Partnership criteria
Is your business a Keeper?
The best Australian family businesses come from every corner, every industry and every stage. We applaud them all, but believe our best fit is:
- A business with a proven track record and a long history with key customers.
- A business that provides something unique or hard to replicate, and
- A business that is consistently profitable
If that sounds like your business, we’d love to connect and learn more.
Our approach
A handover, not a takeover
Our aim is to keep you involved in whatever capacity makes sense for you; whether that’s as CEO, a board member or an advisor. We also understand that for some founders, it’s time to step away, and that’s OK too.
Where possible, we aim to offer all founders a legacy stake, ensuring you and the next generation continue to benefit financially from the business you built.
Market landscape
Know your options. Compare the buyers.
Industry buyers
- How long they keep it
- Generally long term. Driven by operational synergy. Often rolled up, integrated, or restructured under a larger corporate banner.
- Operational impact
- Integration into existing business models, often resulting in cultural displacement and big team changes.
- Choose this when
- You are comfortable for your business to be incorporated into something bigger.
Private equity
- How long they keep it
- Short term. Typically structured on a 3- to 7-year fund cycle to maximise investor returns. Resale is part of the model.
- Operational impact
- Heavy focus on cost reduction, aggressive growth, and optimising metrics to hit near-term exit valuations.
- Choose this when
- Price is your primary driver.
Individuals
- How long they keep it
- Short term. This model sees a typically young, first-time solo operator partnering with an investment fund. Like Private Equity, the focus is on a time-driven exit to maximise returns.
- Operational impact
- Leadership and company direction change is immediate. The buyer’s objective is to optimise the numbers in preparation for a future sale.
- Choose this when
- You want to hand over to a single leader and you’re open to the business changing significantly
- How long we keep it
- Permanently. Keeper & Co buys businesses we intend to keep for generations. Legacy matters to us; we want to keep and grow the business you built for the long term.
- Operational impact
- The business operates the same tomorrow as today. Your name stays on the door, your team stays in their seats.
- Choose this when
- What happens to your family business matters just as much as the price, and you’d like to retain a long-term stake.
Ready to secure the future of your legacy?
We respect your time, your team, and your privacy. Let’s explore how a partnership with Keeper & Co can reward your years of hard work.