In many cases, private equity companies want to increase their level of growth without taking on debt or going public. If, for example, a company decides to scale up its operations, it can look to a private equity offering as a way to finance the expansion. When this happens, the business first decides how much capital it needs to raise and at what entry price. The company begins by working with a securities attorney to structure the offering. This is very different from an initial public offering (IPO), where anyone in the public can purchase equity (stock) in the company. A securities offering exempt from registration with the Securities and Exchange commission (SEC) is sometimes referred to as a private placement.