Two-day workshop · ¥41,000 JPY
Working through the handover together, so both sides know what changes and when
For family firms and small partnerships where the owner and successor need to work through responsibilities, decision authority, and relationships — with someone in the room to keep the conversation structured.
Back to home Get in touchWhat this workshop delivers
A written handover framework both parties have built together
Succession in a small firm is less about the legal transfer and more about the practical one — who holds which customer relationship, who makes which call, what the successor needs to know that the owner has never written down because they've never had to.
This workshop brings owner and successor into the same room for two days of structured work on exactly those questions. What comes out of it is a written handover framework that both parties have contributed to, a clearer shared understanding of what transfers and in what order, and a review session six months later to see how the transition is actually going.
You may leave with
- A written framework covering what transfers, to whom, and in what sequence
- Shared clarity between owner and successor on decision authority at each stage
- Customer and supplier relationships mapped and assigned to the handover sequence
- A six-month review session to assess how the transition is progressing
Why succession is a particular kind of challenge
The difficulty isn't usually the decision to hand over — it's working out how
Most owners know succession is coming. They may have a successor in mind, or one already working in the firm. The decision to hand over has been made, at least in principle. What tends to be less clear is the practical shape of it — which responsibilities move first, what the successor needs to understand about relationships that have been built over years, and what the owner's role looks like during and after the transition.
These things are rarely written down because they've never needed to be. They exist in the owner's head and in long-standing patterns of work. Making them explicit — in a way that's useful to both parties — takes time and the right kind of conversation.
Without that, transitions tend to either stall or proceed unevenly — the formal parts complete while the practical ones lag. This workshop is designed to do the slower, less obvious work that makes the handover hold.
The approach
Two days of structured work on the right questions
Responsibilities and decision authority
A structured mapping of what the owner currently decides, what the successor already handles, and where the boundary sits. Then a considered discussion of how that boundary shifts over time — not all at once, but in a sequence that makes sense for the firm.
Customer and supplier relationships
Relationships held personally by the owner — with long-standing customers, key suppliers, referral sources — are among the most fragile elements of a handover. The workshop maps them explicitly and works out how each should be introduced to or built with the successor.
Sequence and timing
What transfers in what order matters as much as what transfers at all. The workshop produces a practical sequence — not a rigid timetable, but a considered order in which responsibilities and relationships should move so that the firm stays stable throughout.
Open discussion periods
Alongside the structured exercises, the two days include periods of open conversation — time for the owner and successor to raise the things that are harder to put in a framework. The facilitator's role is to keep those conversations productive and recorded.
What the two days look like
On site, at your pace, with a structure that holds the conversation
The workshop is delivered on site at your firm's premises, which keeps the conversation grounded in the actual environment rather than abstracted to a meeting room somewhere else. Both days run at a measured pace — there's no pressure to reach a particular point by a particular hour.
Before the two days, Hinata has separate preparatory conversations with the owner and with the successor. These allow each person to raise the things they find harder to say in the same room, and let the facilitator arrive with a better understanding of where the sensitivities are.
The written handover framework produced during the workshop is a practical document, not a formal report. It's designed to be used — referenced as the transition proceeds, adjusted as circumstances change.
Workshop structure
Before the workshop
Separate preparatory conversations with owner and successor individually
Day one
Responsibilities, decision authority, and the current state of the handover mapped together
Day two
Relationships, sequence, open discussion, and the written framework drafted jointly
After the workshop
Written handover framework circulated in final form within a few days
Six months later
Review session to assess progress and address anything that has shifted — included in the fee
Investment
What's included
¥41,000 JPY
Single payment · Two-day on-site engagement
The fee covers the full engagement from preparatory conversations through to the six-month review session. Travel within Tokyo consulting is included; travel to other regions can be discussed at the initial conversation. There are no separate charges for the written framework or the review session.
Preparatory conversations
Separate calls with owner and successor before the workshop days
Two-day facilitated workshop (on site)
Structured exercises and open discussion over both days, at your premises
Written handover framework
Produced during the workshop and circulated in final form afterwards
Six-month review session
A follow-up to assess how the transition has progressed and address anything that has shifted
How this tends to work in practice
What the workshop typically surfaces, and why it helps
Most workshops surface a handful of things that neither party had explicitly discussed — not because they were avoiding them, but because they'd never sat down to work through them systematically. Relationships held personally by the owner are often the most significant: customers who call the owner's mobile, suppliers where the terms are understood informally, referrers who would need to be introduced to someone new.
The six-month review tends to be where the framework's value becomes clearest. By that point, some things will have transferred smoothly, others will have stalled or shifted. The review session provides a structured moment to look at what's happened and make adjustments, rather than letting the transition drift.
2 days
On site at your firm
Both
Owner and successor together
Written
Framework produced jointly
6 mths
Review session included
Commitment
A workshop that's worth the two days for both participants
The preparatory conversations aren't just setup — they're where Hinata develops enough understanding of the situation to make the workshop days genuinely useful rather than generic. If after those conversations it's clear that the workshop isn't the right format, that's raised before the two days happen.
Succession workshops work best when both parties are genuinely willing to engage with the process. The facilitator's role is to keep that engagement productive, not to push towards conclusions that haven't been reached. The written framework reflects what was actually agreed, not a template with names filled in.
Preparatory conversations before commitment
The separate calls with owner and successor happen before the workshop is confirmed. If the format isn't suitable, that emerges before any days are committed.
A framework that reflects your situation
The written output is built from what comes out of your two days, not produced from a standard template. It should be recognisable to both parties as a record of their own decisions.
Getting started
What happens after you get in touch
01
Send a message
A brief description of the situation — who the owner and successor are, where the transition stands. No detailed brief needed.
02
Initial call
A short conversation to understand the situation and establish whether the workshop format makes sense. No commitment at this stage.
03
Preparatory conversations
Separate calls with owner and successor individually, to understand each person's perspective before the two days together.
04
Two-day workshop
On site at your firm. Written framework follows within a few days. Six-month review scheduled and included in the fee.
Succession and Handover Workshop
If the handover is approaching and the practical questions haven't been worked through yet, it may be worth a conversation
Send a message with a brief description of where the transition stands. Hinata will be in touch within two working days.
¥41,000 JPY · Two-day on-site workshop · Six-month review included
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