8 lessons from practice A successful business succession within a family business by the next generation, is never guaranteed. Fortunately, the owner can properly prepare for the acquisition of his business and increase the chances of success. While working as an advisor to family businesses over the years, We have learned the following eight valuable [...]
The impact of business succession on the work-life balance of the next generation is obviously considerable. Within this theme, however, some nuancing has taken place over the past two years. We discussed this with Maarten Vijverberg, partner and specialist in business succession and acquisitions at Clifton Finance. We talked about the increased role of sustainability, [...]
At the beginning of the year, we wrote in one of our blogs that 2021 would be a good year to sell the company. The figures for the first half of the year very much confirm this. Market to € 4000 billion in 8 months The figures recently presented by Refinitiv show that the [...]
Talking about a successful decision in hindsight is always easy. But reading about it in hindsight can also be instructive. This also applies to the choices made by family-owned Gooskens Hout during the corona crisis. The spruce lumber supplier did not tack on a sell-off. In consultation with its all-new supervisory board (SB), it relied [...]
In the current market, due to the corona effect, we see a decline in the number of merger and acquisition transactions. Unjustified because conditions and prices are excellent. Here's why: Rising prices in the stock market It will not have escaped anyone's notice that the stock market has developed very well in recent months. [...]
Succession is an ongoing topic of interest within family businesses. After all, who continues the life's work of parent, grandparent or great-grandparent? A family business is a business that is passed down from parent to child and thus remains within the family for generations. This romanticized image of transfer is a beautiful principle at first [...]
Family businesses often mistakenly think that doing business abroad involves too much risk. The opposite is true. The risks actually decrease when expanding across the border by spreading out sales territories. Companies operating abroad have fared better during the crisis than entrepreneurs focusing solely on the Netherlands. Various studies show that internationally operating family businesses [...]
'A third of family businesses want to sell business now,' was the headline in the Financieel Dagblad on December 9. The article referred to a study by ING Economics Bureau, Nyenrode Business University and FBNed. The main reason for selling concerns reaching retirement age. But for larger companies, the fact that children can take over [...]
Research at publicly traded companies The shareholders of a publicly traded company making an acquisition should vote on it. Indeed, greater shareholder involvement in acquisitions can lead to a longer-term focus. This is, in short, the conclusion of Matthijs de Jongh, academic associate of the Supreme Court, who recently obtained his doctorate on the relationship [...]
Dealmaking at the kitchen table. How often do you experience signing a sales contract between two family businesses at the kitchen table? I recently experienced it with the sale of Victoria Van Heeswijk to Fransen Gerrits, two wonderful family businesses. We meet in the family home. The meetings in which I was involved as a [...]
