Workshop A Final [Mode de compatibilité] · Define a reference organization (at regional or national level) to coordinate the communication towards business owners (reference moderator,

TitleSubtitle

Workshop A

Moderator :

Richard WELLS,

Speak-Easy

• Jean-Marie CATABELLE, HonoraryChairman CRA & BOD MemberTranseo aisbl, France

Presentation of the conclusions of the Transeo Awareness-raising working group.

How to take the drama out of

transferring one’s business

to a new owner?

� Transeo Working Group launched in 2013

� Objective: to exchange good practices between Transeo Members on how to best raise awareness of business transfer among business owners in Europe

� Methodology:� Definition of the objectives and organization of the working group (handbook)� Split of the awareness-raising process into 5 phases

Methodology:� 1st working group meeting (25/03/2013) : data collection, policy sheets to fill in, good practice sheets to fill in, presentation of results at the meeting, ...� Progress report was prepared after the meeting & sent to members� On-line questionnaire & identification of success factors in the collected good practices: specific questions asked to members of the working group to prepare the 2nd meeting of working group, opinion asked on specific questions, more details asked on success factors in good practices, ...� 2nd working group meeting (07/10/2013): discussion results on-line questionnaire, validation of recommendations for each phase, ...� Final report: Based on the results from the 2 working group meetings and on-line questionnaire, final report to be proposed to Members, final report & summary brochure

Recommendations from the working group: POLICY-MAKING

Recommendations from the working group: POLICY-MAKING

� Select appropriate potential sellers (business owners) through databases and implement a communication strategy/plan

Actors: national/regional coordinating entity, mentor labelled organizations, CCIs, ...

� Collaborate, in order to identify potential sellers within more precise targets, with CCIs (for instance Moderators), business federations, business associations, SME agencies, business transfer professionals

Actors: national/regional coordinating entity, mentor labelled organizations, CCIs, ...

Recommendations from the working group:

� Define a reference organization (at regional or national level) to coordinate the communication towards business owners (reference moderator, one stop shop..).

� Establish partnerships, define the relay organizations and partners who will organize calls to potential sellers, with smart messages.

� Organize workshops, trainings, roundtables, with peers testimonials, attracting entrepreneurs including potential sellers

� At national level or regional level, organize communication campaigns to go proactively to entrepreneurs and potential sellers.

� Approach potential sellers through sectoral federations, business organizations.

Actors : member states, coordinating entity, mentor labelled organization, business federations, CCI’s


� Special recommendations on the content of communication:

� Use testimonials and success stories � Not focus on technical aspects, rather on changing roles in business transfers and business transfer as normal part of business life today� Dedramatise (a normal phase in the life of the seller and in the life of the company)� Keep it simple and do not try to educate the seller on how to do everything by himself, explain that there is a process, that is standard and that good professionnals follow.� Communicate on who is helping what in the SME transfer field - Give the keys so that the seller will choose the right team of professionnals� Need to think ahead one’s business transition but do not over argue about the many years needed to prepare � Value creation, growth potential for they “baby”, new ways to create value (knowledge, awareness, business opportunities,...)�…


� Organize events such as workshops, trainings, roundtables, in collaboration with relay organizations such as CCIs, business federations, ...

� Develop on-line self assessment tools/diagnosis tools and promote them to encourage business owners to use them

� Promote practical guides on business transfer

� Promote the existing support programmes for business owners interested to deepen the reflexion about business transfer : subsidies to call on professionals, passport, succession checks, moderators and local relay agents, ...


� Organize events to provide information to the business owners on the necessary steps to take to prepare the business for sale

� Encourage the business owner to seek information in order to prepare the business for sale : develop/promote complete guides detailing the various challenges and solutions at each phase of the transfer process.

� Encourage the business owner to analyze his/her company in the perspective of a transfer to a new owner :

�Develop/promote business diagnostics, strengths and weakness (SWOT) analyses, through incentive mechanisms such as an “entrepreneur passport”, or through institutional incentives�Develop/promote support programmes to help the business owner seek advice to quality/recognized business transfer professionals or mentors to prepare the business for sale.


� Promote national or regional support programmes such as the “entrepreneur passport”, with financially controlled or subsidized advisory services by experts,

� Organize professional and technical seminars, with success stories, testimonies.

� Organize a follow up (by the business transfer official agency, by the mentor organizations , or the professional federations, ...) of the potentially ready to transfer business owners.


Next steps…

� Publication of the final report – only for Transeo

Members

� Final report and work documents (including policy

sheets) available in the Transeo Extranet

� Position Paper

� Publication of a summary brochure

� Other possible actions are under discussion within

the association

TitleSubtitle

• Christine MARGREVE, Manager, SOWACCESS,

Belgium

• Oriol ALBA SENDRA, Project Manager, Centre de

Reempressa de Catalunya, Spain

• Patrick JORDENS, Business transfer coordinator,

Agentschap Ondernemen, Belgium

• Toni BRUNELLO, CEO, StudioCentroVeneto, Italy

• Joachim RUPP, Business transfer adviser, Industrie-

und Handelskammer Ulm, Germany

Awareness-raising and support of business owners/potential sellers

SOWACCESS

Raising Awareness - Sellers

Sowaccess : Raising awareness

• Guide -Transfer steps :

• Objective : Make it less “alarming” & vulgarize

• Diagnostic (Questionnaire) :

• Objectives : ask themselves the right questions & identify SWOT

• Partnership with private sector : Professionals network

• Offering Potential match when family and Internal (MBO) options are ruled out

• Communications emphasizing on preparation / supports/ options.

Sowaccess : Success factors

• Neutrality , Independance and transparence

• Program supported by Government

• Partnership with private sector : Independant Ethical Committee : agreement and monitoring

• Partial financial support to initiate process

• Objectives : once SWOT and needs identified , assuring entrepreneurs support given by professionals

• Supporting to find potential counterparts (DB and network)

• Supporting Buyers as well pre and post transaction

(continuity and durable developping)

Sowaccess : Evolutions

• Direct and Indirect Communication : • communication throught federations (partnerships)• personalised mailing from 55 years old ( adding value)• Communication throught first councellors ao Chartered

accountant , auditors, lawyers, notaries

• DiagnosticEmphasize on strategical repositionning (value)

• Emphasize on partnership with private/public sector : complementarity & be responsive to different categories (win-win )

• Thinking on ‘Single’ Neutral contact point at national scale and Opening to cross-border transactions : see Best practices exchanges in Transeo network.


Belgium









Workshop A: Awareness-raising and support of business owners/potential sellers

Centre de Reempresa de Catalunya

Oriol Alba Sendra

Centre de Reempresa de Catalunya

• Public-Private Partnership• ERDF Fund (European Commission)

• Generalitat de Catalunya

• Cecot & cp’Ac

• Network of Collaborators • Public Authorities

• Business Organizations

• Socioeconomic entities

• One-stop shop

Awareness-Raising: Full Integrated Policy

1. Identify• Potential sellers: Retirement / Business organizations /

External administrators

• Potential buyers: Entrepreneurs / Unemployment

2. Catch attention• Media Communications

• Internet and Social Networks

• Events and Roadshow

• Telemarketing and mailing

• Strategic Agreements

Awareness-Raising: Full Integrated Policy

3. Prepare seller’s / buyers minds • Guide to sell / buy a business

• Training

4. Prepare business for sale• Procedure

• Reempresa’s advisors

• Selling Plan

• Collaborators

5. Get started!

Success factors & Improvements

Success factors:• Marketplace not fragmented / Unique database

• Only TB organization + One-stop shop

• Public-private partnership

• Added to current portfolio for entrepreneurs

Improvements:• Stakeholders

• Tools

• Incentives for sellers & buyers

• Financing


Belgium









Masterplan for business transfer in Flanders

An integrated policy to support succesfull sme transfers

Ever thought about business transfer?Give your sme a second career

• 1st level• 2d level

• 3rd level

An integrated policy

letter of Minister to entrepreneurs 55+

RAISING AWARENESS

GIVING INFORMATION

peer-to-peer learning in small groups

PREPARE

18%

AFTER

IMPLEMENT

ads in newspapers and on radio

Week of Business Transfer (last week of October)

information package + website

information sessions

training package (4 sessions)

grants for advise and coaching

business transfer plan

Impact of the campagne

TOTAL IMPACT = 32%

entrepreneurs 55+ 100%

recognize image of the campagne

have talked about business transfer

have looked for information

82%

have thought about business transfer 27%

18%

9%

Basis=Totaal

N=201

Impact of info package

25%

75%

Success factors

INTEGRATED POLICY:- raising awareness- giving information- training, peer-to-peer learning, advise, coaching- fiscal stimuli- loans warranted by government

GOVERNMENT IN PARTNERSHIP WITH:- organizations of entrepreneurs- private consultants

CONTINUITY:- every year again

IMPROVEMENTS & EVOLUTION

RAISING AWARENESS OF:- accountants- independent members of the board of directors- MBO / MBI / acquisition

GENERALISTIC APPROACH IN COMBINATION WITHSPECIFIC APPROACH FOR SOME BUSINESS SECTORS

SPECIAL ATTENTION TO:the step from getting information to involving consultantsin the preparation


Belgium









Key Success Factors in Promoting Business Transfer as

An Engine for Socio-economic Development

Examples of Public/Private Assisted Co-operation through EU Recognised Tools and Personalized Consultancy

www.studiocentroveneto.com Toni Brunello - Italy

0

StudioCentroVeneto Experience

• 1982-2014: engaged over 1.200 businesses, 120 directly accompanied along the transfer process

• 8 Business transfer focused EU Funded Projects

• 5 officially EU recognised Good Practices (Tools and Actions)

• Kit.Brunello.System tools applied in 5 European Countries and in 3 Italian Regions

Key success factor: Longstanding Cooperation

with Local Institutions

1

How to Involve Local Institutions?

• Engineered a systemic analysis of business transfer governance (kit.brunello) and published online

• Use of a image-based language to make it widely accessible - non academic

• Tested and customised in 6 EU countries (EU funded Relais Project, 1997-98)

• Online tools in 5 languages.

• Organised several trans-national Dis-seminars across Italy and Europe with testimonials

• Inviting members of such local institutions as guests observers in the workings of relevant EU projects, turning them into our main advocates

21

Toni Brunello - Italy - www.studiocentroveneto.com

Key Success Factor: Circular Approach

Top Down

Bottom Up

3

Key Success Factor:Create the Cultural Infrastructure


BanksChambers of Commerce

BusinessAssociations

LocalAdministration

Transferors / Transferees

Sellers / Buyers

Professionals

4

Universities

Key Success Factor: Entrepreneurs Vaccination

• Soft sensitisation by highlighting neglected intangible factors such as emotional aspects.

• Advising decision makers NOT to act immediately in order not to pressure them

• In this way entrepreneurs feel in control and come back when ready to deal with the issue.

5

Improvement actions

• Enhancing the multiple roles of women

• Training advisors to work in interdisciplinary teams, emphasizing soft skills (emotional sensitivity and mediation)

• Creating a Bank of Business Transfer Cases as a source for change protocols

• Promoting National Plans for Business Transfer accredited advisors

• Raising public awareness through mass media

6

Field Effectiveness Elementary Testing*

50 local assisted mSMEs

along about 6 monthsduring 8 years editions

250 no-assistance local mSMEs, of similar age and typology (sector, dimension, market)

100% still alive

Trentino Italian region 8-year-lasting initiative

Directed desk and telephone CHECK 5 years after the end of the assistance

24,6% disappeared

* From a precious Lex Van Teeffelen suggestion

The beginning!

It’s time to start!

No presentation

• See copies on paper at the registration Table

No presentation

EU Recommended online tools

EU Commission 2013 Expert Group Evaluation Report (page 50):

“There are cases of relatively small scale and straightforward businesses where expensive advice is not necessary. In these cases – probably rather large in number, the services of the usual business support agencies ought to be sufficient to provide general orientation and warnings on pitfalls. Advice of this kind can often be provided on-line and there are well established guides and on-line advice to support this process38”

38 For instance, Cédants et Repreneurs d’Affaires (CRA) :

‘Transmettre ou reprendre une entreprise’ (Guide), 2014

et Brunello, Toni ‘Kit Brunello Systems’


7

The Snail System

Training and Tuningare Kit.Brunello.System’s key elements

System of Tools

1. a Qualified Host Institution web platform

Basic shortTraining

Driver

2. a Dynamic but Steady Driver

3. a Well Tuned existing Network

mSMEsNetwork

Sample of KBS Use (Norway, 2009)

Statistics from Kit.brunello self-analysis

Sample 130 users

Crucial issu es Critical Warnin g Acceptab l e

Horizontal Cohesion

11 %

68 % 21 %

External Leadership

0 % 26 %

74 %

Openness to change

5 % 58 % 37 %

Internal Leadership

26 % 47 % 26 %

Sound Quality Culture

16 %

68 % 16 %

Managements systems and too l s

0 % 26 % 74 %

Technicalities

11 % 63 % 26 %

• Da: erica holland

• Inviato: venerdi 7 novembre 2008 14:40

• A: 'Brunello Toni'

• Cc: 'Paolo Zaramella'

• Oggetto: I: Ipotesi testo base per comunicato stampa

• Dear Toni,

• I’m writing in order to express our satisfaction and appraisal for the product of your work and passion.

• I’ve gone through the Kit.Brunello.System, and found a valid tool for helping our companies in dealing with an evergreen problem: business continuity and survival.

• Not only the methodology adopted by the tool is sound, but also its easy-to-use interface and intuitive “Packaging” make it a precious step forward in the journey towards better market and life conditions for our enterprises.

• In its simple suite, this powerful new tool reminds me of the quote of Arthur Koestler: Creativity is the art of summing two and two obtaining five”.

•• Looking forward for cooperating again with you in the future,

• My best regards.

• Erica Holland• Project manager• Eurosportello – Unioncamere del Veneto• Via delle Industrie, 19/d30175 VeneziaTel. +39 041 099 9411• Fax +39 041 099 9401• E-mail: [email protected]

KBS References

References•Da: Piandoro Giuliana <[email protected]>

• Oggetto: Feedback• Data: 25 maggio 2011 20.46.20 GMT+02.00

• A: BRUNELLO TONI <[email protected]>• Cc: Marco Guerrini <[email protected]>• Translation:• Good evening Mr. Brunello,• I would like to tell you the impressions of some legal, tax, financial experts

concerning the itinerary we have started.• They have said thank you for two reasons:• 1) because we have started dealing with a problem which is existing, and that

nobody takes into consideration here.• 2) because, also if such to be perfectible and needing to be adapted to the

reality, we have given a method and some tools.

• With best regards, wherever you are.• Giuliana Piandoro - (Umbria Regional Chambers of Commerce and Terni

town General Secretary)

Information & dissemination

La tagliola del "passaggio generazionale":al terzo giro sopravvive il 5% delle imprese

http://www.repubblica.it/

http://www.repubblica.it/economia/2013/12/14/news/la_tagliola_del_passaggio_generazionale_al_terzo_giro_sopravvive_il_5_delle_imprese-73559319/

A Trans-national Seminar

Prototype

B.T. Field action SCV/Brunello References1. Brussels, preparatory Meeting for Forum of Lille, invited member, 1996, 2. European Forum, Lille, speaker, 1997 3. EU Funded Relais Project, (Italy, Belgium, France, Soain, Austria, UK) Kit Brunello 1st EU Best Practice, 1997-98.4. European Commission Expert Group member (BEST Report 2002.5. European Seminar Vienna speaker, 2002 6. European Commission Expert Group MAP project, Continuity through a new beginning, 2002-2003.7. EU Best Practices official Brochure, Kit.Brunello and others, 2003.8. APCM, Colloque, Paris, November, invited speaker 2002.9. Book, “Passaggi Obbligati”, F. Angeli editore, 2003 (2 editions)10. Aveiro, Portugal, research support and Seminar invited speaker, 2004. 11. Veneto Region Administration, Expert Group Table of work leader, 2003-2005.12. Rome, Italian Ministry National Expert Group Table co-promoter, 2003-2005. 13. Wallonie Industry Ministry, 4x4, & TRENDS Magazine Debate one-to one confrontation Mons, 2003. 14. Createl, SCV, EU funded project: Spain, UK, Italy, Finland (+ Hungary and Slovenia), 2004-5.15. Stuttgart, Invited speaker, 200415. B2T, SCV, EU funded project: Spain, Greece, Italy, Finland, 2005. 17. Rome, Italian Ministry 1^ National Seminar on business competitive continuity, 2005. 18. European Commission Expert Group “Markets for business transfers” - Fostering transparent marketplaces, 200619. European Conference - Charter for SMEs, Vienna, 2006.20. Ankara, KOSGEB, Turkish Government consultants Training and Consultancy week, invited trainer, 2006.21. Cardiff, Wales International seminar, 2007.22. Tours, UEAPME craftsmen and Small Businesses European seminar, 2008. 23. Reino, SCV EU funded project (Finland, Italy, Greece, Denmark) 2008-11.24. BTP I, SCV, EU funded project (Austria, Romania, Denmark, Spain, Germany, Turkey) 2008-9.25. Zagreb EDE, 2006-726. BTP II, SCV EU funded project (Austria, Sweden, Portugal, Spain) 2010-11,27. Veneto Region Seminar (SME Week on SBA) Brussels, 2009..28. Oslo, Brussels, Vicenza, Translating/adapting Kit.brunello into Norwegian 29. Spa, Transeo, Wallonie Gov. Conference 2009, co-moderator.30. Stockholm, EU SME SBA Conference, presenting the KBS as EU recognized Best Practice, 2009.31. EU Best Practices official Brochure, KBS. 2009. 32. Budapest, EU SME Conference, “La Fenice”, Best Practice presentation, 2011. 33. Transeo, Emotional aspects Session moderator, 2012. 34. TOI, LdV, SCV EU Funded NEXT project to transfer KBS as an innovation. (Turkey, Austria, Bulgaria)35. European Commission Expert Group Evaluation Report, 2013.

Moderator`s ConceptBusiness SuccessionBaden-Württemberg

Moderator`s Concept Business Succession Baden-Württemberg

Goals of Cooperation Departement of Commerce BaWü

with IHK

sensitisation to and information about business succession

matching and searching

consulting and supporting

Baden-Württemberg 2014-2018: ca. 20.000 transfers

(min. operating profit T€ 54 p.a.)IFM, Bonn


Success Factors of Cooperation Departement of Commerce BaWü

with IHK

• sensitisation of the owner for planned transfer through numerous common information meetings

• extensive common public relation work

• numerous individuel consultations of the seller/buyer by IHK business adviser

• matching, searching, sme exchange: „nexxt-change“


Possible factors of improvement in efficiency

• increase in IHK partners in moderator`s concept

• increase in IHK business transfer advisers

• increase in realized consultations and moderations of sme transfer

• intensifying of networking IHK partners in moderator`s concept


Thank you very much for your attention

Dipl.-Kfm.Joachim Rupp

Business transfer adviser

IHK Ulm, Olgastraße 95-101, 89073 Ulm, GermanyTel. 0049 731 / 173-152, Fax: 0049 731 / [email protected], http://www.ulm.ihk24.de


Belgium









Next Session: 16.30

Final Plenary Session

TitleSubtitle

Documents

Workshop A Final [Mode de compatibilité] · Define a reference organization (at regional or national level) to coordinate the communication towards business owners (reference moderator,