Journal

Succession insights

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

  1. The Spouse Left Out of the Decision to Sell

    Many owners decide to sell alone at their desk, even though the sale reshapes the whole household. What I keep seeing when the partner finds out too late.

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  2. Price escrow: what it actually protects in a business sale

    An escrow protects the buyer, but also the seller from a poorly negotiated dispute. The mechanism, usual thresholds, and costly mistakes.

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  3. What a poorly drafted shareholders' agreement costs you when you sell

    Reviewing a shareholders' agreement costs little. Not doing it, before a sale, can cost far more. The cost breakdown, item by item.

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  4. Financial buyer, strategic buyer, family office: what each one actually negotiates

    A fund, a competitor and a family office do not negotiate the same points when buying an SME. What each profile checks first, and why it matters.

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  5. 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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  6. 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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  7. 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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  8. Valuation Multiples: What a Single Number Does Not Tell You

    A press-quoted EBITDA multiple hides wide swings. The criteria that push your company's multiple up or down before you negotiate.

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  9. 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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  10. What Waiting to Sell Actually Costs in an Aging Market

    The pool of SMEs for sale is growing faster than the pool of buyers. What that imbalance costs, line by line, for owners who wait.

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