What We're Searching For
Over the last 20+ years we have gained experience across multiple sectors including but not limited to B2B services, technology, healthcare, specialty manufacturing, and food production. One key lesson we have learned is that great companies can be found in almost any industry sector.
$10M to $75M of revenue
5% to 30% of EBITDA
(cash flow)
A unique value proposition serving a diversified customer base
Company Criteria
Environmental
(Safety and Sustainability)
Food
(Safety and Distribution)
Tech
(SaaS Solutions and Data-related services)
Healthcare
(Hospital Services, Pharma Solutions, or Vocational Training)
Manufacturing
(Specialized Assembly, Value-add Manufacturing Precision Components)
Target Industries
If your company generally matches our criteria and operates within one of the listed industries, please send us a note (BenandMark@KindlyLight.io), we will be happy to talk with you.
Why Work with Us
Kindly Light is a Search Fund - not a private equity fund and not a strategic acquirer. We are two seasoned operators that want to build up a company according to values of integrity and honest hard work. Coming out of the private equity world, we have come to understand the flaws in a model that prioritizes the bottom line above all else, and we prefer a better way to run a business.
Pros
Private Equity
Strategic Acquirer
Potentially a slightly higher sale price
Very difficult terms and will almost always come with major contingencies and potential clawbacks
Potentially a higher sale price
The company you built could be ripped apart for its core assets to support the new parent company.
Cons
The Sale Process
Selling your company is often viewed as a long and daunting process. But, since we detest bureaucracy and we deeply respect your time (and ours), from a first introduction call to the possible closing of the sale, we have structured our process to be straightforward and transparent. Based on the complexity of the company and the number of shareholders involved, the discussion and decision process could take as little as 6 - 12 weeks to complete.
Introduction
Understand your company and explore our shared goals and expectations
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Initial 30-minute call for mutual introductions
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Sign a Non-disclosure Agreement (NDA) to ensure that everything we discuss regarding your company is confidential.
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Discuss your thoughts preliminary terms & expectations of your role after a sale.
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Discuss if and how your company fits into our search criteria.
Learn
Learn about your company, its services, and how it fits into the broader market
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Sign an Indication- of-Interest (IOI) as a non-binding purchase/ sale agreement.
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Learn about your company’s services / products, customer base, market position, and some recent wins and losses.
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Consider your ideas on long-term growth opportunities and how we would add tangible value to the company.
Diligence
Conduct due diligence on your company’s structure, operations, and financials.
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Sign an Letter-of-Intent (LOI) as a formal non-binding offer to buy your company with a purchase price range.
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Deep dive of your company’s operations, financial performance, team structure
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Discuss the broad terms of sale.
Close
Finalize the terms of sale and sign the purchase and sale agreement
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Complete final due diligence steps related to legal and accounting.
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Review the final terms of sale and reach agreements on all points.
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Sign the final Purchase and Sale Agreement.
Should you have further questions about the sales process of your company, do not hesitate to send us a note (BenAndMark@KindlyLight.io), we will be happy to talk with you.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Kindly Light and what is a Search Fund?
Why wouldn’t I sell to Private Equity or a Strategic Acquirer if they’re offering more money?
What are Mark and Ben’s plans after the acquisition?
What will the current Owner/CEO role be after the acquisition?
When or why should a business owner consider an exit or succession planning?
When it comes to family owned business, very frequently your children have different plans for their own future and professional careers. In such circumstances, business owners might not have an heir interested in carrying on their family legacy. The general wisdom is to start to think about an exit sooner rather than later. This increases a seller’s chances to sell at the best time (i.e. when the company is growing and the market is strong), rather than delaying a sale and being rushed into it because of hard circumstances or age.
For most businesses, owners have worked really hard their lives to build their company. As such their desire to simply retire is understandable and, as for succession planning, should be planned well ahead of the expected retirement age.
A common cause for selling your company comes when a company has outgrown an owner’s ability to continue its growth. While it isn’t always easy for the founder to admit, many entrepreneurs (especially in technology heavy sectors) started their journey as inventors or scientists, as such they have a natural talent when it comes to starting a company from nothing based on a genius invention or new approach to an old problem. That said, they often lack the necessary training or or desire to manage a large organization. If that is the case, the sooner business owners recognize that the better they can plan their exit. Questions a business owner should ask to her/himself are: Has the company’s growth slowed in recent years when compared to the past? Do I enjoy my work less now than years back when I didn’t have to deal with so much administrative, HR and similar issues?
Successful entrepreneurs and business owners are by nature ambitious overachievers. As such, once they have reached their goals they start itching for a new or different challenge and life experience. This can be a new venture, spending more time with family or volunteering at a cause close to their hearts.
Origins of Our Name
Kindly Light originated its name from an early twentieth century pilot cutter – one of the fastest and most successful pilot cutters to have ever worked the Bristol Chanel.
Originally built in 1911, KINDLY LIGHT was a pilot cutter sailboat that worked the Bristol Channel in the United Kingdom - one of the most dangerous shipping lanes in the world. A Bristol Channel pilot cutter was a specialized working sailboat whose purpose was to quickly ferry local maritime pilots to and from large incoming ships to assist in safe navigation when approaching or departing from port cities along the coastline.
The pilot cutter design has been described as the best sailing boat design ever, for being high-speed, highly maneuverable, and sailable by just two crew. And in 1911, it reached its final evolution with the build of KINDLY LIGHT. KINDLY LIGHT’s fine high bow, lean entry, and well hollowed lines below the water line made her the fastest and most successful pilot cutter over the hundred others working the Bristol Channel.
KINDLY LIGHT proved her worth despite costing about 40% more than her contemporaries. She made her two pilots as much money as all the other pilots in the Bristol Channel consortium combined by reaching the highest paying inbound ships fastest.
In 1922, KINDLY LIGHT was sold and repurposed several times as a high-speed yacht until 1993, when she was sold to a private owner. A meticulous and authentic restoration brought her back to her original design, and more than 100 years later, KINDLY LIGHT still proudly sails the oceans.
Mark & Benedikt draw inspiration from KINDLY LIGHT. To our future business seller and all of your employees– we commit to respect what you have built and put in our own hard work, passion, and dedication to pilot your legacy to next phase of success. To our investors - we commit to use your resources in a socially responsible and ethical manner, and maximize the long-term value of capital.
REFERENCE: National Historic Ships UK, BBC Boats that built Britain, Wikipedia: Bristol Channel pilot cutter