Succession insights
Practical perspectives on preparing and executing a business succession worldwide, with Swiss expertise.
The Vacation Test Doesn't Prove What Most Owners Think It Does
A business that ran fine during your three weeks off isn't necessarily ready to be sold. What that test never actually measures.
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One Child Takes Over, the Others Don't: Structuring Fairness Without Breaking the Family
Ten concrete points for splitting company value between the child who takes over and the siblings who don't, without shortchanging anyone.
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Indirect Partial Liquidation: The Swiss Tax Trap That Can Cost the Seller Dearly
A little-known Swiss tax rule can turn a tax-free capital gain into taxable income years after closing. How it triggers, and how to guard against it.
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Valuation Multiples: What a Single Number Does Not Tell You
A press-quoted EBITDA multiple hides wide swings. The criteria that push your Swiss SME's multiple up or down before you negotiate.
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Management Buy-Ins: Four Myths That Get in the Way of a Good Option
A management buy-in is not a buy-out with a different face. Four common assumptions about bringing in an outside manager, checked against what actually happens.
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What Waiting to Sell Actually Costs in an Aging Swiss Market
Switzerland's pool of SMEs for sale is growing faster than its pool of buyers. What that imbalance costs, line by line, for owners who wait.
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A Year After Selling: What Owners Actually Become
Week 1, month 3, month 6, year 1: what selling owners really go through after closing, and the four paths that tend to follow.
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Selling Your Business Is Not a Release, It Is a Loss
Everyone promises the selling owner a freer life. What actually follows the signature is closer to a loss, and it helps to name it before closing.
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Legal Due Diligence: The Files a Buyer Opens First
The twelve legal files a Swiss buyer checks first, and what each one needs to prove before the data room even opens.
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The Board of Directors in an SME Succession: An Underused Ally
How to tell whether an SME's board is a real governance body or a formality, and what that changes for the succession.
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