Anticipate and prepare the transmission of company
Verified 25 September 2026 - Entreprendre Service Public / (Prime Minister)
Giving up your company is an act of management that cannot be improvised. Uncontrolled transmission is a risk to its human and financial equilibrium. It is therefore indispensable to anticipate transmission to get the best price and ensure the sustainability of the business.
Step-by-step approach
The preparation of a transmission begins with a reflection on the leader's project and the future of the company. It is both a question of taking stock of his personal situation and defining what he wants for the company after his departure.
1Clarify your personal project
Before even evaluating the company, it is important for the entrepreneur to take stock of his personal and professional situation and to define his transmission project. This reflection, called personal balance sheet, makes it possible to verify that the transmission does indeed correspond to its objectives and to identify any constraints to be anticipated.
The personal assessment must allow us to ask various questions:
- What reasons encourage people to pass on their company?: retirement, change of life plans, loss of motivation, financial opportunity, economic difficulties, etc.
- What are the main ones objectives of the transfer: obtaining a transfer price, preserving jobs, passing on to a relative or employee, ensuring the sustainability of the activity, etc.
- What constraints barriers to company transmission: impacts on post-transfer income, psychological dependence on the company, etc.
Please note
At this stage, this reflection already makes it possible to specify the transmission project and its deadline. It may also indicate the need to prepare certain personal aspects before commencing the assignment.
In particular, it is necessary to anticipate consequences of the transmission on the personal and professional situation of the manager :
- Changes in the income of the manager after the disposal
- Consequences on the retirement
- Potential loss of certain company benefits
- Change of rhythm of life
- Psychological difficulty in detaching from the company
In some situations, the leader may also have difficulty passing on certain responsibilities or accepting changes put in place after the takeover.
The transmission involves indeed gradually stop deciding and intervening in the functioning of the company. It can be useful to anticipate this development, especially when the manager is heavily involved in decisions or relationships with customers and employees.
Example :
A manager who has developed his company over several decades may have difficulty in no longer intervening in decisions or letting the buyer modify certain operating methods.
2Anticipating the future of company
Giving up your company doesn't mean stop worrying about your future. The manager can define what he wants for the company after the transfer, particularly in terms of continuing the activity, maintaining jobs or preserving know-how.
This reflection may concern in particular:
- the continuation of the activity : maintenance of current activity, development of certain activities or evolution of the economic model
- maintaining jobs : the desire to preserve the positions and skills needed for the activity
- the preservation of know-how : transmission of working methods and critical knowledge to the company
- continuity of relationships with customers and partners : Maintaining key trade relationships when they are important to the business
It is also necessary toanticipate the consequences of the transfer on employees. A change in leadership can raise concerns about the organization, jobs or future of the company.
It may therefore be useful to identify employees in key positions, any departure risks and situations that could undermine business continuity.
Example :
The departure of a historical employee mastering an essential part of the activity can weaken the transmission if his knowledge has never been shared or documented.
Before preparing the sale in concrete terms, it is useful to take a step back from the company to identify what can facilitate transmission and what needs to be improved.
1Identify the strengths of the company
Some elements may making the company attractive for a buyer and facilitate its transmission. In particular, it is necessary to identify:
- activities or products that work well
- a loyal and diversified clientele
- specific know-how or skills
- a clear organization and self-employed employees
- a good location or established reputation
- steady economic performance
- equipment or other assets useful for the continuation of the activity.
These elements are assets to preserve and enhance when looking for a buyer.
2Identify weaknesses and dependencies
On the contrary, some situations may complicate transmission or require correction before the transfer. In particular, it should be checked whether the company has:
- a strong dependence on the manager, particularly for decisions, relationships with clients or knowledge necessary for the activity
- dependency on a few customers or suppliers
- key competences held by a single person
- insufficiently formalized organization or procedures
- economic or financial difficulties
- major investments to be expected
- contracts, disputes or other situations that may complicate the recovery
Example :
If only one person is in control of a process that is essential to the operation of the company, this constitutes a significant operational risk for the buyer. Conversely, an organization in which knowledge is documented and shared will be perceived as more secure.
Identifying a weakness or dependency is not negative. The goal is to identify them early enough to identify them in order to act and facilitate transmission.
Please note
One pre-diagnosis provides an initial overview of the project and identifies elements that may facilitate or hinder transmission. The CCI offers a tool to perform this analysis in less than an hour :
Perform a pre-diagnosis Online transmission/company recovery
3Determine if it is necessary to be accompanied
The preparation of a transfer may require knowledge of finance, taxation, law or wealth management. It is therefore important for the leader to identify the topics on which he must train or be accompanied.
The support differs depending on whether the activity of the transmission project is commercial or artisanal:
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Commercial activity
In case ofcommercial activity, the CCI: titleContent many regions offer various coaching and training in the transmission of company.
The CCI Paris Ile de France offers for example several services dedicated to company transmission:
Please note
Other CCI offer coaching and training in company transmission. This is the case, for example, of the CCI Hauts-de-France, which proposes to monitor the transmission workshops.
For more information specific to your situation, it is necessary to contact your local CCI :
Who shall I contact
Craft activity
In case ofcraft activity, the CMA: titleContent assists the transferor throughout its company transfer project. At any time, you can contact the CMA:
Who shall I contact
The CMA also offers a nationwide transmission package: the transmission package. For more information about this support service :
Business transfer (French chamber of trades and crafts)
Chambers of Crafts and Crafts (CMA)
Pour en savoir plus
Agricultural activity
In case of agricultural activity, it is the Chamber of Agriculture that accompanies the company managers wishing to transmit their farm.
To be accompanied, it is therefore necessary to head to the chamber of agriculture which makes available ‘ Point Home Transmission » :
For contact the chamber of agriculture :
Who shall I contact
Liberal activity
In case of transmission of a company for liberal activity, there is no dedicated consular chamber.
Depending on the profession, the contacts are different:
- the professional orders for regulated professions (doctors, lawyers, architects, accountants, nurses, etc.)
- the trade unions or professional unions, such asUNAPL: titleContent :
Who shall I contact
In particular, support can be useful for:
- Prepare the different stages of the transfer
- Determine the actions to be taken to correct certain weaknesses
- Prepare accounting, financial, legal or tax aspects
- Anticipate the financial and personal consequences of transmission
It is also useful to ask a company transmission professional. The choice of professionals to solicit depends on the needs of the company and the leader.
For contact an accountant :
Before preparing concretely the transmission of his company, the manager must define its first criteria : what are its requirements in terms of transfer pricing and payment terms? What type of buyer is he looking for for his company?
1Define its transmission criteria
The leader can start by distinguishing what is indispensable for him of what he can agree to negotiate. This reflection provides a clear framework before starting discussions with a potential buyer.
The transfer price is usually the most important criterion for a leader, but it should not be considered in isolation. To determine a consistent price, the manager can rely on a chartered accountant or a professional who specializes in the transmission of company.
For contact an accountant :
Please note
For deepen the financial and economic analysis of the company, it is important to performing a company transmission diagnosis.
The leader can also think about payment terms and the date on which it wishes to dispose of the funds.
Example :
An offer at a higher price but with a installment payment can be appreciated differently from an offer with an immediate payment.
But passing on company does not mean ceasing to care about the future of his company. The manager may have certain expectations, such as that the activity is continued, that jobs are maintained or that the know-how developed over the years is preserved. These elements can also determine the type of buyer desired.
2Identify the buyer profile you are looking for
The executive must then determine what type of buyer could correspond to his project. The choice is not based solely on the financial capacity to buy the company: the profile, experience and project of the buyer can also be important according to the expectations of the seller.
Several profiles can be envisaged: a family member, an employee or several employees of the company, another entrepreneur or a company wishing to develop its activity.
Example :
An executive who wishes to preserve the local activity and maintain the employees can look for a buyer wishing to continue the activity in the same premises.
Conversely, a manager who wishes to pass on quickly may prefer a buyer who already has experience in the sector and the means necessary to carry out the operation.
It is therefore useful to define in advance expected characteristics of the buyer : professional experience, skills needed for the activity, capacity to finance the recovery, willingness to continue or develop the company, etc.
Please note
For better understand the expectations of buyers and to facilitate the search for a candidate, it may be useful to consult the file " I'm picking up ».
The leader can then adapt your search to the desired buyer profile and choose the most suitable means of dissemination to his project.
In particular, it may file its proposed sale on Transenterprise, the CCI and CMA transmission exchange, in order to disseminate an offer and to be put in touch with potential buyers:
Transenterprise: linking sellers/buyers of companies
It may also publish its offer on the Bourse de la Transmission de Bpifrance, which includes divestiture announcements proposed by various partners:
Exchange for the transmission of companies
Please note
For deepen the research and selection stages, see the sheet " Business transfer: find and select a buyer ».
Transmission that is not anticipated with sufficient hindsight can impede the good continuity of the companyor even make it impossible.
The design of a transmission schedule consists in organizing upstream the various worksites to be implemented until the actual disposal of the company:
- Anticipate your company transfer project
- Diagnose your company
- Choosing the right legal method of assignment
- Prepare forecast items
- Valuing your company
- Prepare the presentation file for your company
- Find and select the right buyer
- Negotiate and draft the Memorandum of Understanding
- Sign the final deed of transfer
- Manage Post Assignment
Please note
In parallel with this schedule, the company manager must continue to develop its company so as not to cause a decrease in its value before its actual transmission.
Who can help me?
The Public Service company Advisors
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CCI Hauts de France
Chambers of Crafts and Crafts (CMA)
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