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Keep the business going and the family together.

Handing over your business means deciding more than who gets the shares. It's about your children, your employees, and everything you've built. Amcot helps you make those choices as a whole.

Start early

Five years is normal.

Desk with handover documents, a fountain pen, and company keys

A handover is a process that takes years. Signing at the notary's office is only an intermediate step. For the successor, the process only really begins after that.

The most important parts can't be rushed. A successor has to find out whether they really want this. Employees need time to get used to a new leader. The bank and customers have to learn to trust someone they don't know yet. And you have to learn that letting go isn't the same as disappearing.

If you allow two years, you often run out of time just when it gets difficult. Five years gives you room to adjust. The tax side also needs preparation: restructuring into a favorable holding structure can take years.

The 360° analysis

Four areas, looked at together.

Most owners start with the value of the business. That matters, but it isn't the first question. Treat one area on its own and the others come under pressure.

01

Family

Who is available, who wants it, and who can do it? Three questions, often with three different answers. Agreements within the family belong here too.

02

Business

What stage is the company in, and where is the industry heading? A business that needs renewal calls for a different successor than one that mainly needs continuity.

03

Management

Who is at the helm with you now? Good handovers have stalled because a loyal right hand felt passed over.

04

Stakeholders

The bank, customers, suppliers, and local authorities. Credit and trust built over thirty years don't transfer automatically.

How we help

From choosing a successor to the next generation.

01

Guiding the successor

Does the intended successor want to lead the business, and can they? We map out the knowledge, training, and support they need, before and after the handover.

02

Tax groundwork

The Dutch business succession scheme (BOR) can offer tax benefits, but its conditions are strict. We make sure you start in time, together with your tax advisor.

03

Handing over to an employee

The Dutch roll-over relief (DSR) lets you structure a transfer to an employee or third party differently for tax. We look at what fits your situation.

04

Keeping the family together

Open conversations with every family member involved, so everyone knows where they stand. Agreements on paper prevent disputes later.

05

Your child or an outside buyer

An outside buyer often pays more, but what happens to your team and your name afterward? We help you choose based on what matters to you.

Wondering where you stand?

A free one-hour conversation gives you a first picture.

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What does a successful handover mean to you?

Proceeds, harmony, or continuity.

These are three different goals, and they rarely point the same way. The highest price often comes from a buyer who won't keep the staff. The choice that keeps the family together isn't always the strongest one for the business.

You don't have to decide today. But it helps to know which goal weighs most for you, because it shapes every choice after it. Skip that question, and circumstances decide for you.

From research

4%

of family business owners rank family harmony above the survival of the business. Most want both. A good succession plan serves both goals.

Source: Kwakkel (2015)

Get in touch

Your business is your life's work. Who will carry it on?

Talk through your situation in a one-hour call on Teams, with no obligation.

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