“Ditt livs viktigaste affär” En företagsförmedlares roll vid försäljning av privata, ägarledda familjebolag

Abstract

This thesis aims to examine how business brokers add value in a company acquisition. The companies studied are privately held family businesses led by the owner. There are many problems that need to be adressed in an acquisition of a private family business. Amongst theese are information asymmetry, valuation difficulties and concerns regarding the continued operations after the acquisition. Data has been collected through semi structured interviews with business brokers. This information has then been compiled and analyzed. The findings of this thesis can be used as a tool to gain a deeper understanding of the business brokers’ value creating processes. By the interviews, the authors were able to obtain an understanding of these processes. This study contributes with new knowledge and insights regarding these processes and therefore fills an existing gap of knowledge. The conclusion of this thesis confirms the existance of information asymmetry in privately held family businesses led by the owner. The conclusion of the thesis endorses the role a business broker plays to lower the asymmetry between the buyer and the seller. Also the broker’s social capital is used to identify a larger number of potential buyers, who may have different incentives to the aquisition. This may possibly lead to a higher purchase price, thus creating value. Other aspects the broker contributes to, such as the importance of a good relationship between the two parts, are also highlighted in this thesis.