Family Business Defense: How to Stop the Takeover

By Tom Fairhall

Your family business is under siege.

Private equity firms have purchased 8,000+ UK companies in the last decade. They're not looking for growth. They're looking for extraction.

The pitch is always the same: "We'll help you scale."

The result is always the same: layoffs, price hikes, and a sale to the next fund.

Here's how to fight back.

Why They're Coming for You

Family businesses are attractive targets because:

You're undervalued. You've never optimized for "valuation." You optimized for stability.
You're tired. Running a multi-generational business is exhausting. Selling sounds like relief.
You don't know your options. Most owners think it's "sell or die."

It's not.

The number one reason family businesses sell is "we can't compete with tech."

Bullshit.

AI levels the playing field. You can now:

You don't need a tech team. You need one person who understands what's possible.

Most family business failures are succession failures. The kids don't want it, or aren't ready.

Fix this by:

If you can't scale alone, partner with someone who can — but keep ownership.

That's exactly what I offer with my Equity Marketplace. I build the tech. You keep the business. We share the upside.

No debt. No investors. No exit clause.

I built a suite specifically for family-owned UK businesses:

You can sell to the funds and watch your grandfather's name get ripped off the building.

Or you can fight.

I know which one I chose.

"A family business isn't a job. It's a covenant."