The company
you work for can become yours
You know the business, the teams and the customers. What you lack is the capital. That is exactly what we bring: we buy the company, you run it, and you gradually build up your stake in it.
We provide
The acquisition capital
We buy the company from your owner. You neither have to borrow the price nor mortgage your home.
You take
The leadership of the company
You become the CEO from closing, with clear governance and support throughout your first two years.
You become
A shareholder, year after year
Your stake grows gradually, financed by the company's earnings rather than by your savings.
Financing
In practice, who puts up
the money ?
This is the question that holds back almost every employee considering a buyout. Here is the straight answer.
We pay the price of the company to your owner, at closing.
We draw on our own equity and, depending on the deal, bank debt that we carry. The seller gets paid, your buyout is financed, and you do not start out saddled with personal debt.
A personal contribution is usually asked of you — it is a commitment, not a source of financing. The amount is sized to remain within the reach of a manager's savings, and it is discussed during our first conversation.
Assess my buyout projectEvery deal is different: these are the principles we apply systematically; the amounts are sized case by case.
Tell us about your company
Share a few details with us in complete confidence: we will tell you within 48 hours whether it can be financed. Your owner is never contacted without your consent.
Your legitimacy
You are more qualified than you think
The four things we hear from employees who hesitate...
I am not a boss
You already run a team, a budget or a site. What changes is governance and financial management: two skills that can be learned, and that we support you on throughout the transition.
I don't have the money
Nobody does. An employee who could pay for an SME out of their savings would already be a shareholder. Capital is our business — yours is running the company.
I don't have a finance background
You will not have to structure the deal. We do that, with our lawyers and our bankers. You set the strategy and lead the teams.
The owner won't take me seriously
Most owners are relieved when an internal buyer steps forward: it spares them from selling to a competitor. We prepare that conversation with you, and we can have it alongside you.
Our role
How we carry your
buyout, end to end
Our role comes in three phases, not a five-step process.
Before
We validate feasibility
Before any conversation with your owner, we check that the company can be financed and that your project holds up.
- Company valuation
- Analysis of its debt capacity
- Preparing the approach to the owner
Company valuationDuring
We assist
We assist in the negotiation with the seller, which preserves your relationship with them, and we structure the deal end to end.
- Payment of the price to the seller
- Legal and tax structuring
- Equity build-up plan
After
We support you
You lead. We sit on the board, we challenge you, and we put our tools and our network at your disposal.
- Coaching through your first two years
- Management and reporting tools
- Access to the Purple Network experts
A real buyout
From production manager to
CEO shareholder
Production manager turned CEO
Industrial SME, 62 employees, Hauts-de-France
- The situation
- Eighteen years with the company, an owner nearing retirement, no credible external buyer and the fear of a sale to a competitor.
- Our role
- We bought 100% of the shares and paid the seller at closing. His personal contribution represented a marginal fraction of the price.
- Today
- He runs the company, increases his stake every year out of earnings, and all 62 jobs have been kept on site.
Your questions
Your questions before talking to
your CEO
Do I need to put in equity to take over?
Your contribution is symbolic and sized with you. We pay the price of the company to your owner, at closing, with our own equity, that of our co-investors and bank debt carried by the holding structure.
Do I have to mortgage my home or provide a personal guarantee?
No. No guarantee on your personal assets, no personal loan, no surety. If the deal goes wrong, you are not left saddled with personal debt.
How much of the company can I eventually own?
Up to a majority. Your stake grows gradually, financed by the company's earnings rather than by your savings.
How do I raise the subject with my owner?
Most owners are relieved when an internal buyer steps forward: it spares them from selling to a competitor. We prepare that conversation with you, and we can have it alongside you if you wish.
Will my owner be contacted without my consent?
Never. You share the information you have, we tell you within 48 hours whether the deal can be financed, and nothing leaves that conversation without your go-ahead.
How long does a buyout like this take?
Three to six months from first raising the subject to signing, including 48 hours for our initial feasibility answer. Our support then runs through the first two years after you take office.
First confidential conversation
You already know the company.
We bring the rest
Tell us where you stand: we will tell you whether the company can be financed and what your buyout would mean for you in practice.
01 84 80 00 71
Confidential · your owner is never contacted without your consent · answer within 48 hours
Other situations
You are not starting from the same place ?
Financing and support differ depending on where you start from.