For Owners
What's Next for Your Business?
At Waterbear, you work directly with David, who has bought, run, and sold a business. If you're selling, we agree on a clear handover and learn from your team. If you plan to keep it, we offer financial and operating support.
Your Options
The right succession path depends on what matters most to you. A strategic buyer, financial investor, family member, management team, or individual operator can each be a good fit.
Waterbear offers an involved owner who works with the existing team and takes responsibility for the business after closing. If you're not ready to sell, we can discuss whether focused support would be useful.
What to Expect From Us
Your People
We take time to understand the people, customer relationships and practices that make the business work, and we build from there.
Your Business
We learn how customers are served and where the business depends on particular people, then work with the team to improve pricing, reporting and day-to-day execution. When we sold our first business, we chose buyers for cultural fit and team continuity.
We're Honest About Fit
We pass on most opportunities we review. When we tell you we're interested, it means we've done the work to understand your business and believe we can add value. When we're not the right buyer, we'll explain why and won't waste your time.
How We Work
Every business is different. We start with what you want from the transition, learn from the people doing the work, and agree on who will be responsible for what.
Understanding Before Acting
We start by listening. Before we talk about what changes, we spend time understanding how the business actually works, what makes it successful, and what matters most to you. That includes the history, the team, customer relationships, and the business's role in its community.
Thoughtful Transition
We agree on a transition that works for you and the business, from a short handover to a longer advisory role. Owners who are ready to step away are welcome, and we plan for that too. We structure around your goals, not a template, and there's no pressure to rush decisions.
Support Where It Adds Value
After closing, we take an active role and agree on clear responsibilities with your team. I handle finance and reporting myself, with an outsourced accounting team if you don't have one. It's the same setup that worked from day one at my first business. I also work on customers, strategy, and operations. Day-to-day work stays with the people already doing it well.
Clear Priorities and Follow-Through
We work with the team to set priorities and explain the reasons behind changes. We closely monitor cash, service quality, and employee workloads. The aim is to make the business easier to run and better able to serve its customers.
An Owner Who Gets Involved
We're drawn to owners who have built something real and want to know it's in the right hands. The best conversations we have start when an owner has conviction in what they've built but recognizes the next chapter calls for a different kind of support. We show up as operators alongside the team, and we back that with our own capital in every deal.
Your Team's Future
We prioritize promoting from within. At my first business, employees advanced into larger roles, and we built a four-person leadership team that ran day-to-day operations by the time of the sale. We plan for key managers to share in what they help build, and we work out the details together once a deal is agreed.
Support for the Business You Intend to Keep
Some owners want to keep their business but need greater financial visibility, stronger operating routines, or more leadership capacity. Waterbear offers focused support in cash-flow planning, pricing and profitability, management reporting, and implementing agreed changes. In the right situation, I'm also open to taking on a defined leadership role for a set period. We agree on scope, time commitment, and fees before work begins. The engagement stands on its own, whether or not a sale is ever considered.
Let's Talk
Tell us what you want for the business, your team, and your own role. If you're considering a sale, we can discuss the handover. If you plan to keep the business, we can discuss whether financial and operating support would be useful.
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