14/4/2021
Questions for family business successors
General information
1. Your name: Jan Kossi 2. Your age: 28
3. Company name: “ A L L E G R O “ s.r.o.
4. Industry: Construction 5. Location: Praha
6. Year of foundation: 93 7. Age of the owner: 56 8. Number of employees: 50 Questions
1. Is your company going through succession within the next 10 years?
In 2023, my father plans on retiring
2. Does your family business have a family council in place?
Not a formal one. We just have active discussions within the family. Mostly between me and my father who make the decisions related to business.
• Are family council meetings conducted in a formal or informal manor?
As mentioned, informal, just normal conversations which occur over time.
3. Has there been a selection of a clear successor in your business?
• How much responsibility does the successor currently hold over daily operations?
Construction manager, 25%
• Are business strategy decisions made by the incumbent, successor or both?
Both
• If such decisions are made by the incumbent and successor are business perspectives aligned or differ?
Depends on each decision, incumbent wins 90% of the time when we differ in opinions
• Will you make drastic changes to the business strategy after the transfer of
ownership has been completed? If so would you describe the strategy you plan on implementing to be more aggressive or conservative than the current one?
Yes, some. More aggressive towards expansion in other parts of the industry 4. In your own words please describe what you believe contributes to the competitive
advantage that family businesses hold over non- family business Trust, tradition, responsibility.
5. Are there criteria for hiring family members in your business? (education, experience)
For family members it is easier to get in and each family member can be assigned to position that suits their education the most. Not necessarily a management position 6. Are stakeholders aware of your succession plan?
Yes, we discuss it quite often
7. Is succession planning part of your businesses overall strategy or are they unrelated?
Related to overall strategy of the business
8. Do you intend on keeping the business family owned/operated?
Owned yes, operated not necessarily
9. How many years have you been active in your family business and how have your responsibilities evolved?
13 years, from assistant work to construction manager
10. Are your main competitors family businesses or non-family businesses? Please briefly describe your competitive position in your industry.
Non-family. Unique and different products in small volumes. Quality of work done so far and experiences of construction managers
