What exit strategies do angel investors want/prefer for a service business?

(I've built/sold a service company + raised angel investing 2x + invested in 23 companies as an angel)

The term angel investor can be misleading. Assuming you mean an investor who want's equity for capital, then most never invest in services businesses. Why

1) Too much risk, as it's VERY people dependent
2) Hard to scale - continues to cost money
3) The upside vs. the risk isn't there (1000x returns).

I'm not saying you can find someone to invest money into your business, but they'll likely want some kind of ownership (control) + dividends (ROI) on their money.

That kind of angel is typically another successful entrepreneur with an complimentory (or unrelated) service company looking to diversify + add value through advice, etc, or high net-worth individual that want's a better return on his money then market rates (typically 12%+ per annum).

I'm happy your a re negotiating exit strategies already but may I ask - do you have a working business model (not a working business, a working business model)? If not, I would start with that...
As tou your question - exit strategies are fluid. You need to have one but why commit on one now? As long as there are options on the table for the investors to see their money back - if it's an IPO, M&A or distributing dividends the investor should be happy.
You may also change you mind about an IPO once you have the business up and running, so "never say never".
BTW- Uber is a service company ... if you have a good idea that can scale and you will be able to show the investors how fast they will see their money back - you will find investors.
If you wish, you can call to discuss negotiations and pitch strategies.

I've run 2 service businesses and as the previous answer calls out, investors usually invest for returns. Whether it's product or services, it's about returns.

Investors in service businesses are usually looking for the singles and doubles, whereas the product investors are often looking for homeruns with many strikeouts.

Service businesses more often than not leverage their operating cash flow to expand the business and reinvest their profits. IPOs are rare. Acquisitions are occasional. More often than not it's bankruptcy or building a sustainable business. When it's a sustainable business there should be something worked out at the board level on how to return the winnings/profits to the investor.

Depending on the difficulty of the service business, the operating cash might be locked in the business for several years while it clears the initial hurdles of building for scale.

Hope this was helpful. Feel free to reach me here for more information.

Brian

Take for example that I am an Angel Investor in your company. As an angel investor, I first look at the horizon and the projected ROI (return on investment). In general, I hold an investment from 3 to 5 years and expect to cash out and make a profit at the end of this period. Hence, I am very unlikely to invest in a start-up that forecasts an exit event in more than 5 years. The exit route has a direct impact on the projected ROI as it is not equal to sell a business to a competitor, plan an IPO or sell part of the company to a venture capital fund. First, I asked myself who would be interested in buying the company and why. A potential buyer may be interested in acquiring
(i) the user base,
(ii) the technology and (iii) the brand, as the Diversity & Inclusion solutions are built around it. Also, there are different exit routes that could be followed.
1. M&A Route: This exit strategy is built around a potential sale to
(i) a competitor or
(ii) a business partner offering complementing products or services.
2. VC Route: In this case, a stake of a company can be sold to a venture capital fund. A VC may be interested if there are obvious synergies with other portfolio companies or the expected return on investment is lucrative in their eyes. What if they can grow the company exponentially and list it in 2-3 years?
3. IPO Route: A well-executed IPO at a high valuation means one thing a skyrocketing return on investment for the founders and early investors. It is not easy to achieve, though. Looking at Crunchbase stats, it takes 9 years on average for a SaaS company to exit. The cost of an IPO is also considerable and the combination of all the above makes it the least preferred exit route in this case.
When developing an exit strategy, start-up founders need to take into consideration the profile of the investors they will be pitching. What is their horizon? Will they be interested in subsequent funding rounds? What were the exit routes of some of their portfolio companies? What was the ROI they managed to achieve so far? Few investors will jump from joy if the forecasted return on investment is well below the average ROI they have managed to achieve so far.
Besides if you do have any questions give me a call: https://clarity.fm/joy-brotonath

what exit strategies do angel investors want or prefer for a service business

Angel investors in service businesses generally prefer exit strategies that provide clear paths to liquidity and returns on their investment. Common preferred exit strategies include:

- **Acquisition by a larger company:** This is a frequent and attractive exit because larger companies may buy the service business to gain market share, talent, or capabilities, offering a potentially quick and profitable exit for angel investors.

- **Initial Public Offering (IPO):** Though less common for service businesses due to scale and maturity requirements, IPOs can provide substantial returns by allowing investors to sell shares publicly.

- **Management Buyout (MBO):** The existing management team buys the investor’s shares, enabling a smooth transition and exit for angels while keeping the business operational under familiar leadership.

- **Secondary market sales:** Angel investors may sell their shares to other investors on private secondary markets, offering liquidity without waiting for an IPO or acquisition.

- **Buyback by the company or founders:** The company or founders may repurchase shares from angel investors, providing a straightforward exit option.

- **Mergers:** Combining with another company can create value and provide an exit route for investors.

Angel investors want a clearly defined exit strategy from the start, identifying potential buyers or exit routes, which helps them assess the investment’s return potential and timeline.
They typically expect an exit within a few years and prefer strategies that maximize their financial return while aligning with the company’s growth and operational plans.

In summary, angel investors in service businesses prefer exits via acquisition, IPO, management buyouts, secondary sales, buybacks, or mergers, with a strong emphasis on having a strategic, well-planned exit roadmap to ensure liquidity and returns.

Citations:
[1] How to Prepare a Business Exit Strategy that Attracts Investors https://www.pitchdrive.com/academy/how-to-prepare-a-business-exit-strategy-that-attracts-investors

Angel investors have two concerns: a) how long before they get their money back and b) what is their rate of return.

You can address this by structuring their investment as a convertible note, preferred stock or via dividend payouts. In all cases you keep control of the company.

Having said this, the most important issue is that the company will be profitable.