Succession planning

Preserving tradition. Securing the future. Shaping growth.

The ICT and telecommunications industry is in a state of flux: new technologies, growing competitive pressure and an impending generational change are shaping the market. With SAVECALL as a partner, entrepreneurs can secure a sustainable future, strengthen their growth and benefit from a trusting partnership for company succession and integration.

Successful successions

Logo of Bluestring

“It was crucial for us to see how structured SAVECALL works and what questions were asked during the process. It quickly became clear that they really understand the business. At the same time, we know that our customers are in good hands there. In hindsight, that was clearly the right decision.” – Robert Platil, Managing Director of Bluestring.

Logo Avaya - Partner of SAVECALL

“Together with Savecall, we can convince many more users of the benefits of our solutions – because they make the difference for successful, modern business communication. As a sales agent, Savecall is very close to its customers and knows their needs inside out.” – Christof Legat, Sales Leader Midmarket Cloud Germany at Avaya.

Robert Platil and Nikolaus von Johnston together at SAVECALL

The interview on the acquisition of Bluestring

Sell vs. Keep Running

€500,000
5 Years
4.5× Annual Profit
💡 Reality check: Market shifts, new competitors, technological disruption, or economic downturns can significantly reduce your profit. Today’s sale price locks in your company’s current value, no matter what tomorrow brings.
🤝 Earn-Out Option: Partial sale with continued involvement

You don’t have to step away completely. Stay on as an advisor or managing director.

20% Earn-Out
Upfront Payment
€1,800,000
Total Earn-Out
€450,000
Per Year (3 Years)
€150,000
💼 How it works: You receive a portion upfront and earn the remainder through your involvement during the transition phase. This ensures a smooth handover while you continue to benefit from the success of your life’s work.

5 More Years of Work

Scenario: Realistic

Expected Gross Profit
€2,125,000
Income Tax + Solidarity Surcharge + Church Tax
Effective ~47.5% -€1,009,375
Net After Taxes
€1,115,625
❌ Tax burden: 47.5%
⚠️ RISKS & DOWNSIDES
  • 5 more years of hard work
  • Market & economic risks
  • Rising competitive pressure
  • Skills shortage & staffing risks
  • Technological disruption
  • Regulatory changes
  • Health risks
🎲 No guarantee that profits will stay stable!
⭐ RECOMMENDED

Sale from Private Assets

Partial Income Method (Teileinkünfteverfahren)

Sale Price (4.5× Annual Profit)
€2,250,000
60% taxable €1,350,000
Less allowance §16 EStG -€9,060
Tax -€636,697
Net After Taxes
€1,613,303
✅ Only 28.3% tax!
YOUR ADVANTAGES
  • Cash in your account IMMEDIATELY
  • No more entrepreneurial risk
  • ~40% less tax than keeping the business
  • 5 years of life gained back
  • Freedom for family & hobbies
  • No more sleepless nights
  • Professional handover secured
🔒 100% certainty. Your money is guaranteed!
🏆 OPTIMAL
🏛️

Sale via Holding

§8b KStG: 95% tax-free

Sale Price (4.5× Annual Profit)
€2,250,000
95% tax-free! €2,137,500
5% taxable €112,500
Corporate + Trade Tax (~30%) -€32,625
Net Inside the Holding
€2,217,375
✅ Only 1.45% tax!
💡 MAXIMUM TAX ADVANTAGE
  • Sell almost tax-free
  • Reinvest capital inside the holding
  • Build wealth without deductions
  • Flexible distribution later
📌 On distribution: +26.4% withholding tax
→ Net private: €1,632,265 (27.5% total)

🎯 The choice is clear:

Why work and take risks for 5 more years when you can get more NOW?

❌ Keep Running (5 years)
€1,115,625
+ 5 years of work + risk
✅ Sale (Private)
€1,613,303
IMMEDIATE + risk-free
🏆 Sale (Holding)
€2,217,375
Inside holding: only 1.5% tax!

📊 Tax Breakdown

Keep Running

Ongoing profits are fully taxed: 42% income tax + solidarity surcharge + church tax = ~47.5%

Sale from Private Assets

Partial Income Method: Only 60% taxable + €9,060 allowance = ~28.3%

Sale via Holding

§8b KStG: 95% tax-free! Only 5% × ~30% (corporate + trade tax) = ~1.5%. Ideal for reinvestment.

Ready for the next step?

Let’s discuss your options together. No obligation, fully confidential.

Schedule a call

* This calculation is for illustrative purposes only. The actual tax burden depends on your individual situation (including ownership stake, holding period, holding structure). We recommend consulting a qualified tax advisor.

Welcome to the most networked family in the industry

Portrait of Nikolaus von Johnston, CEO of the SAVECALL Group, expert in company succession and company integration in the ICT and telecommunications sector.

"Preserving the local culture and identity of its employees is a key component of our acquisition strategy."

Change in the ICT sector
New technologies, increasing price and competitive pressure and a generational shift are shaping the market - companies are facing major changes.

Shaping the future with SAVECALL
SAVECALL is the strong partner for entrepreneurs who want to secure growth, innovation and a sustainable future.

Sustainable integration for entrepreneurs
Integration into SAVECALL is a strategic step that benefits entrepreneurs, employees and partners alike - a real win/win/win.

Preserving identity - utilizing synergies
Each company remains unique in its culture and at the same time benefits from the advantages of a strong group and shared resources.

Integration process

Stronger together

"Savecall offers all stakeholders in your business the opportunity to build a sustainable future together and benefit from our group."

Diversity as a strength
The diversity within the SAVECALL Group creates attractiveness for customers and employees and makes the difference in the market.

Strategic partnerships
We secure access to state-of-the-art tools and technologies through strong partnerships with leading providers.

Added value for customers
Increased efficiency, process optimization and enhanced services create direct benefits for your customers.

Team photo of the SAVECALL Group with CEO Nikolaus von Johnston and employees - experts in company succession, company integration and ICT consulting.

Combining strengths - creating added value

Business portrait of Nikolaus von Johnston, CEO of the SAVECALL Group, expert for company succession, company integration and ICT strategy consulting.
Nikolaus von Johnston
CEO SAVECALL Group

A conversation about succession planning with Nikolaus von Johnston:

Mr. Johnston, you say that every new acquisition creates added value for everyone involved. How can we imagine that?

Savecall has made several acquisitions in recent years. These have involved trustworthy succession solutions, entrepreneurs who wanted to start something new again, asset deals, insolvencies or restructurings. We are flexible. The recent acquisition of AVAYA's Carrier Services business in 2024 certainly attracted the most attention. A significant transaction. Due to global standardization, the midmarket segment has become increasingly unattractive for AVAYA. However, without a clear focus on this market and adapted products, it will not be possible to satisfy the demanding customers in this segment. With our focus on SMEs, an agile organization and a cutting-edge product portfolio, there was a clear WiN/WiN/WiN for everyone involved. Customers, Avaya and us. A good example of the added value for everyone.

I see that various (acquired) companies are merging or working together. Will you continue to do this in the future?

A merger only makes sense if it generates added value and this is not possible without cooperation. 1 and 1 should make 3 or even better 4. We achieve this by bringing together the best of the worlds of both companies. We learn and benefit from each other as equals. Every company has strengths and weaknesses. If these are skillfully combined, both become better. AND the customer benefits enormously from this. Not just the customer, of course. We also see that the new, expanded environment leads to satisfaction and a spirit of optimism among the employees. They are ambitious people who want to learn from each other and develop further, and many employees also benefit from our good organization and expertise in many areas of the company. They are happy about the resulting relief. Just think of joint purchasing, HR, CRM, administration/finance, billing and security. But our consultants and technical excellence groups are also happy to share their knowledge and solve practical problems better.

What do you think about synergies? What can be centralized and what not?

The most important thing is that we integrate each individual employee in the best possible way. We do this by providing them with the best possible platform in our industry. Here they can put their skills to ideal use. Finding the best leverage for themselves, so to speak. We achieve this by always taking the best from all our companies. There is always a lot that the other can do better and so we are constantly learning. With every step we take. The Brothers Grimm used to say: "Put the good in the pot, the bad in the bowl". A natural improvement process for the benefit of us all. Because, of course, every employee loves to be able to do things better and every customer loves to be served faster and at lower cost. AND, this approach keeps us ahead of the competition in the market, because over the years we become the sum of all the best ideas of all our companies and their founders. That is mega.

I have seen that Savecall has a strong focus on global partnerships with providers from the cloud, data, mobile, voice, security, iot, etc. sectors. What is the idea behind this?

We like to enter into partnerships that make everyone involved stronger and always strive to achieve a leading position with our partners. This is the only way we can offer our customers extraordinary added value. These added values are also crucial for companies that join us. They enable us to offer solutions faster and more easily at better conditions. And that's what it's all about. Being or becoming better. That's what makes the difference.

Which customer sizes do you focus on?

Our customers are typically medium-sized companies with 20-2000 employees. However, we also serve some large global corporations. We are not good with small customers. We are not at home in the SOHO sector.

What developments do you see in the market and do these offer opportunities for you? Which customer sizes do you focus on?

New technologies, changing networks, increasing internationalization, new underlay networks, high demands on modern and flexible workplaces, complex IT stacks, legislation, cyber security & NIS2, digitalization, Ai.... Complexity is constantly increasing, which is why customers increasingly need a trusted advisor. Someone they know and who understands them. Someone who reduces complexity and makes selection decisions faster and easier, as well as managing and servicing them when required. Savecall does that. This is what our experts are known and valued for. This is our opportunity. What we do is needed more and more.

Are you interested in new acquisition candidates?

Definitely! Every company that we are allowed to acquire represents a great added value for Savecall. We also see that we are in a position to offer these companies added value. The interest is mutual. If you are reading this, please do not hesitate to contact me. We are very happy if anyone would like to know more about our approach and strategy. We often hear that people are surprised at how simple and straightforward we are.