Most people assume it’s about the market, the right buyer at the right time and the right price. You might imagine there will be a moment when all the stars align, when the perfect economic and business cycles match your own life. But those stars rarely line up. If you wait for perfect certainty, you may end up waiting forever.

Walk down the main street of any Australian town and you’ll find them. The bakery that’s been in the same family for three generations. The transport company still run from a fibro office out the back of the depot. The vineyard where the children grew up running between the rows, now bringing in their own ideas about climate and technology. Family enterprises don’t just make up part of our economy, they carry the character of our communities.

But what about those waiting in the wings? It’s easy to assume the next generation is ready to step up, but capacity here is about more than just meeting the legal minimum. It’s about financial literacy, emotional intelligence, and the ability to navigate the sometimes choppy waters of family dynamics.

For family businesses, the end to the financial year is much more than just a date on the calendar or a stack of invoices waiting to be reconciled. It is a time when the conversations shift from what happened last quarter to what comes next, not just for the business, but for the family running it.

Money doesn't blow up families; Egos do. Which is why a bit of truth goes an incredibly long way.

At some point, though, every family hits a snag. Maybe it’s a disagreement over the future direction of the business, or maybe it’s just that old family dynamics rear their heads when the stakes are high. This is where an independent Family Adviser becomes worth their weight in gold.

For many Australian family business owners, the timing of a sale often feels completely out of sync with the business’s growth cycle, the prevailing economic winds, or the evolving plans and aspirations of the family itself. If you’re grappling with this conundrum, you’re not alone—and the path forward is rarely linear.

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