Family Office
A private investment vehicle for one wealthy family — increasingly buying small and mid-sized businesses directly.
A family office is a private wealth management entity that manages the investments of a single ultra-wealthy family or, in some cases, a small group of families. Originally these existed mostly to manage public stocks and bonds, but over the last fifteen years, a growing number of family offices have started buying businesses directly — often in the $1M to $50M earnings range. They operate like private equity firms in some ways (they have investment professionals, they run real diligence, they pay competitive prices) but differ in important ways: they invest their own money, not pooled fund capital, and they often have indefinite holding periods rather than the 5-year exit timeline most PE firms work to.
Family offices are one of the most underappreciated buyer categories for businesses in the $1M–$15M earnings range — competitive on price, flexible on structure, and indefinite on holding period.
Family offices buy for return and stability — many are families that built their wealth in operating businesses originally.
Find out what a buyer would see in your business — before you talk to one.
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