Transition Your Business Without Destroying Its Value
Whether passing to family, selling to management, or transitioning gradually, proper succession planning protects your legacy, your family, and your financial future.
Succession Planning: The Most Neglected Exit Strategy
Most business owners have no succession plan. They assume they’ll figure it out when the time comes, or that their kids will naturally take over, or that a key employee will step up. But without proper planning, succession attempts often fail—destroying family relationships, losing key staff, and leaving massive tax bills. The statistics are sobering: 70% of family businesses fail to successfully transition to the next generation.
- No clear successor identified or trained
- Family tensions about who should take over
- Children not interested or not capable
- Key employees lack capital to buy you out
- Uncertain how you'll be paid after transition
- Worried about tax implications of transfer
- No plan if something happens to you suddenly
- Business will lose major clients if you leave
Why Succession Planning Is Complex
Succession isn’t just about handing over keys. It involves identifying and developing successors, structuring the financial transition, managing family dynamics, minimizing tax, ensuring business continuity, protecting your financial security, and preserving relationships. Most business owners wait too long—then try to rush it when health issues, burnout, or market conditions force their hand. The result is usually disaster.
Our Succession Planning Strategy
We guide you through a comprehensive succession planning process that addresses financial, operational, legal, and family dynamics. Whether transitioning to family, management, or using a hybrid approach, we create a roadmap that protects everyone’s interests.
1. Succession Goals & Timeline
We clarify your vision for succession—who you want to take over, when you want to exit, how involved you want to remain, and what financial security you need. This creates the foundation for your plan.
2. Successor Identification & Assessment
We help you objectively assess potential successors—whether family members or key employees. Not everyone who wants to run the business is capable, and not everyone capable is interested. We evaluate readiness, capability, and commitment.
3. Successor Development Plan
Once successors are identified, we create a multi-year development plan to prepare them. This includes skills training, leadership development, gradual responsibility increase, and mentoring—ensuring they’re truly ready when transition occurs.
4. Financial Structure Design
We design the financial mechanics of the transition. For family succession, this might involve gifting strategies, gradual share transfers, or family trusts. For management buyouts, we structure vendor financing, earn-outs, or external funding arrangements.
5. Tax-Efficient Transfer Strategy
We minimize tax on the business transfer using available concessions like small business CGT concessions, rollovers, and strategic timing. Proper planning can save hundreds of thousands in tax.
6. Family Governance Framework
For family businesses, we help establish clear governance structures, family employment policies, dividend policies, and decision-making frameworks to prevent conflicts and ensure fair treatment of all family members.
7. Business Continuity Planning
We ensure the business can operate smoothly during and after your transition. This includes documenting systems, transferring key relationships, reducing owner dependency, and preparing the team for the change.
8. Exit Income Security
We design your post-exit income strategy—whether through ongoing consulting fees, director fees, property rental to the business, investment income, or superannuation. You need financial security after transition.
9. Legal Documentation
We coordinate with legal advisors to document the succession plan through shareholders agreements, buy-sell agreements, employment contracts, and estate planning documents. Everything must be legally binding and clear.
10. Gradual Transition Execution
We guide the actual transition over 2-5 years (typically), gradually reducing your involvement while empowering successors. This protects business stability and gives everyone time to adjust to new roles.
What Successful Succession Delivers
- Business successfully transitions to next generation or team
- Your legacy and life's work preserved and protected
- Family relationships remain strong and positive
- Key employees stay committed through and after transition
- Financial security for your retirement
- Tax minimized through strategic planning
- Smooth transition that maintains customer confidence
- Peace of mind knowing the business is in good hands
Real Results: Brisbane Family Manufacturing Business
A second-generation manufacturing business wanted to transition to the founder’s daughter, but she lacked management experience and capital. Over 4 years, we developed her leadership skills, gradually increased her responsibilities, structured a tax-efficient share transfer using business restructure rollover and small business CGT concessions, and designed vendor financing where she bought the business over 7 years from profits. The father now works 2 days per week as a consultant, draws $120K annually in fees, and has complete confidence in his daughter’s leadership. The business is thriving and family relationships stronger than ever.
Start Planning 5+ Years Before Transition
The most successful successions are planned 5-10 years in advance. This allows time to develop successors, improve business value, optimize tax structures, and execute a gradual transition that feels natural to customers and staff. If you’re over 50 and have no succession plan, you’re already behind—but it’s never too late to start.
Ready to Plan Your Business Succession?
Book a Succession Planning Strategy Session and create a roadmap that protects your legacy, your family, and your financial future.