Four buyer types: strategic acquirers in the same or an adjacent industry, private equity platforms and their portfolio companies, family offices, and individual buyers backed by search funds or SBA financing.
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Each pays for something different. A strategic buyer pays for capacity, customers, a certification, or a geography they lack, and can often justify the highest price because of synergy. A private equity platform pays for a stable earnings stream and management continuity, and usually wants the owner to stay or to roll over equity. A family office pays for a long hold and frequently offers the most flexible structure. An individual buyer with SBA or search-fund backing pays less but closes deals other buyers pass on, and is frequently the best outcome for a smaller company with an owner willing to stay through a transition. Charlotte has an unusual density of all four, which is the single biggest structural advantage of selling a manufacturing company here.