Sell Your Business to Your Employees

Succession that preserves your legacy. Get a fair price, reward your workers, and keep what you built intact.

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Too many small businesses in Western North Carolina face the same difficult choice: close, sell, or leave the community.

  • 80% of family business transitions fail.

  • 80% of businesses listed for sale never find a buyer.

  • ~2,500 small businesses close across WNC each year.

There’s another option.

Cooperative ownership gives business owners a way to transition their business to the people who know it best - their employees and community.

The result: Businesses stay open, jobs stay local, and more wealth and opportunity remains rooted at home.

Build a Lasting Legacy

You’ve poured years into building a successful business. When it’s time to transition, it can be hard to find the right buyer - and sometimes to find any buyer at all. The good news is that the right buyer may already work for you. You don’t have to choose between getting a fair price and protecting the relationships, reputation, and team you’ve built. Selling to your employees lets you achieve both, and is a proven succession strategy available for businesses. 

✓ Get paid fair market value for the business you built.

✓ Honor your workforce by rewarding the team that drove your success.

✓ Keep your business local and deeply rooted in your community.

✓ Transition on a timeline that works best for you.

Is My Business a Good Fit?

Established: 3+ employees
Profitable: A healthy, profitable business
Ready: Thinking about a transition now or in the next few years
Supportive: Owner willing to provide training and transition support
Strong team: An experienced, capable team
Meaningful legacy: A business worth preserving for the future

If most of these sound like your business, you may be a strong candidate for an employee ownership transition.

How We Help You Transition

  • Free Initial Consultation

    Sit down with our team to explore your options, evaluate readiness, and see if employee ownership is the right fit.

  • Financing Coordination

    Help your employees secure the financing to buy the business, connecting with aligned lenders.

  • Full Transaction Support

    Navigate the sale process seamlessly with hands-on guidance from deal structuring to closing day.

  • Expert Advisory Network

    Tap into our trusted network of specialized legal, tax, and financial advisors experienced in ownership transitions.

  • Post-Transition Training

    Set your new employee-owners up for success with tailored education in leadership, governance, and financial skills.

  • “We are able to do things I‘ve wanted to do for 10 years - that are possible because we have more people to attend to them...because we were going with the status quo - parts of the company didn’t have time to give the energy needed because of only having one owner. By sharing and delegating we can take on more.” Facilitated by The Industrial Commons.

    — Todd Kindberg, Company Manager and Founding Owner of Equinox Woodworks

  • “Rather than liquidation or selling to another business that would change the culture, I wanted to look at employee ownership. It vests the control of the company in the hands of the people that work it every day, who live in the community, and have that vested interest in ownership. I wanted to empower the team to make decisions on their behalf for their benefit.” Facilitated by the Cooperative Development Institute.

    — Jay Ward, 4th generation owner and President of Ward Lumber

  • “If you are a business owner considering retirement, investing in employee ownership is easily the most rewarding thing you could do. Especially if you built up a company that is made up of good people. The rewards that you get are more than just monetary. If you know you are leaving a company to people who have worked hard on behalf of the company, that’s something that money can’t buy.” Facilitated by Project Equity.

    — Jerry Skomer, Founder of Alternative Technologies

  • “When it came time for us to think about succession, the thought of finding someone to buy us out seemed highly improbable. We have a very distinct niche in the manufacturing world, and there wasn’t any obvious path forward.” Facilitated by Project Equity.

    — Tom Adams, Co-Founder of Adams & Chittenden Scientific Glass

Read the full success stories here

Whether you're actively planning your retirement or simply thinking ahead for your company’s future, our team is here to guide you through every step.

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