Yes, releasing private equity in your business can be a good way to fund
expansion and it does work. You would probably fair better than new start
ups, you have an estabilished business but that doesn't mean there isn't less
risk. You need to be confident you will see a return on the investment. One
good example would be to expand to a different location instead of upgrading
exsisting services.

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I agree with many of the other posters, you have to be careful who you are talking with and be very mindful of what you are signing.  Most of the transactions I've seen are ones where the PE takes over and the owner might sign a management agreement or buy-out agreement of some sort.  Working in business sales, this is the most common transaction that I see I am not familiar with many investment transactions or angel type lending.  In the situations that I've witnessed, unless there is a creative driving and unique idea behind the presentation to the PE firm, they are likely to want complete control.  If you are looking to expand through acquisition we have a listing now where the seller is providing some financing.  This might be your best option if you are looking to expand since they would be comforted by your previous experience and may or may not require any bank or PE intervention.  There are many other options out there, I would take a good strong look at both of those.  There are a lot of good PE firms out there and there are some not so upstanding, you just have to trust your own instincts on what you feel would work the best for you.

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Interesting question. The answer very much depends on the nature of the business. PEs are usually good for providing cash flow to grow rapidly, having said that you will lose alot in equity of your own business. The amount of equity you have to give depends highly on how interested the investors are in aquiring shares in your business. So if you will provide solid returns you can get away without giving a big chunk of your business. If you don't have solid returns/business plan the share will be driven by how trendy the business is, investors these days are much interested in technology, and specifically mobile/social slant to them. You will find very few VCs interested in financing a dry cleaning business, so it might be an uphill battle. Having said that, there is a big trend these days of converting old fashion businesses into hot trends. Few examples, B&B, car rentals...etc. AirBnB got billion of dollar valuations in the B&B business simply by mixing the traditional B&B with technology. If you think big and try to bring something new, you might become the next big dry clearner in the world! you never know. Good luck!

Not sure that many private investors (VC or angels or Institutions) will be willing to invest in a dry cleaners - unless you have many stores across a region or across the nation. You might be able to find local investors (such as doctors, lawyers or other business owners) who have some money to invest and want to invest it in local businesses.  This requires you getting out in your local area and attending all the networking events that you can or contacting lawyers and CPAs in your area and asking them if they have clients looking to invest. Your best option might be a long-term business loan.  You can leverage you current business's cash flow to expand it or build new locations. This way you don't give up equity in your business and don't have to take someone else's input on the direction of the business - especially if you don't agree with it. We have a free search engine for business owners looking to find lending companies as well as advice and resources for owners seeking capital.  No cost to use the site.

    I guess it really depends on what your definition of Private Equity is.  Our company was sold to a Private Equity firm in 2007 and it has been a great experience. Our "sponsors" as they are called have been very supportive of our business and have funded considerable growth.  In general, people look to PE firms at the time of an exit and keep a smaller share of the overall company.  Most PE firms will want control  (i.e. greater than 50%) and you have to assess whether you are ready to give up control. This is going to be the biggest issue for an entrepreneur like yourself.  PE comes in many different flavors and sizes but in general I think that most PE firms will look for a business with close to or over $1mil in EBITDA (I dont know the size of your company) and they look for serious growth opportunities.  If this isnt a description of your business, its probably not for you.  If you are looking for growth capital, you may want to consider a VC firm of some type but they may not consider your type of business to be in their space (they seem to like high tech).  You may also want to consider a bank loan to raise the growth capital but I suspect you will need to give personal guarantees and I dont know how you feel about that.

If you’re interested in PE but are already in an MBA program, you are once again fighting an uphill battle unless you have PE experience prior to business school. The majority of firms look for Associates who have experience in PE prior to getting their MBA