Tailoring a credit that will suit your needs
A family succession is different from all other exit options in so far as the emphasis is often not on maximising the owner’s exit price, but rather on ensuring that the business continues successfully under the ownership of the successor. Consequently, the tailoring (or grooming) is concentrated on the successor, rather than on the business. This alters the perspective of the business’s suitability for the exit option chosen and the notion of what purchasers are looking for. This will become clearer from what follows below.
Generally speaking, most types of businesses qualify for a family succession. However, if the successor is required to borrow money against the business’s assets to acquire the business, the business will need to be able to support the borrowings and the successor will need to have a professionally produced business plan demonstrating this ability.
As I have said, the emphasis in family successions is usually more on the suitability of the heir than the suitability of the business, so this question has to be changed to: ‘What are we looking for in the successor?’ This will influence the choice of successor and the way he or she should be groomed for the take over.
We will now look at the steps necessary for grooming (or tailoring) the heir for taking over the business.
