Why Business Owners Sell to Jonas Software

Selling your software company is not easy. It is an enormous undertaking that requires a lot of time and effort – and not to mention that it could be one of the biggest decisions of your life. You need to consider many different stakeholders, including shareholders, employees, and customers when deciding who you want to sell your business to.

Why do business owners choose to sell to Jonas Software?

Jo Burgess – Shortcuts

Jo Burgess, Co-Founder and VP at Shortcuts, describes Shortcuts as the perfect fit for Jonas, and vice versa.

Jonas had slowly begun building a relationship with Shortcuts a couple of years before closing the acquisition in 2013. Jo recalls the main reason for Shortcuts selling to Jonas was due to autonomy – being able to maintain and run the business the same way after the acquisition.

“We had the autonomy to keep our beautiful staff, we will be able to maintain our culture…yet become part of a bigger family that would support us and help us grow even more. We really believed that Jonas was a really good fit for us, particularly for that reason.”

Jo Burgess

Co-Founder and VP, Shortcuts

Watch the full conversation with Jo Burgess at Acquisition Stories – Jo Burgess, Shortcuts

Des O’Mahony – Bookassist

Before joining Jonas in 2017, the Co-Founder and CEO of Bookassist, Des O’Mahony, searched for an investor to help de-risk and de-leverage. After discussions with different investors, Des realized that his company, people, services, and products may not be the same after being acquired.

“A lot of people were interested in buying the company because it had been successful…and while some of the offers were lucrative in and of themselves, I didn’t feel good about what would ultimately happen with the company. The discussion with Jonas, however, was very different. If you want to continue running the company with your strategy and your ideas, then you can do that and we can safeguard the future of the company. It very quickly became apparent that this could be a very good solution…for everyone.”

Des O'Mahony

Co-Founder & CEO, Bookassist

The discussion with Jonas was different. Des was able to continue running Bookassist with his strategies and ideas while Jonas offered support.

Watch the full conversation with Des O’Mahony at Acquisition Stories – Des O’Mahony, Bookassist

David Santora – Ineo

David Santora, CEO of Ineo Global Mobility, also describes the Jonas acquisition as simply the “right fit”. This is a common point that many Jonas business owners like to emphasize. Another significant part of David’s decision to sell to Jonas Software was due to their understanding of the value behind Ineo.

“The transparency and communication was very effective. Jonas’ level of interest in what we did, their understanding of what we did and wanting to support our journey and our growth…I think was a huge part of our decision.”

David Santora

CEO, Ineo

Other supporting factors included Jonas’ experience in vertical market M&A and the Buy & Hold Forever model.

Watch the full conversation with David Santora at Acquisition Stories – David Santora, Ineo Global Mobility

Eric Willin – EZFacility

Eric Willin, current Portfolio Manager at Jonas Software, and former CEO at EZFacility, had heard of the Jonas Software and CSI strategy of acquiring businesses and became very fond of the Jonas ABC differentiators.
Eric’s greatest concerns were for potential changes to the company and to his employees. As mentioned previously, many business acquisitions commonly result in significant changes to companies which heavily affect the employees.

“You spend all this time building your baby and you really care about the future and what’s going to happen to it. That’s what always stuck out to us with Jonas.”

Eric Willin

CEO, EZFacility

The Jonas acquisition, however, expanded opportunities for EZFacility employees while allowing the company to maintain full autonomy. EZFacility managers also attended annual events held by Jonas Software, which brought businesses together to share learnings and best practices.

Watch the full conversation with Eric Willin at Acquisition Stories – Eric Willin, EZFacility

Sell to Jonas Software

Jonas Software operates over 110 independently managed software brands around the world. We provide them with the strategic guidance and financial security required to be leaders in their respective markets. From its roots formed in the construction and club management markets, Jonas Software’s reach has grown extensively within the fitness, membership, hospitality, and industrial verticals. Today, Jonas Software is proud to supply industry-leading enterprise management software and related services to more than 80,000 customers in over 30+ vertical markets.

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