All-Time Greats: Announcing Our Wetherbe Award Winners

The Wetherbe Thought Leadership Awards recognize EIX and FamilyBusiness.org authors whose articles have had extraordinary impact over the past decade. 

EIX and FamilyBusiness.org are expected to attract more than 20 million page views by the end of the 2024-25 academic year on June 30.  To recognize contributors who have helped us achieve this milestone, we’ve recently launched the Wetherbe Thought Leadership Awards program.   

The Wetherbe awards are given to articles – published at any time in the history of our two sites --  that have reached certain viewership benchmarks. Gold Award articles have achieved at least 250,000 page views, and Platinum Award articles have achieved at least 500,000 page views. The articles reaching these viewership milestones now display a gold or platinum badge.  

The awards are in honor of Dr. James Wetherbe, Founding Editor of EIX, who worked closely with Best Buy Founder Richard M. Schulze to launch EIX in 2014 and FamilyBusiness.org in 2018.  Dick Schulze is passionate about helping more entrepreneurs and family enterprises achieve success, and his continued support allows both our sites to bring free, research-based practical advice to millions of viewers around the world.  

Along with serving as EIX's Founding Editor, Jim Wetherbe is also the Richard Schulze Distinguished Professor at Texas Tech University. The author of 40 books and more than 200 articles published in leading research and practice journals, Jim was the first recipient of the MIS Quarterly Distinguished Scholar Award and is ranked as one of the 20 most influential scholars in management and information technology. Information Week rates Jim as one of the top dozen consultants and lecturers on management and information technology.  

Like the Schulze Publication Awards announced in February, the Wetherbe Awards consider viewership and impact. The Wetherbes are different because the awards are open to all articles published on our two sites since EIX’s launch in 2014 and FamilyBusiness.org’s launch in 2018; the Schulze Awards focus on articles published within a shorter time frame, typically the most recent year. 

Here are the all-time Platinum and Gold Award winners from both our sites as of May 12, 2025: 

Platinum Awards

How to Plan for A Successful Succession – Richard Eisenberg

Test Your Startup Idea in One Day – Max Mirho

How Family Dynamics Shape Family Businesses –Joseph Astrachan and Claudia Binz Astrachan

How to Pitch Your Startup to Attract Money – Jonathan Littman and Susanna Camp

Field of Dreams: Exploration of Entrepreneurial Possibilities – Michael Lounsbury and Tim Hannigan

Why Inventors Should Embrace Unequal Partnerships – Dean Kamen

How Family Firms Can Prevent (or Cool Down) Sibling Rivalries – Kimberly Eddleston and Jonas Ruzek

Should I Participate in a Business Accelerator? – Jon Eckhardt

Startups with Onsite Employees Grow 3 ½ Times Faster – Steve Blank

The Paradox of Choice: Wealth’s Impact on Family Potential – Doug Baumoel

What Venture Capital Can Do For Your Company – Eapen Chacko

Consumers Love Local Brands: That’s Good News For Family Businesses -- Philipp Jaufenthaler, Andreas Kallmuenzer, Sascha Kraus, and Alfredo De Massis

Take a CLEAN Look at Your Business Post-COVID-19 – Dave Ketchen and Christopher Craighead.

Gold Awards

Why Families and Their Firms Behave Badly – Roland Kidwell, Kimberly Eddleston, Linda Kidwell, John Cater and Ellison Howard

The Biggest Mistakes Family Businesses Make With Their Boards – Kimberly Eddleston

Learn From Leaders: Developing an Idea – Jon Eckhardt and Daniel Forbes

Class Explores Legal Aspects of Business Entities – Tanya Marcum

Turning Your Invention Into a Business – Kelsey Ogletree

AI Won’t Replace Innovators and Fresh Thinking – Robert Buday

How to Care for Your Team During a Crisis – Theodore Waldron and James Wetherbe

Developing Competent Owners and Stewards for a Lasting Family Business – Claudia Binz Astrachan

Leveraging Generative AI Tools Like ChatGPT for Startups and Small Business Growth – David Townsend