Dashboard: Do You Care What Happens to Your Business After You Sell It?

This week, Lou Mosca raises a question that business owners may not spend enough time thinking about before they sell the business: Once you’ve gotten the price you want, how much do you care what happens to the business? Lou, who owns the consulting firm American Management Services, has spent decades working with owner-operated businesses. More recently, he’s also been trying to work with private equity firms whose portfolio companies need help improving their performance. And that has given him an increasingly close look at what can happen when an owner sells to private equity.As Lou sees it, private equity can absolutely be the right exit for some owners. But he also thinks owners need to understand that getting a great price doesn’t necessarily mean they’ll be happy with what comes next. Lou shares some cautionary stories and offers practical advice for owners considering a PE offer—especially those who do care about what happens to their employees, their culture, and the business they built. The episode is brought to you by Grasshopper Bank.