Best to plan your succession well in advance
“‘We’re doing well, aren’t we?’ is what most entrepreneurs think. But often the reality is that they have to work incredibly hard just to keep up. As a result, family businesses rarely reach their full potential, either because the next generation isn’t ready to take over, or because the current leaders can’t let go as they don’t know what to do once they’ve stepped down.
Entrepreneurs are often unaware that they are building a life’s work and that it is at least as important to hand this over properly and at the right time. The psychological knots in which family and business are entangled must be untangled. This will give you, as a leader, insight into what you are building and when you can hand it over.
Awareness creates space
Valuing your life’s work is no easy task. A family business is a precious asset, and succession within a family business does not happen automatically. Not for you, and not for your successor. It requires you to shed light on the (often unconscious) resistance and to address it head-on. This frees you up to take new steps.
That process doesn’t come naturally to anyone. Is the next generation ready to take over? Do they understand what is expected of them? And are you ready to truly let go? Awareness sheds light on what is going on subconsciously within you all.
What families and their businesses need
True Calling offers bespoke consultancy and personalised guidance to help you, as an entrepreneur, prepare your family business for succession and ensure the process runs smoothly. My approach is down-to-earth and practical, and is based on the real-life realities of family businesses. With my help, you’ll gain clarity on how you wish to leave your life’s work behind – and it’s best to start this process early enough.
Diagnosis and assessment for succession
A brief and focused exploration, through a series of conversations, of how a succession plan might take shape and where potential obstacles might lie.
Guided succession programme
In this programme, I actively guide you, your successor and the family through the succession process, during which we explore the subconscious barriers that stand in the way of a healthy handover.
Partner in succession
The most comprehensive support. I will be your partner throughout the entire succession process — from the first honest conversation about letting go right through to after the takeover. On a retainer basis. Intensive one-to-one support forms part of this process.
Referral partner for external (M&A) advisors
For M&A and acquisition advisers when processes have stalled due to human and relational dynamics. I work discreetly alongside you as existing advisers and provide feedback where appropriate.
I know both sides of succession
My name is Tim and I am the founder of True Calling. I once took over the family business from my father. Things went well at first, but as time went on, we started to have quite a few conflicts. It turned out my father was very apprehensive about the ‘black hole’ and couldn’t let go of the business. In the end, he did step down. With the benefit of hindsight, I would have had different conversations with him about the succession.
After 15 years as CEO, during which I had further expanded the business, I handed it over to an external CEO and a new owner. What I hadn’t expected was that it would take me years to find my bearings in life again. I hadn’t realised just how closely my identity had become intertwined with my role in the company. It turned out that what my father had feared was a reflection of what I had gone through. We had the same problem, he and I.
Bring yourself to work.
My book, “Bring Yourself to Work”, is about leading others without burning yourself out. It is based on fifteen years’ experience in a family business and the inner work that has helped me through it. It offers a down-to-earth and practical starting point, whether or not we ever end up working together. Anyone going through a period of transition can benefit from this book.
When something new is calling
Transitions are a natural part of life. Thinking ahead about how you want to leave your family business behind and ensuring it thrives without you is a very brave step.
True Calling supports you at times like these. I am here to help you get in touch with what is needed for a healthy succession.