Journal

Succession insights

Practical perspectives on preparing and executing a business succession worldwide, with Swiss expertise.

  1. 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.

    Read article
    Empty striped folding beach chair facing the sea in evening light

  2. 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.

    Read article
    Close-up of wood grain on a family table, morning light

  3. 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.

    Read article
    Close-up of Swiss franc coins, metallic texture

  4. 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.

    Read article
    Abstract close up of numeric columns, digital pattern texture

  5. 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.

    Read article
    Brass door handle, close-up on the texture of the metal

  6. 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.

    Read article
    Aerial view of a Swiss valley, a mosaic of cultivated fields

  7. 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.

    Read article
    A straight countryside road stretching toward an open horizon

  8. 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.

    Read article
    A worn, empty office chair in front of a curtained window, in black and white

  9. 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.

    Read article
    Close-up side view of a stack of paper sheets, in black and white

  10. 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.

    Read article
    Empty meeting room seen through a glass partition, a long wooden table surrounded by white chairs