BNR podcast: Dave Aaldering | Breedband

With the sale of his company, Dave Aaldering becomes financially independent in 2024. But this deal doesn’t start with a carefully scripted exit plan or an investment bank at the table. It starts in Arnhem, with a teenager repairing computers for people in his neighbourhood. Dave Aaldering grows up as a true tech nerd. Fascinated by computers, he quickly becomes the go-to person for friends, family and neighbours when something breaks. What begins as a hobby slowly turns serious. Eventually, he founds Breedband, an internet service provider focused entirely on business-grade fibre connections in and around Arnhem. While large players think nationally, Dave deliberately chooses a local strategy. No nationwide coverage at any cost, but targeted investments in infrastructure where he can truly serve customers. That approach works. Breedband grows into a local market leader with around 25 employees and annual revenue of roughly five million euros. Selling the company isn’t on Dave’s mind for a long time. He’s focused on building, helping customers and growing his team.

When the market moves faster than your plan

Around 2019, things start to shift. Not internally, but externally. The telecom market begins consolidating rapidly. Investments in fibre, redundancy and reliability require ever deeper pockets. At the same time, two interested parties reach out to explore a conversation. For the first time, Dave looks at his own business through a buyer’s lens. What is it worth? How future-proof is it? And, crucially, how do you retain control in a market where scale is becoming increasingly important? At first, those conversations develop organically. But after a failed negotiation, while Dave is on holiday in Los Angeles, something clicks. He doesn’t want to approach this reactively anymore. If he’s going to enter a sale process, it will be on his terms.

Taking control means creating structure

Together with an M&A advisor, Dave decides to structure the process properly. An information memorandum is prepared, a shortlist is created and the company is clearly positioned in the market. Major names come to the table, including KPN and Eurofiber. All of this happens in the middle of the COVID lockdown. While many businesses slow down, Breedband keeps running. Digital infrastructure suddenly becomes essential. Customers grow, numbers improve and the story strengthens. The sale process continues, but never at the expense of day-to-day operations. Ultimately, one party emerges as the best fit: team.blue. Not just because of the price, but because of strategic alignment, a buyer that understands how local players create value within a larger European platform.

Due diligence while the business keeps running

What follows are months of intensive due diligence, negotiations and the careful handling of long information request lists. Dozens, sometimes hundreds of questions per workstream. Covering technology, contracts, staff and governance. Dave experiences what many entrepreneurs underestimate: a sale process never really “pauses.” While advisors, accountants and lawyers scrutinise the business, operations must continue. Employees expect leadership. Customers expect stability and reliable service. The deal isn’t closed in a boardroom with champagne. On a weekday afternoon, an email from the lawyer appears. One line: the deal is done. The feeling is less euphoria, more relief.

After the deal: not an ending, but a new beginning

After the sale, Dave doesn’t slow down. He’s already building again, this time in cybersecurity. With the same energy, but now with the experience of someone who knows what it means to have a business examined, transferred and ultimately let go. His key lesson? Don’t let your company be bought. Sell it deliberately, with a strategy that supports its value, and take control of that process yourself.

What we take away from this at Virtual Vaults:

Dave’s story highlights something we often see in mid-market deals at Virtual Vaults:

You never know when an exit opportunity will appear.
Not every entrepreneur is actively planning a sale, but buyers often show up unexpectedly. In those moments, preparation makes the difference between reacting and staying in control.

Structure reduces pressure.
A sale process is intense. Clear documentation, defined workflows and a single source of truth for deal information allow entrepreneurs and their teams to stay focused on running the business.

That’s why at Virtual Vaults we believe entrepreneurs shouldn’t start gathering information only once a deal is already underway. By continuously maintaining documents, contracts and governance in Workspaces, you stay ready — not because you want to sell tomorrow, but because you can when the moment arises.

Listen to the whole story