Succession is rarely one decision. It is three routes side by side.

We guide owners in Belgium and the Netherlands through the transfer of their business: within the family, to the management team, or to a buyer from outside.

In brief

What it is: Guidance through the transfer of a business to a successor, or through the conclusion that a sale is the better form of succession.
Three routes: Transfer within the family, a management buy-out, or a sale to an external buyer. We set them side by side before you choose.
Where we start: With a valuation, because every route comes down to someone having to finance the transfer.
First meeting: Free, confidential and without obligation. You get a reply within one working day.

A succession conversation has two layers

What the business needs, and what the relationships at home can carry. In a family business those two run together, and that is why the subject is so often left for later.

We keep them deliberately apart. About the business we can tell you what it is worth, what it needs in order to keep running without you, and which route can be financed. About the relationships in your family, you decide.

Our task is that you can take that decision with the full picture on the table, rather than at the moment it can no longer wait.

Transfer within the family stands or falls on the financing

A child taking over the business will as a rule not buy it from their own resources. So a structure has to be built that holds up for the bank, yields enough for the departing generation, and does not drain the business at the very moment it should be growing.

That is at heart an arithmetic question, which is why this route begins with a valuation and not with a gift. What the business is worth determines what a successor can carry and what the other children have to be compensated with.

Owners who do that sum only after the arrangements within the family have been made, usually find that the arrangements have to be undone. That is the most expensive moment to discover it.

The management team is the route that gets skipped

When there is no one in the family who wants it or can take it on, the search often moves straight to an external buyer. The people who run the business day to day are left out of the conversation.

A management buy-out is a real route, often alongside a financier or an investor taking a minority stake. They know the business, the customers generally stay, and the continuity is the easiest to defend to your staff.

What such a route rarely achieves is the highest price. We put that difference in writing for you, so you know what continuity costs and can decide for yourself whether it is worth it.

No successor does not mean no succession

In a proportion of the files, the conclusion is that a sale to an external party is the best form of succession. A buyer who understands your sector brings capital and a next phase, and in many cases the succession of your own role as well.

That is not a defeat and it is not second best. It is one of the three routes, and it deserves the same preparation as the other two.

What you can work on now, whichever route it becomes

All three routes ask the same question: does the business still run when the owner is away for a month. Do the customer relationships sit with you or with the team, who holds the most important conversations, and is anything written down that a successor can build on.

There is more to be improved there in around eighteen months than most owners think, and it feeds directly into what the business is worth and into how financeable a transfer is.

That is why we would rather start too early than too late. Succession that is prepared yields more than succession that has to be solved.

What a first meeting costs you

Nothing. A first meeting usually takes an hour, is free of charge and commits you to nothing. We come to you, or meet somewhere away from your business, whichever you prefer.

After that hour you know roughly what your business is worth today, which of the three routes are realistic in your situation, and what preparation is still to be done. If our conclusion is that you are better off waiting, we will say so.

Read how we value a business →

Frequently asked questions

What is business succession?

The transfer of a business to someone who carries it on: a family member, the management team, or an external buyer. Meridian & Partners sets those three routes side by side and guides the one you choose through to the transfer.

How do I transfer my business to my children?

Start with a valuation, not with a gift. What the business is worth determines what a successor can finance and what the other children have to be compensated with. The transfer is then structured so that it holds up for the bank and does not drain the business.

Can my management team take over the business?

Yes. A management buy-out is a real route, often with a financier or an investor taking a minority stake. It rarely yields the highest price and usually gives the best continuity. We put that difference in writing for you.

What if there is no one to take over the business?

Then a sale to an external party is the form your succession takes. A buyer who understands your sector brings capital and a next phase, and in many cases the succession of your own role as well.

When should I start on succession?

Earlier than most owners do. The points that make a transfer easier and the business more valuable, such as its dependence on the owner, take around eighteen months. Succession that is prepared yields more than succession that has to be solved.

Put the three routes side by side.

Confidential and free of charge. After one hour you know which route is realistic in your situation.

Request an introductory meeting →

directie@meridian-partners.be Reply within one working day.