Our Latest Articles
//September 18, 2023 - Issue #97
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 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? 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 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 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 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 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.
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.
The most important investor may be your own successors. Investor readiness supports smooth transitions, builds trust, enhances enterprise value, and keeps strategic options open—whether you sell, recapitalize, or stay independent. Read more...
Unrealistic depictions of the sacrifices and tradeoffs of family business leadership -- streamed repeatedly -- can color younger people’s attitudes towards taking the helm. Read more...
In Japan, family businesses are encouraged to help one another for the benefit of their shared customers and their community. It has helped them survive setbacks and thrive. Read more...
As Prince Andrew showed, one person’s behavior can become everyone’s problem. Families must set expectations, outline processes, and provide clarity before emotions take over. Read more...
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Supported by the Richard M Schulze Family Foundation