Team member Prof. Mirela Alpeza visited SEAMK – Seinäjoki University of Applied Sciences, whose researchers Elina Varamäki, Anmari Viljamaa, and Juha Tall are pioneers in business transfer research in Europe. They have been conducting the national business transfer survey in Finland since 2012.
With their support, CEPOR – SMEs and Entrepreneurship Policy Center conducted the Business Transfer Barometer survey in Croatia in 2015 and 2025, providing an opportunity to compare the perceptions of Finnish and Croatian entrepreneurs regarding various aspects of business transfer.
The Finnish research provides many interesting insights, including differences in business transfer planning between family and non-family businesses:
➡️ In Finland, 36% of businesses plan a family succession (compared with 39% in Croatia), 41% plan to sell the business (23% in Croatia), and 18% plan to close the business (7% in Croatia). In Croatia, an additional 22% of entrepreneurs plan to retain ownership while engaging a professional manager.
➡️ The larger the company, the greater the parents’ expectations that their children will take over the business, as well as the intention to pursue family succession.
➡️ The intention to sell is highest among businesses with 2 to 4 employees.
➡️ As many as 60% of family businesses with more than 20 employees have an external member on their board of directors.
➡️ Only 10% of entrepreneurs have a documented succession plan (compared with 7% in Croatia), while 18% have such a plan “in their head” (23% in Croatia).
➡️ As many as 64% of family businesses recognize the importance of expert support in the business transfer process, and this share is increasing.
This research visit enabled further exchange of experiences, discussions on future research directions, and exploration of opportunities for developing various forms of education and training at Croatian universities.
