Many founders have sold their life's work to investment firms and then watched finance professionals reengineer the firm to extract all the value and quickly sell it off, often at the expense of employees and other stakeholders.
A111 takes an entirely different approach. We start with a long-run vision for growing the business and creating value for all stakeholders (employees, customers, and shareholders). The first step our operators take is to get to know your employees and your customers. These stakeholders offer an abundance of perspective that we use to craft long-term strategies for building a thriving enterprise, one that builds upon your legacy and values.
A111 matches highly-skilled, values-driven leaders with values-driven enterprises seeking to sustain and extend their impact. Our operators have proven track records as leaders as well as world-class education in management disciplines. Their deep and broad skillsets enable them to quickly learn the keys to success for your business, ensuring your legacy is sustained and expanded.
Our operators also benefit from the resources of A111 and our network. With easy access to subject matter experts across industries and functions, our operators can mitigate risk as they consider critical management decisions and opportunities to create value for shareholders, customers, and employees.
We have the flexibility to work with sellers in a variety of circumstances. Some sellers want to exit entirely and do so quickly. Others want to retain an interest in the business and partner with our teams, moving away from the business gradually and with retained equity. Every seller has a unique situation and we partner to ensure transitions are a success for all parties.
A111 participates in a variety of deal scenarios. Sellers may exit their business entirely, or they may choose to stay involved. We work with three common scenarios.
Some sellers want to leave the business entirely, and in some cases, lack a clear succession plan. We can provide an exit to these sellers so they can shift their focus to other priorities.
We can partner with sellers who want to be inactive (while retaining some equity) as well as those who want to stay involved in the business as advisors or board members.
We meet many founders who have created a great business and they are ready for additional support to help them take their business to a new level of success. We start by gaining a clear understanding of the seller’s long-term view for their life as well as their business. This vision is foundational to the development of our partnership.
In all of these scenarios, we prioritize key elements of a seller’s ideal path forward.
A111 will work with the seller to define their ideal long-term role in the business (or out of the business), one that matches their activities to their strengths and passions.
A111 will provide talent in the form of operators and advisors to support the sustainable growth of the company, removing administrative activities and many other functions from the seller’s plate.
A111 will enable a significant windfall for the seller.
A111 will also allow sellers/founders to retain equity and participate in the long-term growth of their company. Our objective is to provide a “second bite of the apple” that is more significant that the first.
We believe in enjoying work and having fun. Our community of operators and advisors brings a breadth and depth of skills and values that enable us to enjoy the ride while we work together to create firms that leave an impact.
As sellers become more involved in our community and experience our approach, we can offer opportunities for them to diversify and invest directly in firms experiencing a similar journey.
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