186,000 business handovers by 2030. 2 out of 3 will fail. Not because of succession — but because of what nobody documents.

186,000 business handovers by 2030.

2 out of 3 will fail. Not because of succession — but because of what nobody documents.

The figure comes from IfM Bonn (Daten & Fakten No. 37). It is presented as a demographic problem.

It is not a demographic problem.

It is an operating model problem.

→ Decision paths run through people, not roles.

→ KPIs are reported — but not used.

→ Governance is informal. The outgoing owner knows everything. The successor knows nothing.

What the outgoing owner leaves behind is not a company. It is a shadow operating system — running, but described nowhere.

LBBW identifies succession as the top risk factor for medium-sized businesses in 2026. In family businesses, 2 out of 3 transformations fail.

It is not the company that gets handed over.

It is its structure.

#Succession #Mittelstand #OperatingModel