Family Businesses Share What Works
//March 16, 2026 - Issue #163
What it Takes to Build a Four-Generation Business From a single bulldozer in the 1950s, this top Rhode Island construction firm has thrived by adhering to its founder's core values. 
Family Firm Values Start at an Early Age Values, as Mitzi Perdue points out, help children become responsible stewards of the family business when it's their turn. 
Twins Can Be a Family Business's Superpower While forever being part of a duo can be challenging, twins can bring many strengths to their family business when they are aligned with each other.
Getting Along: Straight Talk from a Family Business Veteran Trust people. Walk around a lot so you meet more non-relatives. And don't show off your new car when the firm is tightening the belt.
Tavern Has the Recipe for Appeal and Profitability Fickle customers, tricky finances -- how a popular Rhode Island tavern meets the industry's key challenges.
Daughters are Taking Over Family Businesses As boomer business owners age, they increasingly are passing on their enterprises to their daughters.
Lessons From the Perdue and Sheraton Families on Getting Along Mitzi Perdue, author of a book about family businesses and widow of Frank and daughter of a Sheraton Hotels founder, shares lessons about family harmony. Tips For Hiring Your Parents
Advice for Family Business Successors: Be Humble and Curious The bravado and doggedness that worked for Winston Churchill and Vince Lombardi won't work at family firms, which need a more supportive leadership style.
Should Your Next CEO be From Outside the Family? What happens when the best leader for your family business isn't part of the family? One company decided to look outside, and it improved family relationships.Search & Save Enter search below to create an easy reading list
Recent
Why PE Firms Want to Buy Your Family Firm (and Change it)
by Sören Paleit, Frederik J. Riar, Marcel Hülsbeck, and Andreas Hack
/ Research Insight
Family businesses are often viewed as ripe for operational improvement, making them especially attractive to private equity investors seeking value creation. Read more...
Give Future Leaders Exposure to Critical Roles
by Kimberly Eddleston
/ Interviews
A job rotation program gives next-gens both hands-on experience and a working knowledge of different departments and important outside relationships. Read more...
New Family Business CEOs Must Claim the Seat, Not Just Inherit the Title
by Dr. Benjamin Ritter
/ Practice Insight
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. Read more...
What Family Businesses in Africa Can Teach Us About Women Leaders
by Jan-Philipp Ahrens, Maria Giuseppina Bruna, Cinzia COLAPINTO, and Salam SAMI
/ Research Insight
Large family firms in countries such as Ghana, Kenya, and Madagascar show that women’s leadership can thrive when families widen their view of succession. Read more...
Trending
Things to Consider When Transferring Family Business Ownership
by Susan Lanz, Gary Burke, Kajsa Haag, and Omid Omidvar
How Family Dynamics Shape Family Businesses
by Joseph Astrachan and Claudia Binz Astrachan
Let the Next Generation of Family Firm Leaders Chart Their Own Path
by Klaus Lüber and Nadine Kammerlander
5 Practical Tips for Making Business Decisions With Family Members
by Rostyslav Vovk
Helping Daughters Become Successful Family Business Leaders
by Simon Caspary and Tom Rüsen
Editorial offices located at St Thomas University
Popular
What Japan's Oldest Businesses Can Teach Us About Longevity
by Peter Vogel
Avoid Legal Minefields When Acquiring Another Company
by Dustin Slade
How to Run a Family Business Successfully
by Kerry Hannon
Outside Leadership Can Save the Family Business
by Robert Sher
The 'Fredo Factor:' How Deadbeats and Troublemakers Hurt Family Businesses
by Kimberly Eddleston
Should I Participate in a Business Accelerator?
by Jon Eckhardt
Supported by the Richard M Schulze Family Foundation