Sunshine filtering through trees with a river reflecting the sky.
Black background with three yellow circles arranged around the letter 'e' in the center.
Black background with three yellow circles and the text 'Three Yellow Balls'.

Your Mission Sustained. Your Future Secured.

We help business owners explore, design, and implement enduring ownership structures that protect their company’s purpose and independence.

We specialize in purpose trusts, employee ownership, and charitable structures.

A shield with a white background and a black outline, featuring an orange check mark in the center.

Protect what you've built

Diagram of an open door with an arrow pointing outward, indicating exit or egress.

Exit on your own terms

A graphic illustration of a five-pointed star outlined in orange inside a circle on a black background. The circle has a white fill and a thick black border, with radiating lines around it, resembling a badge or award icon.

 Reward your people

Our clients include world-class companies of all sizes, across multiple industries

  • Logo for Organically Grown Co featuring various vegetables and leaves with green text.
  • Vernier logo with a stylized microscope illustration and the words "Vernier Science Education."
  • Grand Central Baking Company logo with stylized oven mitt and rolling pin inside a circular design.
  • Logo with a leaf and the word 'Biohabitats'.
  • Concept 2 Rowing logo with stylized text and a circular symbol
  • Zingerman's logo with the tagline 'community of businesses'.
  • Logo of Heath Ceramics, a ceramic company established in 1948.
  • Grady-White Boats logo with text
  • thoughtbot company logo
  • Logo for Natural Investments LLC featuring a stylized tree in a circle with the company name.
  • Logo with the words 'local ocean' and a simple line drawing of a sailboat.
  • Mainscape Inc. Company Logo
  • Colorful geometric logo above the words "ADASINA SOCIAL CAPITAL" in black text.
  • The logo of Andropogon in green text with a stylized leaf icon.
  • LifSource Natural Foods logo with green leaves.
  • Logo for Philly Food Works in black, green, and blue text
  • Berrett-Koehler Publishers logo in dark blue text on a white background.
  • Text stating 'A Cooperative of Family Ranchers, Country Natural Beef' in black capital letters on a white background.
  • Osmosis Day Spa Sanctuary logo with a stylized teal leaf and the text 'osmosis DAY SPA SANCTUARY'.
An aerial view of a deforested area on the right with tree stumps and logs, contrasting with a lush green forest on the left, showing the environmental impact of logging or land clearing.
Black and yellow abstract graphic with three yellow circles and black background
A white sticker with black, distorted, cursive text on a green background.
Black background with three yellow circles and white outlines of a circular object with a handle, resembling a jar or container.

Conventional business succession options are not a good fit for many companies

Business owners we work with want to avoid the following pitfalls:

  • Erosion of mission

  • Degradation of culture

  • Pay cuts or layoffs

  • Compromised or lost independence

  • Leaving or deprioritizing existing community

  • Shut down or sold for parts

  • Overemphasis on profit vs other goals

  • Shareholder primacy (rather than stakeholder balancing)

Man with a blue Biohabitats shirt carrying white pipes over his shoulder in a green outdoor setting.
A black background with three yellow circles and Japanese text in white characters.
Black and white illustration of a Buddha statue with three yellow circles above it.

client: Biohabitats

Black and white illustration of a person with a halo on their head, holding a musical instrument, standing on a cloud with stars around.

Customized engagements that fit your specific goals and situation

We begin with your company’s people, purpose, and circumstances. Then we help you evaluate your options, design a workable ownership structure, and carry the transition through implementation.

We can support you with:

  • Ownership Education and Discovery

  • Transition Evaluation and Feasibility

  • Ownership Options and Tradeoffs

  • Governance Design 

  • Transition Financing

  • Implementation and Transaction Support

  • Legal and Tax Coordination

  • Related Transition Support (i.e. Strategic Planning, Profit Share Design)

We are a national leader in the implementation of Perpetual Purpose Trust (PPT) and Employee Ownership Trust (EOT) ownership structures.

We can also help with Charitable Ownership, ESOPs, Worker Cooperatives, and Direct Employee Ownership (e.g. management buyouts)

Our Typical Path

You do not need to arrive with a chosen ownership model. We help you clarify your goals, assess what is feasible, and decide how to move forward.

Our personalized ownership transition process helps business owners like you explore and implement an ownership transition plan that perpetuates your values, honors your team, and secures your future.

We are ownership architects who design custom, mission-aligned transitions.

  • Icon of a computer monitor with chat bubbles emerging from it, one chat bubble outlined in red with three dots inside, and a large yellow circle behind the monitor.

    Introductory Call

    Get to know each other and discuss your company’s future.

  • Isometric illustration of open book, magnifying glass, and yellow circle on black background.

    Education and Discovery Work

    Understand the ownership options relevant to your goals.

  • A light bulb with yellow background, two red arrows indicating a cycle, and a dollar sign coin, representing the concept of turning ideas into money.

    Visioning and Viability Work

    Develop a tailored design and test whether it works financially and operationally.

  • Graphic of a hammer and gear over a yellow circle, symbolizing tools or technical work.

    Implementation

    Coordinate the work required to put your ownership plan into practice.

The best time to start your ownership journey is now. Our guided process allows you to go from start to finish while still having time to do your day job.

A fish jumping out of a waterfall in a river at night with rocks, greenery, and a pole in the background.
A dark, almost black background with a subtle pattern or gradient.
Black and yellow illustration of a paw print with three yellow pads and black outlines.
Black container filled with three yellow rocks or stones.

What gets us up in the morning?

We have a dream of a world full of companies built to thrive for generations, with enduring ownership that never requires a sale.

These companies advance human flourishing by creating lasting value, making work rewarding, and sharing their success with their employees and stakeholders.