A conversation with the next chapter
This workbook is for personal use. It does not need to be submitted, completed online or shared. It provides neither a score nor an automatic recommendation. Its purpose is to clarify questions before discussing a change in the company.
What I want to change
Describe the situation without using the words sale or retirement. What would you like to stop doing? What would you still enjoy following? Which responsibilities do you no longer wish to carry?
Describe a future routine that would make sense: involvement, availability, decisions and activities outside the company. Distinguish what is desirable from what is essential.
What the company needs
Which responsibilities currently depend directly on you? Are information, authority and people available to distribute them? What needs preparation so the operation can continue during your absence?
Identify what you know and what you still need to discover. Do not turn an expectation about the team or business into a confirmed fact.
What the family wants
Who wants to work in the business, follow it as an owner or maintain another connection? Which answers have you heard directly, and which are assumptions?
What does each person mean by preserving the company? The brand, business activity, assets and family involvement may mean different things. Try to name these priorities without assuming agreement.
What a transaction would need to resolve
Would the money go to the company, the owner or both? Is the intention to transfer management, ownership or both? What role would be acceptable afterwards?
List the conditions that need to be understood before assessing any proposal. There is no obligation to decide now, but it matters to know which questions remain open.
Alternatives to compare
Write down two or three alternatives worth examining. For each, note the preparation required, responsibilities that would remain and information you still need.
This exercise organises reflection; it does not replace individual analysis. Decisions improve when objectives become explicit and alternatives can be compared without a predetermined conclusion.