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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Listening to the Family: The Strategic Value of Surveys
by Claudia Binz Astrachan / Practice Insight

Surveys can reveal differing perspectives, surface hidden tensions, and – when done well – build trust, and serve as an educational opportunity.  Read more...

Planning Succession? These 10 Decisions Are Critical
by David Deeds / Applied and Practice

Succession is not a single choice -- It is a chain of choices that interlock and compound. Avoiding any one of them will create friction or ambiguity. Read more...

Family Ownership Can Undermine Financial Health
by Ivan Miroshnychenko, Rui Torres de Oliveira, Alfredo De Massis, and Ruth Überbacher / Research Insight

However, those who invested more in R&D and operated in countries with strong and supportive institutions enjoyed better market capitalizations. Read more...

The 7 Gears of Leadership, And When to Use Each One
by Andrew Keyt and Greg McCann / Applied and Practice

Leaders acquire tremendous human capacities as they rise to the top. Their challenge is to deploy the right strength for each difficult situation. 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
Why Families and Their Firms Behave Badly
by Roland Kidwell, Kimberly Eddleston, Linda Kidwell, John Cater, and Ellison Howard
Editorial offices located at St Thomas University

Editorial offices located at St Thomas University

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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
Supported by the Richard M Schulze Family Foundation

Supported by the Richard M Schulze Family Foundation