Selling a business is never just a financial transaction. It is a strategic process, full of timing, preparation, and negotiations. But it is also personal. That tension was central to the Marktlink From Day One podcast, in which Josanne Verdonk, CHRO at Marktlink, spoke with Niek Derks, Partner at Marktlink, and Stéphane Cohnen of NAUD Group, about the sale of Holland Sport Boat Centre.
NAUD Group’s background is not in sport boats, but in real estate development around marinas. In 2019 and 2020, the group came into contact with the former owners of Holland Sport Boat Centre, an Amsterdam-based family business with more than sixty years of history in premium leisure boats. What started as an interest in the location grew into a full acquisition of the company.
Over the next five years, NAUD Group continued to develop the business. The organisation was professionalised, processes were tightened, and the company was made more attractive for a future sale. According to Niek Derks, that is what it is all about: first create value, then choose the right moment.
For Stéphane and his fellow shareholders, the decision to sell was primarily strategic. The company had enjoyed several strong years, and the shareholders wanted to make room for other projects. But there was more to it than that. Spending five years building a business, working closely with employees, and taking risks always leaves its mark.
That is what makes a sale a double-edged experience. Stéphane puts it well:
“It provides cash flow and mental space, but it remains an emotional process.”- Stéphane Cohnen, NAUD Group
According to Niek, a good sale process does not begin with numbers, but with the story behind the entrepreneur. Why does someone want to sell? And why now? Only when that is clear is there room for the right advice.
For Stéphane, that was exactly what made the collaboration with Marktlink decisive. From the start, there was an open and trusting atmosphere, where opportunities, expectations, and reality could be discussed honestly.
Much of a deal process takes place behind the scenes. Think of gathering information, preparing an investment memorandum, approaching buyers, and tightly directing the process. That requires a lot from both entrepreneur and adviser.
One lesson stood out: a deal is only done once the notary has signed off. Even after signing the purchase agreement, a great deal can still happen. That is precisely why preparation, focus, and honest expectation management are indispensable.
After closing came relief, pride, and also emptiness. Months of intensity suddenly fall away. “On Monday, there was also a sense of emptiness. And to this day, there is still a part of that emptiness that needs to be filled again,” Stéphane observes.
Still, the dominant feeling is a positive one: an intense process, a strong result, and new room for the next steps. That is where a good deal makes the difference.
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