ESOP Transaction Services

Optimizing the strategic value of ESOP transactions

An Employee Stock Ownership Plan (ESOP) can be a valuable tool in a business owner’s exit or succession strategy. Yet, ESOP transactions present unique challenges and requirements. Forbes Partners helps clients optimize how they structure and complete ESOP transactions for extraordinary outcomes.

Our investment bankers evaluate whether an ESOP is the right approach to achieve the owner’s exit goals and develop a plan for the best way forward. Our services include:

Feasibility analysis

Is an ESOP the right approach for this business? Forbes Partners helps answer the question with confidence by conducting a feasibility analysis that considers the client’s goals and nature of the business. We ensure an ESOP transaction will meet shareholder objectives before moving ahead.

Valuation development

Do the numbers add up? Our advisors answer this critical question by developing a business valuation that informs the optimal purchase price and sets the stage for lender negotiations.

Parallel exit positioning

What other exit strategies should the business owners consider? Pursuing an ESOP transaction while simultaneously approaching a strategic buyer or private equity group can be a powerful negotiating strategy. Our parallel exit approach leverages the ESOP transaction as an alternative to a traditional sale and positions the client to move forward with an exit strategy that achieves an extraordinary outcome.