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Preparing to let go

September 1, 2005

There are several routes owners can take to sell off the family business. However, the process is not always as straight-forward as some may think.George Malim outlines the best way to please everyone and get the best price before the seller puts their feet up

George Malim is a freelance journalist. malim@blueyonder.co.uk.

Tips for an easy sale

July 1, 2005

Selling the family business need not be fraught with problems. If you hire a good outside advisor, you can protect your interests, secure a good deal and continue to manage. John Willert and Brian Silston urge you not to be taken in by misinformation and myth

John Willert is vice-president at de Visscher & Co, a financial advisory firm for family-owned companies. Brian Silston is an associate. www.devisscher.com

A subtle aggression

July 1, 2005

Family firms are not inherently big risk-takers. Responsibility sits heavily on a leader’s shoulders because they will not want to sacrifice generations of toil. However, caution does not mean a company cannot be successfully competitive, writes George Malim

George Malim is a freelance journalist based in London. malim@blueyonder.co.uk

Family firms are not inherently big risk-takers. Responsibility sits heavily on a leader's shoulders because they will not want to sacrifice generations of toil. However, caution does not mean a company cannot be successfully competitive, writes George Malim

Aim for the top with good strategies

July 1, 2005

Learning from and valuing the past, developing on a personal and business level and striving to embrace new concepts are all key to successful growth strategies for family firms. Joachim Schwass summarises the findings of an exhaustive and revealing study

Professor Joachim Schwass is the author of Wise Growth Strategies in Leading Family Businesses (Palgrave Macmillan 2005) and co-directs the IMD program Leading the Family Business.

Roots of good practice that will straddle the generations and help good relations to grow

May 1, 2005

This case was written and co-ordinated by Richard Segal, chairman of the Family Business Council of Southeastern Michigan.

Both sides of a three-generation manufacturing business have been to see the corporate attorney to end their business arrangement. Neither branch of the family wanted to be tied to the other any longer financially. Both sides are willing to either buy or be bought, but neither has the funds to do so, and neither is willing to finance the sale on time. Trust in the family has run aground with no relief in sight.

Opem-minded sceptics

March 1, 2005

What UK family firms think about corporate finance

Scott Mcculloch is editor of Families in Business.

What UK family firms think about corporate finance

Risk-averse and dominated by close-knit management, the UK's family business sector could become a victim of its own success if left unchallenged, a new report on corporate finance and family businesses suggests.

Family values for competitive advantage

March 1, 2005

According to recent research, family firms have stronger ‘people’ values than non-family firms and are more likely to put customers and employees ahead of profits.

According to recent research, family firms have stronger 'people' values than non-family firms and are more likely to put customers and employees ahead of profits. This doesn't mean they lose any competitive advantage, argues John Ward, Wild Group Professor of Family Business at IMD in Switzerland and Professor of Family Enterprises at Kellogg School of Management.

Bloodlines and the new UK economy

January 1, 2005

Family firms represent around half the output of the UK’s privately-held economy. Even so, Grant Gordon believes there’s scope for improvement

Grant Gordon is director general of the Institute for Family Business (UK). www.ifb.org.uk.

Family firms represent around half the output of the UK's privately-held economy. Even so, Grant Gordon believes there's scope for improvement

Family firms are an important part of the backbone of the UK economy and the primary constituency where they are represented is in the small business sector. A Barclay's Bank survey carried out in 2002 noted that three in five firms with turnover of £5m or less are owned or managed by related family members.

With this ring I thee tax

January 1, 2005

Family businesses face continued uncertainty over their tax affairs

Scott Mcculloch is editor of Families in Business.

Family businesses face continued uncertainty over their tax affairs

Never has Britain's taxman been the source of so much pillow talk since a mild mannered Sussex couple were slapped with a stinging £42,000 tax bill. Their crime? They were a family business who shared their wealth.

How to manage family wealth for the next generation

January 1, 2005

Johan Lambrecht and Diane Arijs are respectively director and scientific researcher of the Research Centre for Entrepreneurship, EHSAL-KU Brussel in Brussels.

"Any fool can make a fortune. It takes a man of brains to hold on to it after it is made."