Practice Insight
Practice insights are articles submitted by practitioners, such as entrepreneurs, consultants, managers, and venture investors. These articles undergo editorial review but are not peer reviewed.
Consultants often create their greatest value in ways families do not expect. They help families uncover what is really keeping them stuck, facilitate difficult conversations, coordinate with other Read More...
Category: Practice Insight
Authors: Holly Eddleston and Kimberly Eddleston
Interviewee: Claudia Binz Astrachan , David Karofsky , Dennis Jaffe , Doug Baumoel , Greg McCann , Joe Astrachan , John Davis , Maria Sinanis , Shay Harris-Pierre
The Value Chain, PESTEL, and Competitive Analysis can help entrepreneurs understand where they create value, anticipate market shifts, and compete more effectively. In a previous EIX article I Read More...
Category: Practice Insight
Author: Joseph Giglio
A strong valuation is not enough. Families need to understand the emotional, relational, and governance consequences of selling before they commit. For many family businesses, selling is no longer Read More...
Category: Practice Insight
Author: Paul Edelman
When a successor becomes CEO, the title may change overnight — but authority, identity, and trust do not. Next-generation leaders must act like the CEO before they feel like one. A successor takes Read More...
Category: Practice Insight
Author: Dr. Benjamin Ritter
Founder resistance is often more complicated than control. Empathy can help families understand what founders are trying to protect — and what their continued involvement may be preventing. Read More...
Category: Practice Insight
Author: Paul Edelman
Families often struggle to decide whether shares should be divided equally among children or reflect leadership, sacrifice, and “sweat equity.” In family businesses, few conversations generate Read More...
Category: Practice Insight
Authors: Claudia Binz Astrachan , Lindsay Hardie and Joseph Astrachan
Venture debt can help startups extend their cash runway without giving up more equity. Marshall Hawks explains how it works, who qualifies, and when founders should consider it. EDITOR'S NOTE: Most Read More...
Category: Practice Insight
Authors: Peter Birkeland and Marshall Hawks
From death and divorce to disruption and disrepute: these 12 hidden risks can weaken family enterprises over time. Family enterprises are often admired for their long-term orientation, strong values, Read More...
Category: Practice Insight
Authors: Matthew Crudgington and Peter Vogel
Porter’s Five Forces, SWOT analysis, customer value propositions, and unit economics are not just for big companies. Used together, they can help entrepreneurs understand competition, sharpen Read More...
Category: Practice Insight
Author: Joseph Giglio
When decisions become emotionally charged, it becomes harder to think clearly just when clear thinking is needed most. A family business leader said to me recently, “We need to make a decision, but Read More...
Category: Practice Insight
Author: Paul Edelman