A major survey of over 1900 Capricorn Members, our State of the Nation 2022 Report suggests not enough Members are considering these crucial questions. It discovered 32% of Members have no succession plan in place and another 32% believe it’s too early to think about either retirement or transitioning ownership of the business to someone else.
This includes 45% of Members over the age of 55 who have either no plan or believe that it's too early for retirement planning or succession planning.
Capricorn Member future planning transition/retirement planning
It’s never too early to plan for succession
Capricorn CEO of Automotive, Brad Gannon, said it’s understandable that many Members don’t have a succession plan in place, because the conversations involved — with family, business partners and employees — can be hard.
But it’s not just that the unexpected death of a business owner throws the workshop’s operation into chaos, it’s also about the efficient and productive running of the workshop today.
“Having those conversations, even if you’ve got no intention of moving on anytime soon, is a way of engaging your staff in the success of the business,” Mr Gannon said.
“Rather than just turning up and doing their job, employees think ‘I’m invested in coming in here, working hard, and making this business a success, because one day it could be mine.’
“I think more so than in many other industries it is important for workshop owners to address succession planning as soon as possible.
“Having a succession plan in place identifies what skills are required in a workshop for the owner to take a step back. You’re also empowering people and getting them to buy into the success of your business. Members can be far more successful by developing the right talent and keeping them engaged.”
Working on the business, not in the business
Encouraging staff to learn more about all aspects of the operation and giving them greater responsibility for the success of the business also make life easier for the workshop owner, Mr Gannon said.
“Without a long-term succession plan in place that identifies what knowledge and skills need to be developed and maintained within the business, too much will continue to fall back on the owner,” he said.
“This puts the business at risk of being overly reliant on a few key people who may move on or are totally reliant on the owner. And it also puts the owner at risk of burnout if they feel they can never get away from the business to spend time with their family or just take some time off to reflect on how they’re going, where they’re at, make some broader plans.”
Mr Gannon said having a succession plan in place means if you ultimately need someone to take over, or take a greater load, that option is available to you.
How do Members think they’ll “get out” of their businesses?
The State of the Nation study also asked Members about their future plans for their business when they were ready to retire.
Here’s what they said. (Note: numbers are rounded.)
| Business after retirement | Total | Australia | New Zealand |
| Put it up for sale | 39% | 37% | 46% |
| Transfer ownership | 24% | 24% | 22% |
| Haven't thought about it/don't know | 23% | 23% | 21% |
| Close it down | 12% | 13% | 8% |
| Other | 2% | 3% | 3% |
Mr Gannon said Members who have succession plans in place will also benefit from the goodwill they have accrued in the business.
“I think too many of our automotive businesses have developed so much value in goodwill in their business which without a succession plan will get lost,” he said.
“If you just close your doors, you don’t pass on all your customers to anyone else, so you don’t get the true reward of all the goodwill that you’ve developed.”
Is it time to think about a succession plan?
If you don’t have a succession plan in place, it’s time to start having those important conversations. Even if retirement is decades away, there are sound business reasons to have a plan in place.
