For Sellers
So, you're thinking about stepping back. But who can you trust to step up?
Nobody builds a business for thirty years thinking about the exit. You built it because it was yours, because the product was good, the customers kept coming, and your people depended on you.
But now you're thinking about what comes next.
And until now, the only calls you're getting are from people who've never set foot on a production floor.
My grandfather built two steel companies in rural Southern Illinois. He didn't run them from a distance. He knew the product. He knew the people. He thought in generations. Those businesses put a town to work for over sixty years. That's not something I read about in business school.
That's something I grew up in. And it's the reason I'm here — looking for one manufacturer to own, operate, and carry forward.
I won't fire your people to make the numbers work. I won't move the business. I won't bring in a management team that's never seen your product. I won't strip costs until the thing that made your business good is gone.
The operations, the team, the relationships you've built — those aren't line items to me.
They're the reason I want the business in the first place. Why would I gut the thing I'm paying for?
The sales process that's still in your head. The pricing you haven't revisited in years. The website that's been a brochure since 2011. The customer relationships that only you manage.
I build the systems that turn all of that into something the business owns — not something that walks out the door when you do.
The best succession plan isn't a plan. It's a person.
How This Works
We Talk
The first step is the easiest. One conversation. You talk about what you built, I listen. If we both see a fit, we talk about next steps. If not, nothing lost. The formal process only starts when you're ready for it.
We Look Under the Hood
I review your financials and learn how the business creates value. If it's a fit, I put a clear offer on the table — the structure, the price, and the terms.
No games, no last-minute retrading.
Then we confirm the details together through diligence that's collaborative, not adversarial.
We Build the Handoff
Six to twelve months. You teach me the business. I learn your customers, your people, your product. We build the transition together at a pace that protects everything you care about.
Now the only question is whether your business and my search are pointing at the same thing.
Is Your Business a Fit?
This might be a fit if...
- You run a specialty manufacturer with $10M–$18M in revenue
- Your customers reorder because they depend on your product
- Your operations run without you on the floor every day
- You've been thinking about retirement or stepping back
- Your business is profitable but you know the sales side has more to give
- You're in the Midwest, or open to talking anyway
This probably isn't a fit if...
- Your business depends on one or two large customers for most of its revenue
- You need someone to fix broken operations or turn the business around
- You're looking for the highest possible price regardless of who's buying
- The business requires major capital investment to stay competitive
- You need to close in 30 days
- Your revenue comes primarily from one-off projects rather than repeat orders
Who You Sell To Matters Just as Much as the Sale Itself
Selling your business isn’t just a financial decision — it’s a personal one. The right buyer doesn’t just offer a fair price… they understand what you’ve built, respect how you’ve run it, and know how to carry it forward without breaking what works.
That’s where my family and I come in.
And Who You'd Be Working With
I'm Rob Davidson. I'm completing my MBA at Washington University in St. Louis as a Koch Center Own-Operate-Invest Fellow.
I've spent seven years building commercial systems inside specialty manufacturers and B2B companies.
My wife Hannah and I live in St. Louis with our newborn son Benjamin — and this is a family commitment.
She'll be in the business day-to-day, supporting marketing, design, and administrative operations.
My grandfather, along with his wife, built two steel companies that operated for over 60 years.
I'm not trying to recreate what he did. I'm trying to deserve it.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q1: What happens to my team after the sale?
They stay. Your people are the reason the business works — I'm not buying the company to replace the team that built it. My job is to add what's missing, not take away what's working.
Q2: What if I'm not ready to walk away on Day One?
Good — I don't want you to. I plan for a six to twelve-month transition where you teach me the business from the inside. Your customers, your people, your product, your rhythms. We build the handoff together, and you leave when I'm ready.
Earn-out, rollover, and advisory arrangements are on the table if you want to stay involved longer.
Q3: How long does the whole process take?
Every deal is different, but from executed letter of intent to close is typically 90 to 120 days.
The conversation before that moves at whatever pace feels right to you. I don't rush sellers into decisions they're not ready to make.
Q4: What if I've never sold a business before?
Most of the owners I talk to haven't. That's expected — you've been busy running the business, not learning M&A.
I'll walk you through every step, and I'll encourage you to hire your own attorney and accountant to represent your interests.
This should feel clear the whole way through, not confusing.
Q5: Why should I sell to you instead of a private equity firm?
Because I'm not going anywhere.
I'm buying one business to operate for the long term — not adding your company to a portfolio of twelve that I'll flip in under five years.
I'll know your employees' names. I'll be on the floor. My wife and I are building our life around this.
A PE firm will send an associate with a spreadsheet and a ninety-day optimization plan.
I'll show up and learn how you make the product before I change how you sell it.
Are You Ready to Explore What’s Next for Your Business?
When you're ready to talk, I'm here.
And if you're not ready yet, that's fine too.
This page isn't going anywhere. Neither am I.
When that day comes, the form below goes straight to me.
