I’m going to talk about ESOP’s as a potential structure to be used by a Business owner trying to sell his business. Why would you look at an ESOP, otherwise known as an employee stock ownership plan? Two major reasons.

One, legacy for your employees. Strategic and financial buyers often look to move businesses to make them more synergistic with other investments they have. If you form an ESOP, the company stays there, all those jobs stay there. All those people that helped you build that business, stayed there. Also there’s some empirical evidence that shows that employee owned companies do better and there’s fewer layoffs during recessions.

On a tax basis, the ESOP is a tax exempt entity. Therefore, no taxes are paid on the earnings that are generated through the company. This gives the company a significant advantage in terms of its cost of capital as it builds, as it builds its business going forward. Sellers can take advantage of certain other tax opportunities, such as a 1042 Exchange. So, from a ownership perspective, is something to really be considered. Particularly, if the business is a professional service business or has a specific contract with some vendor that they have to keep.

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