Veenstra & Stroeve

Anton: "Marcel and I founded Veenstra & Stroeve in 2006; we had both been working in this industry for a while and wanted to start our own business. I said from the outset that I would participate for a maximum of ten years; after that, I would want to stop given my age. But entrepreneurship suited me so well that I happily continued after those ten years. Things were going well; we grew from zero to over sixty employees."

Marcel: "Three years ago, we revisited the conversation about the future. Several options were on the table: I could continue alone – possibly with a new partner – or Anton and I could sell the company together. Ultimately, we chose the latter option."

"Through our contact person at Rabobank, we ended up at Rembrandt Mergers & Acquisitions for an exploratory conversation. We immediately had a good feeling about it."

Marcel: "Together with Rembrandt, we quickly came up with a shortlist of potential buyers. This led to several conversations with interested parties. One of those parties was Antea, an investment company from The Hague. They not only offered a good price but also understood what we wanted, and, importantly, we clicked on a personal level. It makes a big difference when you speak the same language."

Anton: "But make no mistake: ultimately, selling a business is a completely different game than what you've been playing all those years. As an entrepreneur, you're entering an area you've probably never ventured into before, while the other party might be doing everything on autopilot. Additionally, an acquisition involves certain emotions, and you'll encounter all sorts of unfamiliar processes with legal complexities. It's very reassuring to have a party like Rembrandt by your side, with lots of experience and who deals with this on a daily basis."

"To be honest, during such a negotiation process, there are definitely moments when you think: let's just leave it. A lot of issues come up that you have never thought about before, but that – in addition to the price – are part of the negotiations. For example, whether or not to have an earn-out structure or agreements about liability. Rembrandt provides clarity and calm at such times and gets the process moving again where needed."

"Ultimately, after the transfer, Marcel and I trained the new management for another six months. It felt good to be able to hand over and leave the company properly during that period. At the end of 2021, we completely stopped and are now only the owners of the company premises in the background. The collaboration with the team, led by John Hoekman, went excellently; the people were on top of things and always kept control on our behalf. If we were faced with the choice again, we would definitely talk to Rembrandt again."

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