Restructuring family business

A family enterprise may be identified as any company or group of companies which is run and controlled by at least two family members. It is owned and controlled by several generations of one family who are also responsible for making decisions. It may be the oldest form of business organisation. Today family-owned groups take an important and dynamic part in the global economy.

Strengths as well as weaknesses of a family-owned business are hidden in its name. Strong ties and relationships between family members can drive your company forward, while conflicts and mismanagement can derail any successful organisation. There are many ways to improve performance and make a family-owned group strong, but we will focus on one of them.

Business restructuring and reorganisation

The need to reorganise or restructure a business may arise when a key family member dies or it is passed to the future generation. Other reasons include:

• No robust and sensible governance
• Loss of focus
• Under-investment
• Facing financial issues or bankruptcy
• Aiming for tax optimisation
• Minimising tax implications for the business, owners and other shareholders
• Taking control over and managing the decisions you make to eliminate the risk of unintended loss of tax attributes, such as net operating losses and tax basis, and unfavourable tax positions

Restructuring family businesses in distress often requires help, and support from an independent advisor to deal with succession, transition and governance issues in an emotion-charged environment where owners have everything to lose.

Family-owned businesses are sometimes not too eager to seek advice, often for fear of the cost, so we strongly recommend you identify your problems from the start and get in touch with professional consultants. It will save you money and unnecessary stress.

What we offer

We have been working with wealthy businessmen for decades and many of the families have been running their companies even longer. We know what’s involved in tackling and resolving all issues related to such businesses and families.

We offer the following services and value:

• Understanding how family-owned enterprises operate;
• Analysing problems your business is facing;
• Identifying reasons and goals for restructuring;
• Working out a plan that will save your business money or increase its profit;
• Providing advice on how best to put the restructuring plan in place.