Our Latest Articles

July 15, 2024 - Issue #122

Single Family Offices as Owners: Long-Term Investors or Financial Optimizers? The capital structure of a firm determines its financial viability and creditworthiness. Families should understand how ownership influences this structure.

How Founders Can Stay Relevant When the Next Gen Takes Over A family business advisor says a change in leadership is like passing the baton in a relay race. Don't let go too abruptly.

Family Business Stories Build a Legacy For the Next Generation Books, websites, videos and blogs can capture a family business's saga, with all its challenges and triumphs, and shape a powerful legacy.

Persuasive Communication for Crucial Conversations Here's a free, downloadable book about achieving win/win communication. It's also available as a teaching exercise.

12 Strategies to Get Customers to Buy Your Product Playing up your product's features isn't enough. What matters most: the benefits these features provide to resolve your customer's issues.

Parental Divorce Affects Future Entrepreneurial Success While divorce can build the resilience that entrepreneurs need, it had the worst lingering effect on children from well-educated families.

Self-Interest Can Skew Budgets at Family Businesses Realistic budgets are powerful planning tools. But the motivations of owners, sales people, the production staff, and others can get in the way.

Daughter Continues Mom's Legacy of Helping Others Blessings in a Backpack can inspire any family-run business or organization that hopes to continue the founder's spirit and mission in the next generation.

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Family Business Budget Planning: 7 Things to Consider

A New Way to Resolve Extreme Conflict in Family Businesses

Merging With Another Family Firm is Safer and Smarter

Unready and Unadvised: The Silent Crisis in Family Wealth Transfer

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Recent

AI Adoption in Family Business: Balancing Trust and Tech

by Doug Gray, PhD / Practice Insight

Using AI can be risky in settings where confidentiality is key, but it can be indispensable in developing innovative services that clients expect. Here's how to harness it safely. Read more...

A Family Council Can Help Larger Families Stay Connected

by Kimberly Eddleston / Interviews

Consider one if your family business has 15 or more relatives involved, or multiple generations. Read more...

When Family Businesses Should Think Like Private Equity Firms

by Nadine Kammerlander and David Hoeflmayr / Applied and Practice

Adopting all or even some PE investor strategies can add value and enhance competitiveness, especially when a successor takes over or the company may be sold. Read more...

Your Family’s Mental Model Might Be Fueling Its Conflicts

by Tom Rüsen and Monika Nadler / Practice Insight

Different ways of thinking shape how families make decisions, resolve tensions, and pass leadership across generations. Read more...

by Ritch Sorenson

Consumers Love Local Brands. That's Good News For Family Businesses

by Philipp Jaufenthaler, Andreas Kallmuenzer, Sascha Kraus, and Alfredo De Massis

How Family Dynamics Shape Family Businesses

by Joseph Astrachan and Claudia Binz Astrachan

Outside Leadership Can Save the Family Business

by Robert Sher

How to Plan for a Successful Succession

by Richard Eisenberg