Our Latest Articles

September 18, 2023 - Issue #97

Will Your In-Laws Help or Hurt Your Family Business? Will Your In-Laws Help or Hurt Your Family Business? As the Gucci and royal families show, in-laws can complicate things. Here's how family businesses can benefit from their perspectives and minimize conflict.
Why Family Businesses Must Mind the (Generation) Gap Why Family Businesses Must Mind the (Generation) Gap Older leaders should be curious about how next-gens view the world, and younger leaders-to-be should have patience with their elders and honor what they've created.
What If a Hedge Fund Invests in my Family Business? What If a Hedge Fund Invests in my Family Business? At many publicly traded firms, the presence of activist investors forces them to innovate. This didn't hold true at the family businesses we studied.
Founders: Let Next-Gens be Entrepreneurial Founders: Let Next-Gens be Entrepreneurial Rania Labaki, a professor at the EDHEC Business School in France and director of its Family Business Center, says that founders must allow their future leaders to have an entrepreneurial spirit.
Attract and Retain the Best People As You Grow Attract and Retain the Best People As You Grow Small firms growing into midsized need a new approach to talent. Give current employees the skills they need to help you grow, and make your firm a desirable place to work.
The Paradox of Choice: Wealth's Impact on Family Potential The Paradox of Choice: Wealth's Impact on Family Potential We tend to think that opportunity serves only to increase available choices. But when we think more broadly, it’s not hard to see how increased opportunity can also limit choice.
Small and Medium-Sized Firms Are Less Prepared for Crises Small and Medium-Sized Firms Are Less Prepared for Crises Research found that they often lack the resources to assess their risk and plan for the worst -- putting their financial health at risk when disaster strikes.
Kimberly Eddleston What to Do When It's Your Turn to Lead Kimberly Eddleston

Your relatives spent years, maybe decades, building a business, and now it's your turn to take over. Fear and self-doubt are normal. Here's how to take over the reins with confidence.

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A New Way to Resolve Extreme Conflict in Family Businesses
by Doug Baumoel and Blair Trippe / Applied and Practice

Family members may feel “trapped” in conflicts, unable to resolve substantive issues without damaging their familial relationships. This often leads to disputes that persist for decades.  Read more...

Merging With Another Family Firm is Safer and Smarter
by Francesco Chirico, Robert E Hoskisson, Seemantini Pathak, and Massimo Baù / Research Insight

Family business mergers enjoy greater harmony and better financial performance than mergers involving non-family firms. Read more...

Unready and Unadvised: The Silent Crisis in Family Wealth Transfer
by Srbuhi Avetisyan / Practice Insight

A study of 13,500 family firms shows that nearly half of heirs don’t know where the assets are -- and 3 in 5 wouldn’t know what to do if the founder died suddenly. Read more...

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...

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Consumers Love Local Brands. That's Good News For Family Businesses
by Philipp Jaufenthaler, Andreas Kallmuenzer, Sascha Kraus, and Alfredo De Massis
When Family Businesses Should Think Like Private Equity Firms
by Nadine Kammerlander and David Hoeflmayr
Why Don't You Educate Your Owners?
by Tom Rüsen, Claudia Binz Astrachan, and Ruth Orenstrat
Editorial offices located at St Thomas University

Editorial offices located at St Thomas University

Popular
Business Families Must Get Real About Growth and Payouts
by Joseph Astrachan and George Manners
Turbulence Ahead: How Businesses Can Navigate Tariffs and Uncertainty
by Joseph Astrachan and Claudia Binz Astrachan
How Family Businesses Survive Unexpected ‘Wild Cards’
by Wojciech Czakon, Monika Hajdas, and Joanna Radomska
How Family Dynamics Shape Family Businesses
by Joseph Astrachan and Claudia Binz Astrachan
Supported by the Richard M Schulze Family Foundation

Supported by the Richard M Schulze Family Foundation