Selling a family business to the right buyer

Deciding to sell the business was only the beginning of an intensive process; the real work started only then. The indicative valuation and the information memorandum that followed demanded considerable time and energy.

But it also delivered something valuable. "A complete blueprint of your own company," Anneke says. "You also know exactly what to expect in the rest of the process, and that turned out to be true. What have you arranged, what haven't you, and how do you present that convincingly to a potential buyer? The Rembrandt team played an excellent role in that, always available and highly precise in their substantive guidance."

From left to right: Anneke Faber, Theun Faber and Paul Beemster

Rembrandt's network leads to the right buyer

Theun thought he knew his sector well. Until the longlist was drawn up; Beemster Logistiek, the party that ultimately acquired Faber, wasn't on their radar at all initially. John brought them in through his network, via Rabobank. "That's precisely the added value of an advisor with deep sector knowledge: he sees connections and options you wouldn't see yourself."

There was an added benefit too: some parties on the longlist were well known to them, or they even worked together already. Here too, an advisor proved his worth. "The advantage is that you don't conduct sensitive negotiations directly with your own business relations," Theun explains. "John and his team handled that role of trust superbly."

In the middle of the acquisition process, their father passed away. Anneke reflects on this: "It had already been an emotionally difficult year because of his illness, and his passing naturally affected us deeply. John guided us through that with great empathy. He gave us the space to grieve, took over where needed, and made sure the process picked back up again at the right moment. That kind of humanity can't be captured in a proposal."

An acquisition met with applause

The deal was closed. What followed was the moment many entrepreneurs find hardest: informing their employees. At Faber, that went differently than expected. "When we told our employees about the acquisition, they applauded," Anneke recalls. "That says more than any figure could."

In a family business, you know everyone by name. You know what's going on, both on the shop floor and at home. These people chose Faber deliberately. That sense of responsibility weighs heavily in every decision you make as a family. "It was crucial for us that the new owner would embrace the same way of working," Anneke says. "Beemster turned out to be that party. People are naturally wary of change, but they also saw the continuity this deal offered, for the company and for themselves."

For Theun, the conclusion is clear. "The process ended the way it began: with warmth. If we had to do it again, we wouldn't hesitate to take the same path."