To preserve your company's future, you must be prepared to handle the transition of a key executive, whether it's due to a merger, retirement, a new position, or unanticipated circumstances. Anyone in a leadership position who directs the organization's direction as well as supervises and influences their team should have a succession plan in place.

Unlike institutional sellers, who are more concerned with objective factors such as purchase price and liability regime, family business owners are more concerned with long-term company preservation, good relationships with employees, customers, and suppliers, and the assurance that their life's work is now in good hands.

When selling a family firm, taking these additional issues into account requires long-term planning of the transfer process. We can assist you with the following services:

  • Identify your objectives – Family-owned businesses frequently strive to keep the business in the family. However, many businesses will have developed and become more sophisticated over time. The main questions are: How suitable will such a familial handover be? What should the company's long-term strategy be? What are the current and future owners' goals? We'll collaborate with you to discover the best solution.
  • Family succession - The majority of business owners wish to transfer their company on to a family member in a traditional internal family succession. Thus, the qualitative and emotional aspects are at the centre of the transaction.
  • Succession outside of the family – For a number of reasons, a solution outside of the family may be necessary. It can be that there are no appropriate candidates among your family or neither your current employees, nor your children are interested in running you company. In any case, with our assistance, you will have all the best options to find a successor corresponding to your needs.
  • Financing – Many business owners will be unsure on how to finance a succession plan. Equity and debt financing solutions should be carefully reviewed and principally evaluated in light of current economical situation of your company.

At RSM Switzerland, we have worked with numerous firms, planned for - and managed - key employee and ownership transitions to eliminate the tension and financial uncertainty that often comes with the succession process.