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What is Business Succession Planning?

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What is Business Succession Planning?

Business succession planning is the process of identifying who will lead and own a business after the current owner, and building the structure, people, and legal framework to make that transition successful.

Succession planning addresses a question that every business owner will eventually face whether it is planned for or not: what happens to the business when the owner is no longer running it? The answer is either designed deliberately or determined by circumstances, health, death, a forced sale, or the absence of a qualified successor.

The planning process identifies potential successors, family members, management, or external buyers, assesses their readiness, and builds the development plan, ownership transfer mechanism, and financial structure to execute the transition on defined terms. It integrates with estate planning, tax planning, and shareholders agreement provisions. Businesses where succession has been planned are materially more transferable, more valuable, and less vulnerable to value destruction if the transition is triggered unexpectedly.

See also: Leadership Succession · Transition Planning · Shareholders Agreement

Succession planning started early creates options. Started late, it creates constraints. See how Wefinx approaches exit planning.

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