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Jonas Schmitz
ende

Insights

Thoughts on succession, region and economy.

Not a content mill — but perspectives on the topics Jonas Schmitz actually works on: business succession, regional development, and the relationship between culture and the economy. Honest, without sales language.

Succession & Mittelstand5 min read

Business wanted: why I want to continue companies without a successor

What happens to a company when no successor is found? Often it is not just a business that disappears, but a life's work. That is exactly why I am looking for companies that deserve a future.

Succession & Mittelstand4 min read

When is the right time for succession?

Succession is rarely urgent until it suddenly is. How to recognise that the moment has come — and why waiting is the most expensive mistake.

Succession & Mittelstand4 min read

What matters in succession — beyond the price

A life's work is not sold to the highest bidder. Why four things weigh more than the price in a handover.

Culture & Economy4 min read

Why culture is an economic location factor

Culture is the first thing cut and the last thing valued. Why it is in fact an economic location factor.

Regional development4 min read

What carries a region economically

Regions are not carried by single beacons, but by a dense web. Where economic substance between the Rhine, Moselle and Eifel comes from.

Networks & Digitalisation4 min read

Why access is the hardest currency

Most good ventures fail not on the idea, but on access. What makes a network truly valuable — and what sets it apart from a mailing list.

Networks & Digitalisation4 min read

Where AI really helps the Mittelstand — and where it does not

Much is promised about AI. For the Mittelstand, one sober question matters: where does it truly save time — and where does it only cost some?

Succession & Mittelstand3 min read

Succession without your own children — what then?

When no one in the family wants to take over the business, that is not a failure. Which paths remain then — and why speaking early is decisive.

Succession & Mittelstand3 min read

The most common mistakes in handing over a business

Most mistakes in a handover happen not at the negotiating table, but long before it. Three that recur — and how to avoid them.

Regional development4 min read

Keeping skilled workers — why the region decides

You do not win skilled workers on salary alone. Why the place matters too — and what that means for businesses in the region.

Succession & Mittelstand4 min read

Handing over to your own employees — chances and limits

Sometimes the best successor is already in the business. When handing over to your own team is the right path — and where its limits lie.

Culture & Economy4 min read

When companies support culture — what both gain

Cultural support is often seen as charity. Why it is in truth a gain for companies and the region alike — when it is honestly meant.

Succession & Mittelstand9 min read

The succession wave in figures — what is actually coming for the German Mittelstand

A historic succession wave is quickly proclaimed. This article sets out what the current studies by IfM Bonn, KfW and the DIHK actually show — and where their limits lie.

Regional development5 min read

What is lost when no one takes over

When a healthy business closes because no one continues it, more than a company disappears. This article separates what is evidenced from what merely sounds plausible.

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