP contributions and dividends are fully reimbursable expenses.
Improve Employee Culture
Align incentives for management team and employees and create mechanism to attract top talent and grow business.
The difference, in dollars
On a $50MM sale, an IBO can mean $26.4MM more in your pocket.
Same company, same value — two very different outcomes. We'll show you the structure that gets there on the call; here's where it lands.
Private Equity
- Loss of operational control
- Strategic interference and oversight
- Earn-out structures with uncertainty
- High tax burden on proceeds
Independent Buyout (IBO)
- Full leadership control retained
- No Private Equity investor meddling
- Predictable, structured payout
- Tax free proceeds on a sale
How it works
Our process — five steps, fully managed.
From the first confidential conversation to long after close, you work with one team. Here's the path.
Initial Evaluation
We assess your business, financial position, and liquidity goals. This confidential consultation determines if an IBO is the right fit.
Structuring
Our team designs a custom transaction structure, incorporating tax optimization, financing strategy, and control retention.
Financing
We secure appropriate financing through lenders and structures that align with your business cash flow and risk profile.
Execution
Legal, tax, and financial advisors work to close the transaction, ensuring a smooth process with minimal business disruption.
Ongoing Advisory
Post-transaction, we provide continued strategic guidance to ensure long-term success and value creation.
Is this you?
An IBO fits a specific kind of owner.
You run a $3M+ EBITDA profitable business
The economics of an IBO become attractive at this threshold and scale from there. You don't need hyper-growth. You need consistency. If your financials are solid and your operations are repeatable, the structure fits.
You want liquidity without new partners or intrusive oversight
You're not interested in selling to a strategic acquirer who'll restructure everything or Private Equity which can be intrusive to how you run the business.
You want to take some capital off the table
Whether you want to continue to run the business or if you want to sell the business and retire - an IBO can help you achieve that goal.
You're thinking about exit now or in 1-5 years
Maybe you're exploring options. Maybe you've already started preliminary conversations with advisors or buyers. Either way, an IBO is worth modeling now - so you're making the decision with full information, not partial options.
We know what you are going through
Built by someone who has been on every side of the table.
More than 25 years of experience building companies, executing M&A transactions, partnering with private equity, and advising entrepreneurs. Led deals totaling $2B+. Built five companies from the ground up. Completed or advised on over 100 M&A and sale transactions. Worked with founders navigating liquidity decisions in industries from technology to manufacturing to services.
This isn't theoretical. It's born from seeing too many talented operators give up control they didn't need to surrender, or pay taxes they could have deferred, simply because they didn't know another structure existed.
Learn More"Most owners don't know this option exists. The ones who do wish they'd learned about it years earlier."
Track Record
Our team has worked across industries.
Over 400 successful transactions across all major industries.
Advertising & Marketing |
Apparel |
Architecture |
Aviation |
Construction |
Consumer Products |
Defense Contractors |
Distribution & Logistics |
Government Contractors |
Healthcare |
Home Care |
Manufacturing |
Restaurants |
Staffing & HR |
Technology |
Transportation |