Category: Employee Ownership Models
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ESOPs as Vehicles for Growth, The Acquisition Opportunity in 2026
For decades, ESOPs have been framed primarily as a succession solution, a thoughtful and values-aligned exit for retiring founders. That narrative is no longer complete. As we move into 2026, employee-owned companies are increasingly being recognized not just as responsible stewards of legacy businesses, but as engines for growth, disciplined capital allocators, and credible, competitive…
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Employee Ownership Comes to Fast Company
Sometimes the big solutions are the ones we overlook because they seem almost too obvious. Fast Company featured a piece by Mike Brady of 40 Million Owners that asks a simple question: if employee ownership keeps building wealth, strengthening companies, and creating stability, why aren’t we scaling it everywhere? The article underscores what many of…
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Expanding Employee Ownership Through Acquisitions
The podcast episode explores the story behind the creation of 40 Million Owners and highlights how the firm expands the capabilities of ESOPs by giving them the strategic and operational support needed to pursue M&A with confidence and clarity.
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How Smart ESOPs Link Repurchase Planning with Acquisition-Driven Growth
An ESOP repurchase obligation forecast is a long-term projection of the cash required to meet the plan’s distribution commitments in accordance with its policy on timing, form, and method. At its best, it serves as a framework for sustaining the company’s financial health and long-term viability. Too often, however, repurchase obligation studies can be treated…
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ESOP CEOs Drive Value and Reduce Risk through Acquisitions
Employee ownership is good business, and employee-owned companies make for successful acquirers. In a crowded market for lower-middle market acquisitions, ESOPs stand apart. Few market participants can match an ESOP’s attractiveness as a well-capitalized buyer that preserves the sellers’ legacy, provides their employees future wealth-building opportunities, and potentially allows the sellers to defer a portion…
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40 Million Owners has joined 3LS, Inc.
3LS, Inc., an employee-owned family of companies, announced today that it acquired 40 Million Owners to join its growing 3LS Professional Services division. 3LS is a rapidly growing ESOP holding company of 18 employee-owned companies, unified in their mission to empower good, with nearly 700 employees and five offices across the U.S. The 40 Million…
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Meet us at the NCEO Forum
Employee ownership is one of the most transformative business models in society and it is growing fast. What excites us about this movement is the momentum we’re experiencing. More ESOPs are pursuing M&A opportunities, and more businesses are coming to market than ever before. At 40 Million Owners, we help ESOPs grow through strategic acquisitions,…
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Target Selection: The Strategic Foundation of ESOP Growth Through Acquisition
Acquisitions carry high stakes for any business, but for employee-owned companies, the stakes are even higher. Every acquisition decision directly affects employees, shaping their retirement wealth, career opportunities, and sense of ownership. A well-chosen target accelerates growth and strengthens culture, while a poorly chosen one can erode trust and weaken the ownership model itself. Target…
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Offense is the Best Defense: Why ESOPs Need an M&A Playbook Now
Employee-owned companies can capitalize on a dynamic small business M&A market and use acquisitions to compete, grow, and fulfill their fiduciary duty. Small businesses that employ tens of millions of American workers will sell to new owners this decade, creating both a risk and an unprecedented opportunity to transition these businesses to long-term, sustainable ownership…
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Accelerating Employee Ownership through ESOP M&A
40 Million Owners is headed to Salt Lake City next week for the The National Center for Employee Ownership (NCEO) Annual Conference. There’s growing momentum around combining the proven benefits of ESOPs with innovative capital structures, forward-looking policies, and practical market tools. At 40 Million Owners, we’re focused on accelerating this movement through strategic M&A—one…
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