Hi everyone,

I’m exploring ways to structure progressive partnership deals as a path to acquiring and scaling owner-operator businesses. I’d love to hear from anyone with experience in: • Structuring deals where the seller stays involved during the transition, helping bring on an operator to gradually take over. Ideally, this would include a clear timeline for the handover, with terms like cliffs and vesting schedules to manage ownership and ensure alignment throughout the process. • Using equity earn-outs or other creative arrangements to align incentives between buyer and seller during and after the transition. • Sourcing owner-operator businesses where sellers might be open to this model—especially those who aren’t prepared with any exit strategy but care about preserving their legacy and growing with the right partner.

If you’ve been through something similar or have tips on structuring and sourcing these types of deals, I’d be so grateful to hear your thoughts!

Best, Alex