About Us

By helping the owners of family businesses to fulfil their corporate responsibility in the best possible way, we serve not only the interests of our customers but also the interests of society. After all, well-managed family businesses embody the best form of capitalist economic activity.

Owner-strategic consulting has been - and will remain - the core of PETER MAY. Based on this, we offer our customers and clients a comprehensive range of services, which also includes the areas of wealth and family office, further education, as well as legal and tax advice (provided by cooperating professionals).

Our success is founded on five simple values.

A strong team. We are convinced that teamwork makes us better. We complement each other – with our different expertise, experience and personalities.

Expertise. All of our partners are renowned experts in their specialist field. From our own first-hand experience, we are intimately aware of what makes family businesses and their owners “tick.”

Experience. All of us have many years of experience of working with and for business families. Only with the right blend of expertise and experience can a good consultant become a “person who understands families.

Independence. Freedom from conflict of interest is essential to focusing advice exclusively on clients’ interests. That is why we are not part of any group and never act in any way that could endanger the independence of our advice.

Superior methodology. We all work according to the May Method developed by the company founder. This ensures superior concepts and the consistency of our work.

Objectives

We are convinced that excellent advice requires not only a convincing personality, broad knowledge rooted in experience and grounded expertise in law, business administration and/or psychology, but above all: a methodologically sound approach to consulting.

With this in mind, as the first consultant to family businesses, Peter May developed a self-contained consulting methodology for use in working with family businesses and their owners. The May Method forms the basis of our work and is an indispensable element of our quality promise.

System devices

The May Method is a comprehensive, theoretical system for the consultation of the owners of family businesses. It consists of:

Foundation

Terms
Successful concepts require a simple conceptual base. Therefore I developed definitions for the two key-terms: Family business and business owning family.
Family businesses are all businesses that are dominantly owned by a family with a multigenerational approach.

Business owning families are all families that are the dominant owners of a business with a multigenerational approach.

INTES-Principle
In 1997, everything started with the development of the INTES principle. It based on the idea that the owner’s task is not only to successfully manage his business. Family Business Owners need to balance the interests of their business, their other assets, their family and their personal goals to achieve stable and sustainable success. This way of thinking became the foundation and the theoretical base of Peter May’s work.

Peter May has explained the INTES-Principle in detail in his books “Lernen von den Champions” (2001 and 2004) and “Der Unternehmer als Chef, Manager und Privatperson”.

Analytical Tools

Family Business SWOT-Analysis
The three deterning elements of family businesses (dominant ownership, family, multigenerational approach) each bring advantages as well as disadvantages.
The Family Business SWOT-Analysis (2012) identifies these advantages and disadvantages. Therefore, it allows the identification of individual strengths and weaknesses as well as specific chances and challenges for Family businesses.
Identifying strengths and chances allows us to create a strategy that helps us to turn them into competitive advantages. Moreover, the identification of weaknesses and possible challenges is useful in finding effective counter measurements.

More information about the SWOT-Analysis for family businesses can be found in Peter May’s book “Erfolgsmodel Familienunternehmen” (2012).

3-Dimension-Model

No family business is like the next. Consequently, they all face their own individual questions and challenges.

In order to understand the key issues in your family business Peter May developed the 3-Dimension-Model. It aims to aid your understanding of the uniqueness of your family business in terms of the three dimensions: structure of ownership, governance-structure and business-structure, and you can use this classification to find the key challenges your family business faces.

The 3-dimensions model allows you to create a clean-cut analysis of the current situation and to identify succession challenges at an early stage.

More detailed information about the 3-Dimension-Model can be found in Peter May’s books “Erfolgsmodell Familienunternehmen” (2012) and “The Owner Strategy in an a Family Business” (2017).

Strategy concepts

Entrepreneur Strategy
The Entrepreneur-Strategy (2001) is a personal concept for the owner of a family business.

It based on the INTES-principle and aims to ensure the highest possible personal efficiency for the individual entrepreneur, in respect to the four main fields of action - business, assets, family and the individual person.

First, each field of action and the overall situation will be analysed. In further steps we will identify objectives, make decisions and agree on a strategy that will allow us to achieve these goals.

More about the Entrepreneur-Strategy you will find in Peter May’s books “Lernen von den Champions (2001 and 2004) and “Der Unternehmer als Chef, Manager und Privatperson” (2006).

Succession Strategy
The concept of Succession-Strategy (2015) is based on the same logical principles as the Owner strategy.

In order to simplify the complexities associated with succession it is crucial to consider the main fields of actions - business, assets, family and the individual person – as well as keeping legal and taxation issues in mind. Breaking down succession into a four-step process -consisting of analysis, defining objectives, decision making and implementation- further reduces some of the complexities associated with it.

The basic principles and mode of action of the Succession-Strategy are further explained in a paper published in the book “Nachfolge im Familienunternehmen” (Peter May/Peter Bartels 2015).

Owner Strategy
The aim of the Owner-Strategy (2008) is to ensure that the family deals responsibly with their dominant ownership of the family business.

The concept is based on the preliminary work by Professor Cuno Pümpin as well as the Family-Strategy-Concept that Peter May developed in 1998 and exceeds both of these works.

In a moderated process with the family the following questions are discussed:

1. Membership
Who can be the owner of the business and how do we shape this ownership? Who do we consider a member of the Business owning family and what does that mean?

2. Identity
Which basic understanding goals and values do we have for our ownership, our family and our business?

3. Owner-Business Model
What is our business model and what is the framework in which our family business should be developed?

4. Corporate Governance
How does the family influence the business and how do we shape its governance?

5. Family Governance
What do we do in order to ensure family cohesion and responsible ownership? And how do we ensure that the next generation is well prepared for their future role?

6. Roles
What roles are there? And who should take on these roles?
The answers will be recorded in a family constitution and a comprehensive strategy paper that will also include necessary steps for its implementation.

The basics and mode of action of the Owner-Strategy are explained in more detail in Peter May’s book “Erfolgsmodell Familienunternehmen” (2012).

Adequate Business Strategies, Financing Concepts and Governance Structures
Family businesses are different from other types of business. Consequently they need different business strategies, financing concepts and governance structures.
Structures that will turn their specific strength into a competitive advantage as well as limiting their weaknesses.

In Peter May’s book “Erfolgsmodell Familieunternehmen” (2012), he further describes such structures and concepts.

We have conducted more than 1,000 consulting projects with and for family business owners and business families in recent decades. Satisfied customers and public recognition are important indicators of successful work. With this in mind, we have compiled for you a selection of references.