Our Latest Articles

November 30, 2020 - Issue #17

Women Can Help Their Family Businesses Navigate Crisis Women Can Help Their Family Businesses Navigate Crisis Women can be indispensable in times of trouble, but the glass ceiling and the glass cliff still hold them back even at family firms. Seven things to think about.
Sherri Noxel

Editor's Pick

Sherri Noxel

One Tough Mother

One Tough Mother is not an academic text but an inspirational autobiography from the late Gert Boyle. It is the story of her inheriting her father’s sporting goods business and the unexpected death of her husband when she was 46. Gert rebuilt the company that is now one of the finest examples of G3 family enterprise ownership of a publicly traded global company.

"One Tough Mother: Taking Charge in Life, Business and Apple Pies” by Gert Boyle, G2 CEO of Columbia Sportswear.

Daughters prepare to lead family firms Daughters prepare to lead family firms Daughters are increasingly assuming leadership roles at family firms. In this video, two future business leaders talk about family expectations, their worries, their hopes for the future and the importance of knowing their value.
Breaking the Glass Ceiling in a Family Business Breaking the Glass Ceiling in a Family Business Despite decades of striving and some progress, women still face challenges. Outdated ideas about primogeniture and a woman's rightful place have not yet gone away, and women still feel too much pressure to prove themselves.
Family Business Home Page Vol. 2
Lessons from Lauder Lessons from Lauder

Leonard Lauder, whose empire includes Estee Lauder, Bobbi Brown and Clinique cosmetics, never makes an important decision without a woman at the table.

Building a Balanced Relationship Building a Balanced Relationship

As this article points out, moving from daughter to CEO is never easy. In this article, Jelmar CEO Alison Gutterman shares her insights about leading her third-generation family firm.

Lessons from 100-year Businesses Lessons from 100-year Businesses

This podcast features Dennis Jaffe, celebrated family business office consultant and author of the book, Borrowed from Your Grandchildren, talking about what resilient families have in common.

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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...

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Things to Consider When Transferring Family Business Ownership
by Susan Lanz, Gary Burke, Kajsa Haag, and Omid Omidvar
The Hidden Fault Lines That Threaten Family Enterprises
by Matthew Crudgington and Peter Vogel
Editorial offices located at St Thomas University

Editorial offices located at St Thomas University