Safe transfer of a wholesaler to a son in 6 months
We organized the structure of a company with 18 employees. The son took the helm, while the father retained 15% of the shares and the right to veto key decisions.
Mr. Marek had been building Bud-Mix since 2004 and wanted to retire. The biggest challenge was handing over power to his son so that the 18-person team would not feel fear of a change in ownership. We helped arrange it formally and humanly.
The challenge
The wholesaler employed 4 key salespeople who had been with Marek for almost 16 years. They didn't trust the young successor and were afraid Tomasz would change the commission system. Added to this was chaos in the paperwork: most contracts with suppliers were based on handshakes and a personal relationship with the father. If Marek suddenly stopped working, the company could lose financial liquidity within 43 days due to the son's lack of account authorizations.
Our approach
We started with 7 long conversations in the office on Wolności St in Zabrze. Our team (3 specialists) conducted a legal and financial audit. We had to create rules of the game that would satisfy both parties. The father needed a guarantee that his life's work would not be squandered, and the son wanted a free hand in modern marketing. We introduced a clear division: Tomasz manages sales, and Marek oversees large goods purchases over 47,000 PLN for a year.
The solution
We changed the company statute and introduced a so-called family constitution. Tomasz became president with full operational decision-making power. Marek retained 15% of the shares, which gives him the right to veto in the event of an attempt to sell company real estate or take out a loan larger than 120,000 PLN. We trained the management staff, explaining the new bonus rules, which are now written on paper rather than being established in the hallway.
Results
The succession ended in complete success. No employee left, and Tomasz, in the first quarter of his reign, increased the margin by 3.2% thanks to new contracts with suppliers from southern Poland. The family's assets were secured against possible errors of the successor's youth.
Timeline
-
March 2024Audit of relationships and contracts with key suppliers
-
May 2024Writing down the family constitution and veto rules
-
July 2024Meetings with the team of 18 wholesaler employees
-
August 2024Notarial transfer of shares and change in KRS
"I was afraid that the old employees would quit as soon as Tomek sat in my chair. Reliability and Vision showed us how to talk about it. The rules are clear now, and I finally sleep soundly."