In family businesses, the question of succession is bound to come up sooner or later. But just how willing is the successor to step up and take the place of one of his or her parents? What motivates such decisions? In current discussions, decisions relating to business successorship appear to increasingly constitute a voluntary action on the successor's part. Despite societal developments, such as diverse range of career options, successors still decide to enter the family business. That said, the family member assuming successorship will often have mixed feelings about their decision. The author examines the actual degrees of freedom given to successors, analyses motives for succession willingness and points out factors that favour such a decision.