Consultation
Family business succession planning
A structured advisory engagement that turns a vague “one day we’ll hand over” into a written plan covering ownership, leadership, timeline, and family agreements.
Who this is for
Owners of family-held companies who know a transfer of shares, voting control, or day-to-day leadership is coming — and want the family to agree the path before illness, retirement fatigue, or a sudden offer forces the issue.
Result you walk away with
A written succession plan that names successors (or the process for choosing them), sets a realistic timeline, records what the outgoing owner will retain, and lists the legal and tax work your other advisers must complete. Families also leave with a short “rules of the road” note for how disagreements will be handled during the transition.
What is included
- Discovery interviews with owners and key family participants
- Ownership and role map of the current business
- Readiness review of proposed successors
- Scenario workshops (one active owner steps back; two siblings share control; sale of a minority stake)
- Draft succession plan and a 90-day action list
- One follow-up review call within three months of delivery
What is excluded
Legal drafting, tax filings, valuation reports, and recruitment of non-family executives. We coordinate with your solicitor, accountant, and where needed a valuation specialist, but those fees sit outside this engagement.
How we work
- Introductory call — confirm that succession (not crisis management) is the real need.
- Discovery — private conversations so quieter voices are heard before the group sessions.
- Working sessions — usually three half-days, on-site where possible.
- Draft plan — circulated for comment, then finalised.
- Handover — we sit with your solicitor or accountant to explain the intended sequence.
Preparation we ask of you
Bring recent management accounts, the current share register or partnership deed summary, and a candid view of who is — and is not — interested in leading. We also ask outgoing owners to write one page on what “a good life after the handover” looks like for them.
Constraints
We will not referee a live shareholder dispute or act as an expert witness. If the family is already in litigation, we pause and refer you to dispute counsel first.
Next step
Request an introductory call and tell us which generation currently holds voting control. We reply within two working days.