Topic Hub

Business succession: all guides at a glance

Around 109,000 German Mittelstand companies look for a successor every year, according to KfW Research, and for the first time more owners plan to close than to hand over. This page collects all NORDVISORY succession guides in one place: from the fundamental question of which route fits your company to the options when nobody in the family takes over.

Written from advisory practice·Named sources, not claims·Kept up to date

Start with the main succession guide below. It compares the succession routes, lays out a realistic timeline and covers valuation, tax and the mistakes that cost owners real money. The other guides go deeper into specific situations; each stands on its own and is updated as data and legislation change.

Start here
Deep dives
Market

Germany's silent closure wave: sell instead of shut down

For the first time, more owners plan closure than handover, many without ever testing the sale option. Why 'no successor' rarely means 'no buyer'.

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TaxCurrent

Germany's inheritance tax reform 2026

The Constitutional Court is reviewing the business asset exemptions, and politicians debate abolishing them. What that means for the timing of a handover or a sale.

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Buyer models

Search funds: when the buyer wants to be your successor

Individual entrepreneurs acquire one company and run it themselves, the most personal external succession route. How the model works and what sellers should check.

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More guides are added continuously, including MBO/MBI and further northern German regions.

More topic hubs
Next hubSale & ProcessAlready decided to sell? Preparation, process, negotiation.
Next hubValuation & TaxWhat is your company worth, and what is left after tax?

Where does your company stand today?

A first assessment of value and realistic succession routes. Confidential and without obligation.