The success of a family business lies not only in its current profitability but in its ability to endure through time. Under this premise, the NextSMEs project recently held its international online conference, an event that successfully brought together more than 90 participants, including family business owners, policy makers, and business management experts from across Europe.

The meeting established itself as a vital forum for addressing one of the greatest challenges facing the business fabric: well-structured succession planning.

Success Stories: Learning from Experience

One of the highlights of the day was the participation of speakers from family businesses that have successfully navigated generational turnover for several decades. These entrepreneurs shared their resilience strategies and the key factors that allowed the transition between generations to become a driver for growth rather than a source of conflict.

Practical Tools for the Future: Training Course and Online Platform

During the conference, the NextSMEs team presented the tools developed to facilitate this succession process:

• Specialized Training Course: A program specifically designed to equip both successors and founders with the necessary skills to manage change.

• Online Platform: A live demonstration was conducted of the digital infrastructure where all training materials are now available, allowing companies to access high-quality resources for free and with total flexibility.

A Commitment to the Business Community

The presence of policy makers at the event underscored the importance of creating regulatory and support frameworks that protect family SMEs—the fundamental pillars of the European economy. The conference made it clear that planned succession is not just an internal company matter, but a question of regional economic sustainability.

At Geinnovacion, we continue to support projects that provide real solutions to today’s challenges. The enthusiasm and high participation in this workshop confirm that NextSMEs is an indispensable tool for the future of our companies.

Want to learn more about the project or access the training? All information is available in our official section: NextSMEs Project at Geinnovacion