Free simulator · confidential
Who to hand
your company to?
Family, employees, strategic buyer, fund or individual buyer: each buyer pays a different price, in a different way, and will do something different with your company. In 2 minutes, find out which options are really open to you.
- 2 minutes
- 20 click-through questions
- No sign-up
Your business transfer profile
Result
- Employees / MBO
- 88
- Family
- 71
- Individual buyer
- 58
- Industrial
- 44
- Funds
- 27
Top option: employee buyout. Your wish for continuity and your tolerance for deferred payment open this path.
- compared side by side
- 5 options
- for a first diagnostic
- 2 min
- Belgium and France
- 2 countries
- name required
- 0 data
Why ask the question
Most business owners ask how much.
The smartest ask who to.
The choice of buyer is often made by default: the first one to show up, or the one an intermediary suggests. Yet it is the decision that shapes all the others.
Two offers at the same price can have nothing in common: one is paid in cash, the other over five years. One keeps your team, the other merges it.
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Each buyer looks for something different
An industrial buyer pays for synergies, a fund for returns, an employee for a life project, a child for a legacy. Their price and their requirements follow from that.
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The right buyer is prepared years ahead
Training a family successor, growing a manager, structuring the accounts for a fund: each path requires specific preparation. Identify it late and you lose the best ones.
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Not every option is open to everyone
Size, profitability, dependence on the owner, sector: some profiles do not interest funds, others are too big for a single buyer. Better to know before launching a process.
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Your priorities are not only financial
The fate of employees, the company name, local roots, your role after the sale: for many sellers these criteria weigh as much as price. The simulator factors them in.
The impact on your sale
The buyer changes everything else about the sale
Once the buyer is chosen, much of the deal is already written. Here is what depends on it directly.
The price you get
An industrial buyer may pay a premium for synergies. An individual buyer is capped by borrowing capacity. A family transfer often happens below market value, offset by tax treatment.
The payment schedule
Cash at closing, seller financing, earn-out or reinvestment: the share actually collected on day one varies widely by buyer. This is often where the real value of an offer is decided.
The company's future
Keeping the team, the name, the site, the culture: an internal buyer guarantees continuity, an external buyer may restructure. The choice also affects your employees and customers.
Your role after the sale
A quick exit, six months of support or a multi-year transition period: each buyer expects a different commitment from you.
The guarantees required
Asset and liability warranties, escrow, non-compete clauses: the level of demand differs between an industrial group and your successor.
The preparation required
Training a successor, reducing your personal dependence, auditing the accounts, cleaning up legal matters: the roadmap differs depending on the target.
The 5 business transfer routes
Five buyers, five different business transfers
The main trends observed in the SME market. Your situation may differ: that is precisely what the simulator measures.
| Criterion | Family children, relatives | Employees MBO, team | Industrial competitor, group | Funds private equity | Buyer individual |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Price level | |||||
| Share paid at closing | |||||
| Company continuity | |||||
| Job preservation | |||||
| Target company size | All | All | Depends on strategy | Rather large | Rather small |
| Preparation required | Long | Medium | Short | Medium | Medium |
| General trends, for guidance only. Every deal is specific. | |||||
Family
Pass on a legacy
Maximum continuity and often favorable taxation, but a moderate, largely deferred price.
Watch out: fairness among heirs and the successor's legitimacy with the teams.
Employees
Transfer to those who run it
Those who know the company best take it over. The price stays close to market if the financing is structured well.
Watch out: employees' limited contribution, hence the need for a financial partner.
Industrial
Maximize the price
Often the best price and the most cash at closing, thanks to expected synergies.
Watch out: integration, even the disappearance of the company's identity.
Funds
Sell in two stages
A market price, often with the seller reinvesting and a second exit a few years later.
Watch out: a minimum profitability threshold and strong reporting expectations.
Buyer
Hand over to an entrepreneur
The market is broad, but the price is limited by the buyer's borrowing capacity and seller financing is common.
Watch out: the buyer's strength and the length of the support period.
Confidentiality
Think about your business transfer concerns only you
Talking about succession is sensitive: with your teams, your customers, your family. The simulator was designed with that in mind.
No personal data
No company name, no contact details, no exact figures: just click-through questions on ranges.
No solicitation
Taking the test commits you to nothing. You alone decide whether you want to talk about it afterward.
A first look, not a decision
The result is indicative. It helps you structure your thinking before discussing it with your advisors.
What if the best option were your team?
Employees rarely have the means to buy on their own. PurpleShares buys the company alongside them, finances the deal and gradually transfers the capital to them. You get a fair price, and your company stays in good hands.
How it works
20 questions, one clear recommendation
The simulator cross-checks your company's profile and your personal priorities to rank the business transfer options open to you.
Step 1
Your company
Size, profitability, organization
The characteristics that determine which buyers may be interested and can finance the deal.
Step 2
Your priorities
Price, continuity, timing
What matters to you: share of the price at closing, tolerance for deferred payment, the fate of your teams, your role after the sale.
Step 3
Your business transfer profile
Immediate result
A ranking of the five options suited to your situation, with the strengths and watch points of each.