During 2021, mergers and acquisitions (also known as M&A) experienced record-breaking numbers. In line with there being an array of M&As having been realized, there also exist various and multiple reasons for the company owners to go through with the process - or to decline the offer. As such, the motives and reasoning steering the owner’s decision regarding offers from external actors constitute a fascinating research area. Thus, out of interest of the aforementioned, the aim of this study is to provide a deeper understanding of the motives driving the decision-making of family-owned business owners in times of external offers being put on the table. Undertaking this endeavor, the frameworks of Socioemotional Wealth Theory (SEW) and Agency Theory (Economic-Rational) constitute key theoretical concepts. More specifically, we ask: how does the family who owns the business value an external offer - and why do they reason the way they do? Conducting semi structured interviews with four owners of small family companies located in Småland, this thesis provides insights and interpretations generated by a qualitative research design and abductive data collection. The conclusion drawn is that motives differ greatly. More specifically, the evaluation of external offers is generally impacted by values and priorities associated with SEW. However, in connection to suboptimal change-of-generation possibilities, the economic-rational reasoning receives greater attention. Thus, recognizing the importance of change-of-generation, future research should explore this factor more extensively.