Sale of the Business

45.0% of family business owners are actively planning the future sale of their business either now or later. Moreover, 61.3% would seriously consider selling their business, if approached, with 25.2% reporting that they have been approached in the last 12 months.
As in 2006, we are led to conclude that approximately half of family businesses are less likely to become later generation firms, not as a result of any managerial failure on their part, but because their intentions, as well as their active plans, are to exit their businesses for various reasons via a trade sale. To that extent, it would be inappropriate simply to equate family business success with succession.