Last week, in a warehouse just outside Barcelona, a plain cardboard box sat on a wooden chair. It wasn’t there for shipping. It was a ballot box. Around it, just under fifty workers gathered. Some in overalls, some in steel-toe boots, many with grease still on their hands. One by one, they stepped forward, slipped in their vote, and returned to their seat. What were they voting on? Whether or not to sell their company to us. Let me explain. Not your average acquisitionOur other company, Krisos, is an impact private equity company. And we don’t believe in business as usual. We buy companies, yes, but only if the employees want us to. For us, that’s non-negotiable. No top-down takeovers. Before we ever sign the deal, we present our vision for what the company could become:
We brought in people from Indaero, our previous acquisition, to share their experiences. Then we let the employees decide. If at least 80% say yes, we go ahead. If not, the deal is off. It’s as simple, and as radical, as that. The moment of truthBack to the warehouse. We had just presented our plan to the team at Alumipres, an aluminum casting company with about 50 people. Now, it was time for the real test. The vote. As the ballots piled up in the cardboard box, there was something rare in the air: nervous excitement and deep humility. We were asking people in these tough jobs to take a leap of faith. To believe in a model they’d never experienced before. And then came the count. 87% voted in favor. Eighty-seven percent said yes. To ownership, responsibility, uncertainty, and opportunity. They didn’t just approve the acquisition. They said: we want this. This is what transformation looks likeLet’s be clear: this isn’t the end of something. It’s the beginning. Over the coming months, we’ll work side by side with the team to:
We don’t show up with all the answers. We show up with the right questions, and a process that’s worked in dozens of organizations across the world. From here, the people of Alumipres will shape their own company. Together. Why we do thisAt Krisos, we don’t acquire businesses to extract value. We acquire them to build something better. Our mission is simple, but far-reaching:
We believe the people closest to the work should have the power to shape it. And we believe that the future of business isn’t top-down. It’s people-powered. Want to master our proven transformation playbook? We teach it in our upcoming Masterclass, starting in June. Enroll now. New articleA new article has been published on our website earlier this week:
What inspired usHere's something noteworthy we discovered this past week that you’re going to love:
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