Is selling to PE an overlooked exit strategy for Solo Searchers?

April 24, 2025

by a searcher in London, UK

I am curious to find whether a buy-and-hold or selling to PE is more favourable to solo searchers.

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Reply by a searcher
in Tampa, FL, USA

I don’t think the real question is whether private equity was the buyer—it’s whether you're building to sell or to hold. That decision depends entirely on your personal goals. In my view, even if you plan to hold the business long-term, you should still operate as if you’re going to sell. That mindset helps you build a company with structure, scale, and value. If an eventual exit gives you the financial runway to pursue your next chapter, then selling might be the right move. But if your goal is to keep growing and building, then continue holding. Personally, I expect to close on my acquisition in the next four weeks, and my plan is to build this business into a long-term platform for the second half of my career. I don’t anticipate selling for at least 10 years. That said, my goal is to grow the company to a scale where private equity or strategic buyers would be interested down the line—at a multiple far higher than what I’m paying today. Unless you're buying a business that PE is already chasing (in which case you'd likely be priced out as a solo buyer), the key is figuring out what you need to do to make it attractive to those buyers by the time you're ready to exit.

Reply by a searcher
in London, UK

^redacted‌ I hardly hear or read about solo searchers selling to PE but I know its being done. For every 10 solo searchers I speak with, only one talks about selling to PE in the near future as part of their exit plan. I really like your perspective on building and holding, especially for the next decade as well. Mine is similarly aligned, and making sure that as we grow we are attractive to buyers. However, I am considering to do more research on whether the types of businesses I am seeking to buy are PE savvy. Looking forward to your success in the next upcoming weeks.

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