February 13, 2014

For families that own small businesses, one vital part of estate planning is succession planning. Through succession planning, a business owner plans for the future of his or her business. A recent article discusses how Charlie Luck IV is planning to keep family-owned firm, Luck Stone, in the family.

At only 53, Luck is in no hurry to pass the business on to his heirs. However, in planning ahead, Luck shows the forethought that all small business owners should have when it comes to succession planning. Luck is already considering which, if any, of his three children display the responsibility and interest necessary to run the business.

Although Luck’s biggest goal is to keep the business in the family, he knows that it will only work if he selects the right successor. As Luck explained, “One of the worst things in the world you can do is put any person in a company role, family or non-family, that does not align with who they are, with their skill set and their capacity…that is unethical.”

Statistics are not on the side of family businesses. Only three percent of family businesses in the same position as Luck Stone – moving from generation three to generation four – survive the transition.