FOR OWNERS IN FAMILY BUSINESSES
A clear ownership strategy for every phase of being a shareholder
A sound ownership strategy creates orientation for the family, the shareholder group, and the business — and lays the foundation for the long-term ability to act across generations.
INTES supports business families in strategically aligning responsibility, ownership, and the future.
The challenges of a business family change with every generation
As a family business grows, the demands placed on the business family often grow with it. One owner becomes several shareholders. New generations take on responsibility. Interests shift, and decisions become more complex.
At the latest, this is when fundamental questions arise: How do we organize our shareholder group? How do we ensure a successful business succession? What role can an advisory board play? And how do we create binding rules that are supported by all family members?
A well-considered ownership strategy helps answer these questions early — before they turn into conflicts.
„I would like to sincerely thank you for supporting our work on the topics of our family constitution. I greatly value your expertise as well as your friendly and clear approach. It allows personal, family, and business entanglements to surface and, thanks to your guidance and encouragement, to be resolved.“
TOPICS OF A SUCCESSFUL OWNERSHIP STRATEGY
FAMILY CONSTITUTION
Shared values, clear rules, and orientation for present and future generations.
SUCCESSION PLANNING
Plan the generational transition early and secure the future of the family business.
ADVISORY BOARD
Professionally complement leadership and oversight and strengthen strategic decisions.
SHAREHOLDER COMPETENCE
Prepare shareholders for their responsibility and strengthen the business family for the long term.
Family constitution
Shared values, clear rules, and orientation across generations.
A family constitution creates a binding framework for the interplay between the business family, the shareholders, and the business. It sets out shared values, goals, and guidelines and provides clarity about roles, responsibility, and decision-making processes.
A family constitution becomes especially important as the number of shareholders grows and the next generation enters the business. It helps clarify expectations early, prevent conflicts, and secure the family business’s ability to act over the long term.
INTES supports business families in developing an individual family constitution. Together, we work out solutions that fit your family’s culture and the demands of your family business — as a solid foundation for a successful ownership strategy.
Shareholder competence
Understand responsibility. Make decisions with confidence.
Successful family businesses need not only qualified executives but also competent shareholders. The role of a shareholder differs fundamentally from operational management: it calls for strategic thinking, a sense of responsibility, and a shared understanding of the company’s long-term development.
The deliberate development of shareholder competence strengthens collaboration within the business family, creates confidence in decision-making processes, and prepares the next generation early for its future responsibility.
Through the seminars and qualification programs of the INTES Academy, INTES supports shareholders, business families, and successors in successfully fulfilling their role as responsible owners.
Succession planning
Shape the generational transition early and secure the future of the family business.
Succession planning undertaken early is one of the most important tasks of a business family. It determines not only who will take on responsibility in the future, but also how values, assets, and entrepreneurial ability to act are preserved across generations.
A successful business succession therefore begins long before the actual handover. It encompasses the selection and development of suitable successors, the preparation of the shareholder group, and the legal, tax, and family conditions.
INTES supports family businesses in developing an individual succession plan that does justice to both the interests of the business family and the demands of the business. Together, we create the conditions for a successful generational transition.
Advisory board
Strategic impetus, independent perspectives, and professional governance.
As a family business develops further, the demands on leadership and oversight often increase as well. A professionally staffed advisory board can support business families in making strategic decisions on a more solid footing, guiding management, and strengthening the exchange between shareholders and the business.
Whether an advisory board makes sense and how it should be composed depends on the individual goals and structure of the family business. What matters is that tasks, roles, and expectations are clearly defined and that the advisory board creates real added value.
INTES supports family businesses in developing a tailored advisory board structure — from concept and board composition through to the qualification of advisory board members and shareholders.
„Through developing our family constitution, we captured how our edding ‚ink in the blood‘ holds us together — as a family, as a company, but above all as family entrepreneurs.“
Complementary offerings for owners and shareholders
A successful ownership strategy continually evolves. That is why INTES also supports business families with questions that go beyond it — with specialized offerings, experienced partners, and a strong network.
Women are increasingly taking on responsibility within business families — as shareholders, successors, or advisory board members. With our Female Leadership offerings, we support them in fulfilling their role with confidence and impact.
Together with PwC, we offer access to the Shareholder Platform — an exclusive network for exchange among shareholders of family businesses.
For questions that require specialized know-how, INTES draws on an experienced network of selected experts from various disciplines.
Whether to plan a family days, set up a family office, philanthropic activities, or other topics — we support business families even with complex strategic challenges.
Let’s talk about your ownership strategy
Every business family faces its own challenges. Together, we develop an ownership strategy that fits your family, your business, and your long-term goals.
