In the services and fiduciary business, client relationships, expertise and trust are the real capital — values that barely show up on a balance sheet yet decide whether a firm survives. A client who entrusts their accounting, taxes or payroll to a fiduciary does so over many years and often across an entire entrepreneurial generation. A rushed or anonymous handover puts exactly that at risk: mandates drift away, experienced staff leave, and the reputation built over years suffers. This is precisely why succession in this field deserves particular care.
We therefore take over companies carefully and with respect for what has grown. Team, mandates and the personal relationship with clients are preserved; the familiar contacts a client has known for years stay in place. The previous ownership can actively accompany the transition for as long as it makes sense — from joint introductions to key clients to a gradual handover of responsibility. This keeps the continuity your clients rely on.
Through Planet GmbH we have been active in this field since 2004 and understand the industry from the inside — from the seasonal workload around year-end closings and tax deadlines to regulatory and due-diligence requirements. We know that discretion and meeting deadlines are non-negotiable in fiduciary work, and that a client base is only worth as much as the trust that carries it. This perspective shapes every step of our acquisition.
We carry out the valuation fairly and transparently. We look not only at the bare figures, but at the quality and durability of the mandates, the competence of the team, and the recurring revenues that distinguish a well-run services business. The entire process remains confidential: conversations, documents and intentions stay between us, and nothing is communicated externally until you want it and in the way you want it.
As a long-term owner we differ from a purely financial buyer aiming for a quick resale or cost optimisation. We look for solid, well-rooted companies that we want to hold and develop over generations — not to break apart, but to preserve and grow. Present your company to us discreetly; we review open-endedly and without time pressure whether we are the right partner for your succession.