When a business owner begins thinking about selling, one of the first questions that comes up is, who is going to buy my business?

Buyers come from many places including, but not limited to, strategic buyers in the same industry, investors such as private equity or venture capital groups, existing company management, employees and family.

Strategic buyers are often in the same industry and may actually be competitors of the business who are looking to grow by acquiring customers they haven’t been able to obtain through sales efforts.

Private equity and venture capital groups often specialize by buying businesses within a certain industry or at a certain stage of the business life cycle.

Some owners choose to sell their companies to existing management or employees through a leveraged buyout such as an Employee Stock Ownership Plan (ESOP).

We live in an international world and the percentage of overseas buyers is increasing.