Bassem Mansour, co-CEO and founder of Resilience Capital Partners, is a Cleveland-based private equity leader with deep expertise in distressed investing, operational turnarounds, and strategic value creation. Since 2001, Bassem Mansour has guided investments across niche manufacturing, business services, and value-added distribution sectors, supporting more than 80 companies and raising over $675 million from a global investor base. His background includes key roles in investment banking at McDonald Investments and KeyBanc Capital Markets, where he gained extensive experience in restructurings, leveraged buyouts, and Chapter 11 reorganizations. With a career grounded in navigating complex, time-sensitive transactions, Mr. Mansour offers a clear understanding of why many business owners intentionally seek out buyers who specialize in distressed acquisitions and how these buyers create stability, speed, and continuity during challenging transitions.
When Sellers Prefer Buyers Experienced in Distressed Deals
Some business owners deliberately choose buyers who specialize in acquiring distressed companies. These buyers do not rely on perfect records, stable margins, or clean systems. Instead, they focus on companies under pressure and offer structured ways to take over quickly and stabilize operations. For sellers, this focus on execution and recovery often matters more than traditional buyer qualifications.
Timing plays a critical role. When companies are in distress due to liquidity constraints, vendor disputes, or leadership departures, owners often prioritize buyers who can close quickly and without complex conditions. Experienced distressed-acquisition firms typically have capital committed, advisors in place, and streamlined approval processes. A seller facing urgent decisions may prefer a guaranteed close over a higher but uncertain offer.
These buyers also understand how to preserve business continuity during uncertain transitions. They often retain key staff, maintain existing vendor relationships, and ensure that services or products continue without disruption. For a founder who cares about the long-term reputation of the business, this type of deal structure offers reassurance that customers and employees will not experience immediate upheaval.
Experienced acquirers of distressed businesses typically accept the need for flexible deal terms. Owners may face tax exposure, incomplete documentation, or asset valuations that require creative structuring. Rather than penalizing these complications, seasoned buyers use legal and operational tools to bridge gaps. This discretion can make difficult sales possible when more rigid buyers would walk away.
For business owners who no longer have the capacity to lead recovery efforts, it becomes essential to transfer control without delaying decisions. Buyers experienced in distressed situations are often ready to assume day-to-day responsibility quickly, coordinating with legal, financial, and operational advisors. Sellers benefit from knowing the company will not stall while waiting for the new owner to engage.
In distressed cases, parties often avoid complex performance-based structures and favor simpler consideration with fewer post-closing contingencies. In healthier sales, a founder might agree to earnouts or future performance incentives. But in distressed cases, such arrangements often create confusion or conflict.
Industry familiarity plays a significant role. Buyers with experience in a seller’s sector can assess risk more accurately, anticipate customer reactions, and implement recovery plans that align with operational constraints. Their value lies not just in speed, but in their ability to absorb the business in its current state and begin stabilization without guesswork or trial periods.
These transactions also offer a clearer reset for companies that have lost access to credit or faced reputational decline. New ownership may restore vendor trust, rehire contractors, or renegotiate terms with lenders. The buyer’s track record provides confidence, allowing the company to move forward under a different name, brand, or structure if necessary.
Many buyers field internal transition teams or engage external restructuring advisors for short-term intervention. They may dispatch transition managers, accounting support, or restructuring advisors within days of closing. Business owners value this hands-on support when internal leadership has thinned or key roles remain unfilled.
For some sellers, the outcome is less about recovering value and more about controlling how the business changes hands. A timely match with a buyer who can step in before deeper losses accrue allows the seller to avoid legal deterioration, creditor litigation, or reputation damage. This sense of controlled exit, based on experience, readiness, and discretion, can outweigh price considerations.
About Bassem Mansour
Bassem Mansour is co-CEO of Resilience Capital Partners, a private equity firm specializing in distressed investing and operational turnarounds. With a background in investment banking and more than two decades leading complex acquisitions, he has supported over 80 companies across diverse sectors. Mr. Mansour holds degrees from the University of Dayton and Case Western Reserve University, and he remains active in professional and community organizations throughout the Cleveland region.