Contractor Exit Strategy 6 of 6: Sale to Employees (ESOP)

Contractor Exit Strategy 6 of 6: An ESOP (Employee Stock Ownership Plan) is a qualified defined contribution employee benefit plan designed primarily to invest in the company’s stock.

D. Brown Management Profile Picture
Share

This is a more complex and costly structure to set up and maintain but also comes with some tax advantages. And while these costs and savings are easy to model, they should not be your deciding factor in whether a ESOP should be all or part of your exit strategy.

Succession: Exit Strategy 6 of 6 - Sale to Employees (ESOP).

For starters, this exit strategy should be weighed against a sale to management because all the same prerequisites have to be met, including having strong leadership, an aligned management team, and a business that is continually generating excess cash flow for funding of the deal.  

The big initial questions to really dig into:

  • Will broader employee ownership make the business operate better than having a smaller group of managing owners who carry more of the risk but also have more to gain?
  • Is the culture truly prepared for an ESOP? In a leveraged ESOP, often other contributions to retirement programs and bonuses are cut back which can demoralize a team without the proper education.
  • Will your bank and surety be onboard with an ESOP?

Resources:


Succession
Continue building value in your business, yourself and your key team members with a good succession strategy....

Succession
Continue building value in your business, yourself and your key team members with a good succession strategy....

Contractors Business Model
There will never be enough resources to take advantage of every opportunity or solve every problem in a construction business. Contractors must relentlessly prioritize allocation of resources and alignment around the biggest bottleneck in the business.
Aligning Market Strategy and Project Delivery Methods
Making the right decision on market strategy is the most highly leveraged decision that a contractor will make for sustainable growth. Part of that decision includes what primary project delivery method(s) you will use.
Happy Labor Day 2021
Happy Labor Day 2021 | Celebrating 127 Hard-Won Years | Always Remember Why