IESE Prof. Edi Soler is a member of IESE’s Accounting and Control and Analysis of Business Problems Departments, as well as the academic director of the 4th annual Family Business Financial Forum, which will take place on May 7, 2026 on the Madrid campus.
Family businesses have shown a distinctive ability to deliver growth, resilience and value creation in recent years.
This is no coincidence: family-owned firms represent 92.4% of Spanish businesses, generate close to 70% of private-sector employment and account for around 57% of the country’s gross value added.
Beyond their scale, they also stand out for their longevity: 77% remain active ten years after their establishment—outperforming their non-family counterparts.
At the same time, studies show that family firms are not only growing faster than the market but also leading innovation and adaptation in increasingly complex environments.
Yet this growth is neither automatic nor without its tensions.
Growth as a strategic imperative
The long-term sustainability of family businesses requires making deep strategic decisions about size, financing, governance, professionalization and the relationship between family and business.
In this context, access to external capital—and private equity in particular—has become an increasingly relevant lever to drive growth and organizational professionalization, as well as to facilitate succession processes.
Far from being merely a source of funding, these investors can act as strategic partners, bringing discipline, operational capabilities and support during expansion phases.
That said, their involvement raises important questions around control, time horizon, and alignment with family values.
4th Family Business Financial Forum
Ultimately, growth in family businesses requires striking a careful balance between ambition and coherence, capital and control, and professionalization and culture.
These issues will take center stage at the 4th IESE Family Business Financial Forum, scheduled for May 7 on our Madrid campus.
With sessions in both English and Spanish, the event will bring together owners, CEOs, CFOs and investors to share real-world insights on growth—and its implications—in family businesses.
We hope you can join us on May 7!