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Your Mission Sustained. Your Future Secured.

We help business owners explore, design, and implement mission-aligned ownership succession plans using alternative structures such as purpose trusts and employee ownership.

Get in touch
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Protect what you've built

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Exit on your own terms

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 Reward your people

Trusted By

  • Concept 2 Rowing logo with stylized text and a circular symbol
  • Logo for Organically Grown Co featuring various vegetables and leaves with green text.
  • Zingerman's logo with the tagline 'community of businesses'.
  • Vernier logo with a stylized microscope illustration and the words "Vernier Science Education."
  • Grand Central Baking Company logo with stylized oven mitt and rolling pin inside a circular design.
  • Logo with a leaf and the word 'Biohabitats'.
  • Logo for Natural Investments LLC featuring a stylized tree in a circle with the company name.
  • Logo with the words 'local ocean' and a simple line drawing of a sailboat.
  • The logo of Andropogon in green text with a stylized leaf icon.
  • LifSource Natural Foods logo with green leaves.
  • Logo for Philly Food Works in black, green, and blue text
  • Berrett-Koehler Publishers logo in dark blue text on a white background.
  • Text stating 'A Cooperative of Family Ranchers, Country Natural Beef' in black capital letters on a white background.
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Conventional business succession options are not a good fit for many companies

Business owners we work with want to avoid the following pitfalls:

  • Erosion of mission

  • Degradation of culture

  • Pay cuts or layoffs

  • Compromised or lost independence

  • Leaving or deprioritizing existing community

  • Shut down or sold for parts

  • Overemphasis on profit vs other goals

  • Shareholder primacy (rather than stakeholder balancing)

Man with a blue Biohabitats shirt carrying white pipes over his shoulder in a green outdoor setting.
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Black and white illustration of a Buddha statue with three yellow circles above it.

Former client: Biohabitats

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Customized engagements that fit your specific goals and situation

Depending on where you are on your journey…

We can support you with:

  • Ownership Education and Discovery

  • Transition Evaluation and Feasibility

  • Comparing and Contrasting Alternatives

  • Governance Design 

  • Financing Design and Execution

  • Ownership Succession Implementation and Transaction Support

  • Legal and Tax Coordination

  • Wrap Around Services (i.e. Strategic Planning, Profit Share Design)

Learn more

Our Typical Path

Our personalized ownership transition process helps business owners like you explore and implement an ownership transition plan that perpetuates your values, honors your team, and secures your future.

  • Icon of a computer monitor with chat bubbles emerging from it, one chat bubble outlined in red with three dots inside, and a large yellow circle behind the monitor.

    Introductory Call

    Complementary call to get to know each other

  • Isometric illustration of open book, magnifying glass, and yellow circle on black background.

    Education and Discovery Work

    Understand your options

  • A light bulb with yellow background, two red arrows indicating a cycle, and a dollar sign coin, representing the concept of turning ideas into money.

    Visioning and Viability Work

    Craft a customized vision for your ownership future and evaluate the feasibility

  • Graphic of a hammer and gear over a yellow circle, symbolizing tools or technical work.

    Implementation

    Execute your ownership transition and start your next chapter.

The best time to start your business succession plan is now. Our guided process allows you to begin your journey while still having time to do your day job.

How our Process Works
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Stronghold Ownership exists to help founders and business owners navigate the confusing and challenging road of trying to figure out the right values-aligned succession strategy for their company, while also achieving their own personal financial and lifestyle goals.

Learn more about us