Considered counsel for private companies
Lexford Capital Advisors guides owners and boards through the sale of a business, the purchase of another, and the raising of capital. We accept a limited number of engagements so that each one receives the attention it deserves.
Every company we advise was built over years, sometimes generations. Our task is to make sure the decisions that follow are made with the same care: when to sell, to whom, on what terms, and whether a sale is the right step at all.
We are an independent advisory firm serving privately held companies across the United States. Our clients are founders, families, and management teams, and our only business is giving them sound advice and seeing it through to completion.
Two disciplines under one roof
Owners rarely face a pure sale or a pure raise. Advising on both lets us set the routes side by side and recommend the one that best fits your goals.
Mergers & acquisitions
Acting for owners who are parting with some or all of their shares, and for acquirers in search of the right business, from the first valuation through to closing.
Sell-side mandates
Structured sales that invite competition among qualified buyers.
Majority and minority recapitalizations
Turning part of your equity into cash while you keep a stake.
Acquisition searches
Finding and approaching companies that are not openly for sale.
Ownership transitions
Management buyouts and family transfers, financed with care.
Capital markets
We arrange equity and debt for established private companies, whether the purpose is growth, an acquisition, a shareholder buyout, or a stronger balance sheet.
Equity placements
Minority or control investment from institutional and family capital.
Senior and subordinated debt
Bank and private credit facilities sized to your cash flow.
Acquisition funding
Financing secured before a bid, so your offer carries weight.
Balance sheet review
Refinancing debt that no longer suits the business.
Compare your exit options
Selling everything is only one way to realize the value of a company. Choose an option to see how it changes what you receive at closing, how much control you keep, and the part you play afterward.
Selling the whole company
You sell all of your shares to a single buyer and step back once the transition is complete. It is the cleanest way to turn a lifetime of work into cash, and a competitive process gives you the best chance of a strong price.
- Your role afterward
- A transition period, usually six to eighteen months
- Typical buyer
- A larger company in your industry, or a private equity firm
- Usual timeline
- Six to nine months
- Best when
- You are ready to step away and want certainty for yourself and your family
Recapitalization
An investor buys a stake in the company, often a majority, and you keep the rest. You take substantial value off the table today and share in a second payout when the investor sells the business, typically four to seven years later.
- Your role afterward
- Often you continue to lead the company
- Typical buyer
- Private equity firms and family offices
- Usual timeline
- Five to eight months
- Best when
- You want liquidity now and believe the best years of growth are still ahead
Management buyout
Your leadership team buys the company, financed by lenders, a note you agree to carry, and sometimes a financial sponsor. The culture and relationships you built stay intact, though the price is usually paid over a longer period.
- Your role afterward
- Board member or adviser, if you wish
- Typical buyer
- Your own managers, backed by banks or a sponsor
- Usual timeline
- Four to eight months
- Best when
- Continuity for staff and customers matters as much as the headline price
Minority investment
An investor takes a non-controlling stake, and the money is usually put to work in the business rather than paid out. You keep control and gain a well-capitalized partner for an expansion, an acquisition, or a new market.
- Your role afterward
- Unchanged
- Typical investor
- Growth equity funds and family offices
- Usual timeline
- Four to six months
- Best when
- You need capital to grow but are not ready to share control
A general guide; every company is different. Ask which route suits yours
The most consequential choice in a sale is often which kind of sale to make.
How an engagement proceeds
Five stages, agreed at the outset and reported against throughout, so you always know where matters stand and what is coming next.
Counsel
We listen before we advise: to your hopes for the sale proceeds, its timing, and your legacy, to your plans for your own future, and to the concerns you may not yet have voiced to anyone else.
Appraisal
A candid opinion of the company’s present value, what would raise that figure, and which buyers or investors are likely to see the most in it.
Preparation
Financial analysis, a written account of the business, and a complete data room, all assembled before any outside party is contacted.
Approach
Discreet outreach to a chosen list of counterparties, followed by meetings, offers, and close negotiation of the terms that matter to you.
Completion
Diligence managed, documents agreed, and the transaction closed, with continued support while ownership changes hands.
Begin with a confidential conversation
Write to us with a few lines about your business and what you are weighing. A senior advisor will answer personally, your message is held in strict confidence, and an initial discussion carries no fee or obligation.
info@lexford-capital.co