Getting Started

Executive Summary: Employee ownership isn’t only an exit tool for owners ready to retire. It’s also a way to launch a new business, build a stronger culture from day one, and free up capital for entrepreneurs ready to start something new. The earlier founders think about ownership, the more options they have later. The exit…

Which Model Is Right for You? How to Choose Between an ESOP, Worker Cooperative, or EOT You’ve done the hard work. Now comes the real decision. In Part 1 of this series, you saw why employee ownership deserves a serious look alongside traditional exit paths. In Part 2, you worked through the internal checklist —…

Written by: Illa Burbank, North Carolina Employee Ownership Center (NCEOC); Gene Holland, Small Business and Technology Development Center (SBTDC) This is part 2 of our 4-part Employee Ownership Journey series, where we explore the path from founder-led to employee-owned. In part 1 of our Employee Ownership Journey series, we talked about all of the options…

This is part 1 of our Employee Ownership Journey series, where we explore the path from founder-led to employee-owned. As a founder or owner of a small-to-medium-sized business, your brain is wired for strategy. You spend your days obsessing over customer needs, navigating roadblocks, and securing resources to achieve your vision. But when was the…

Exploring a path to employee ownership is exciting, yet overwhelming. We’ve found that many business advisors, business owners, and leadership teams work well with a structured approach.  And typically, the first step in deciding to venture down the employee-owned (EO) path is a simple one: Conducting a feasibility study. This is a testing ground to…

As a business owner contemplating your exit strategy, you will likely encounter a persistent myth in the marketplace: The belief that selling to employees means accepting a lower price for your business. This misconception has circulated through boardrooms and business communities for years, potentially steering owners and advisors away from considering employee ownership as a…

When considering options for transitioning a business to employee ownership (EO), understanding the primary types of EO is crucial. Three distinct models have proven successful across different industries and company sizes: All successful forms of EO lead to increased productivity and profitability as employees gain a direct stake in the company’s success, especially when paired…

Dr. Mark DeHaven, Dean W. Colvard Distinguished Professor at the College of Health and Human Services, said employee-owned companies can be sustainable engines of wealth generation — if business owners embrace the idea.  “We’re trying to look at it in more of an innovative way,” he said.  “How do we begin to close this wealth…