business owners
Because we have owned and sold businesses of our own, we understand the needs of family-based and closely-held middle market business owners. You have dedicated yourself to the business for years and now you want to reap the rewards while simultaneously preserving your legacy, company culture, and ensuring your company’s future success. With our vast resources, middle market operational expertise, experience developing and executing growth plans and commitment to your goals and needs, WHI Capital Partners can help you realize these aspirations.
The following are a series of questions you might have about private equity and WHI Capital Partners’ investment process:
What is private equity?
Private equity provides privately-owned companies with long-term, committed capital, to help them grow and succeed. If you are looking to expand, buy a business, buy out a division of a parent company, turnaround or revitalize a company, or exit from a current business, private equity may enable you accomplish these things. Obtaining private equity is different than getting a loan from a lender, such as a bank. Lenders have a legal right to collect interest on a loan and eventually demand repayment of the capital, irrespective of success or failure. Private equity is invested in exchange for a stake in your company with investor returns dependent on the growth, profitability and value creation of your business.
How long does a transaction take?
WHI Capital Partners works to close a deal within 60 days from the date a letter of intent is executed. While the timing of a transaction can vary depending upon many different factors, our straightforward approach of open communication during the evaluation and final sale processes provides you with a clear understanding of what to expect.
What is the advantage of having all of WHICP’s capital come from one source?
One factor that will never affect transaction timing with us is access to capital. Unlike other private equity firms with rigid charters and institutional constraints that require rapid returns, all of our capital comes from one source enabling us to be both flexible and patient. This flexibility helps us capitalize on the best growth opportunities and will continue to provide your company a meaningful advantage well into the future.
How does WHICP treat confidential information?
We believe that sensitive information is kept confidential for good reason. Before we speak to anyone within or related to your company, we make sure you know about it and support us in our efforts. During the due diligence process, sensitive information given to us will be held in the strictest of confidence unless you tell us otherwise. Please review our privacy statement.
How does WHICP treat your people?
You built your company’s success with a strong tradition of hiring and keeping good people. Our continued success will depend upon the success of the company’s senior management. Therefore we always insist that all senior members of your team be given meaningful incentives, including a share in the equity appreciation of the company. Your people are your most valuable asset both today and into the future and we want to make sure that they are given every incentive to make the company successful.
Who controls day-to-day operations?
If existing senior management desires to continue working for the company, day-to-day operations of the company will remain in their hands. Our goal is to help the company grow by providing valuable operational and capital resources and assistance in the development of the company’s long-term strategy. We do not typically run the company ourselves or try to micro-manage the people who have made your company a success. While we bring significant resources of our own, because your senior management team clearly knows your company better than anyone, we hope and expect they stay in place as the ownership transitions. When openings occur in management, we are able to draw upon our extensive contacts to help fill those positions.
