Profile
Member Since 2014
Site Staff, EIX Editor, Family Business Editor
Kimberly Eddleston
Schulze Distinguished Professor of Entrepreneurship / D'Amore-McKim School of Business / Northeastern University
AUTHORED RESOURCES
Want to Give Your Entrepreneurship Students Real-World Experience? Try Consulting Projects
13916 views
Students gain exposure to the inner-workings of a business, while entrepreneurs receive a fresh perspective, academic insight and assistance. Read More...
Trust But Verify: How Startups Can Build Healthy Strategic Alliances
23676 views
For entrepreneurs, doing business with friends can be perilous. Read More...
Restaurant Icon Frank DePasquale Shares Recipe for Success
37427 views
His key ingredients: Learn from others. Listen to customers. Hug your employees. Read More...
B-School Students Put New Restaurant on the Map
8513 views
Here's what happened when Boston-area restaurant owner “Lakis” Vlahoulis let students into the kitchen. Read More...
'Femgineer' Aims to Empower Technology Specialists
37121 views
Poornima Vijayashanker discusses how she turned her blog into a thriving business, and why entrepreneurs must be coachable. Read More...
Retooling Products to Reach New Markets: The Lindt Candy Dilemma
11033 views
This exercise helps entrepreneurship students understand the importance of retooling products to reach new markets. Read More...
Real-Life Drama: Creating a TV Series Based on a Family Business
2474 views
From the "director's chair," students illustrate the challenges of the family firm, and what makes a good one. Read More...
Talk With Real Customers Before the Launch
7976 views
How entrepreneurs can test the waters before they roll out a new venture. Read More...
How Best Buy Engages Employees in Putting Customers First
21662 views
In an era when customers are always ready to bolt, business owners must find new ways to keep them coming back. Read More...
The 'Fredo Factor:' How Deadbeats and Troublemakers Hurt Family Businesses
35950 views
As the Corleones and many other family firms have learned, bad-apple relatives can wreak havoc. How to deal with your "Fredo." Read More...
Why Family Firms Are Like Jenga
38184 views
They're sensitive, easily disrupted and conflict-prone. Author Doug Baumoel discusses why they must innovate nonetheless. Read More...
Confidentiality Agreements Promote Candor in Family Business Classes
10937 views
For students to share their own good and bad family experiences in a family business class, confidentiality is essential. Read More...
Being Female Affects Business Loans from Family and Friends
51015 views
A study shows that women entrepreneurs have a harder time getting financing not only from banks, but also from friends and family. Read More...
Investing for a Better World: A Conversation with Justin Rockefeller
23902 views
A fifth-generation Rockefeller shares insights about how entrepreneurs and businesses can align investment and values. Read More...
Let's Get Professional: Family Firms Need HRM Practices
20058 views
Family business members and students can learn how professional human resources practices can minimize issues. Read More...
How Can the Family Business Cope When a Key Non-family Exec Leaves?
4019 views
NOTE TO TEACHERS: The downloadable supporting document (above) includes material to guide classroom discussion. This case is based on a real family business, although the specifics have been changed Read More...
'There's No Birthright' and Other Tips for Raising Entrepreneurial Leaders
23960 views
Joe Brito shares the management tips that made his four-generation Rhode Island-based construction firm so successful. Read More...
What it Takes to Build a Four-Generation Business
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From a single bulldozer in the 1950s, this top Rhode Island construction firm has thrived by adhering to its founder's core values. Read More...
Trust Me: I'm a Salesman
7900 views
A former police offer had to learn to sell when he became an entrepreneur. Read More...
Starting Over: The Midlife Entrepreneur
21493 views
A former policeman talks about the challenge of launching his own company selling professional-quality artisanal knives. Read More...
Breaking Norms to Get Ahead: Do Women Entrepreneurs Need a Dash of Psychopathy?
52826 views
A 2016 University of Alabama Study concluded that women with a benign touch of psychopathy (callousness, ability to put aside emotions to do a tough job, not afraid to buck gender norms) are Read More...
Helping Women Entrepreneurs Succeed: What's Needed Now
21332 views
Women Entrepreneurs are growing in number, but much more needs to be done to support them and prepare future generations. Read More...
Tavern Has the Recipe for Appeal and Profitability
1832 views
Fickle customers, tricky finances -- how a popular Rhode Island tavern meets the industry's key challenges. Read More...
#MeToo is Changing the Game for Startups
20240 views
New businesses today have both a mandate and an opportunity to build a workplace that not only complies with laws against sexual harassment, but also makes every employee feel respected, safe and comfortable. Read More...
The 5 Money Mistakes That Blindside Entrepreneurs
3711 views
Too many families underestimate the business's impact on their personal finances and don't plan for the future. Read More...
More Women Should Study Entrepreneurship
22814 views
Women have become a powerful part of the global economy, but many college and university entrepreneurship programs are not attracting them. In this interview with EIX's Kim Eddleston, Read More...
Venture Helps Artisans with Special Needs Find Markets
2965 views
Yad has a social mission at its heart: it aims to help Guatemalan artisans with special needs express themselves through art, and then find retailers who can help them reach markets for their work. Read More...
Mentorship Helps Mission-Driven Venture Thrive
7658 views
Vulnerable women living in Colombia are earning money and improving their lives through jewelry-making, thanks to Artyfactos. The company has found markets for the women's creations in the US and Read More...
Trust Your Mentors, and Your Gut
4913 views
The founder of Made Organics encourages entrepreneurs to balance advice from mentors and their own vision. Read More...
'Imposter Syndrome' Holds Back Entrepreneurial Women
19432 views
Many women who want to grow their businesses get in their own way because of how they see themselves. Here's how they can stop selling themselves short. Read More...
Family Business Experts: How to Survive the Holidays Intact
4471 views
Holiday gatherings can be fraught with resentment. Advice from the experts and Read More...
Encouraging Family Business Members to Go the Extra Mile
3045 views
Tight control or adaptability and collaboration? A hybrid of both approaches motivates best. Read More...
Becoming the Boss: Advice for Women in Family Businesses
5251 views
More women are taking over their family business from a man, but they're still seen as the wife, daughter, sister or niece rather than the boss. Read More...
The 5 Mortal Sins of New Product Development
247674 views
Northeastern University Professor Stephen L. Golden discusses five mistakes that innovators and companies make that can doom a new product. Read More...
Turn Your Idea Into an Innovation
23889 views
Many blockbuster products and companies have started with people who were not engineers, scientists or coders. Fortunately, today they can easily get help developing their product. Read More...
Family Business Professors: Resources For Online Learning
760 views
Many professors are revising their courses for remote learning. Check out our free and peer-reviewed resources that can easily be used in an online course. Read More...
Professors Share Tips for Moving Online
585 views
As classrooms close, teachers are moving classes online. Here are some tips from those who've made the transition. Read More...
Professors Share Best Practices for the Online Classroom
3930 views
Faculty and students around the world are making a huge transition. Using the right technology and supporting students will be critical. Here's some advice from professors who've learned what works. Read More...
More Advice for Engaging Students Online
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Now that you (successfully) moved your course online, this followup article offers more activities and techniques to incorporate. Read More...
What Family Businesses Should be Doing Now
19122 views
Threats to survival can push family businesses to reassess strengths and weaknesses, look for opportunities and challenges coming their way, and unite behind a challenge. Read More...
Be Part of An Important Survey About Coping With Covid-19
1491 views
We have a unique opportunity to learn from one another and generate new knowledge that will last generations. We need your help! Read More...
Food for Thought: Starting a Side Hustle While Working Full-time
25237 views
It's possible to start a business while working for someone else, and it can even make you look better to your current boss. But the risks can be great, too. Read More...
Women Can Cultivate a Leadership Presence
8786 views
Women are honing their business and technical skills in preparation for leadership, but many of them still struggle with how they communicate and present themselves. Despite their know-how they still Read More...
Back to School: Resources for an Uncertain Time
4086 views
Colleges and universities everywhere are grappling with how to teach in fall of 2020: online only, on campus or a hybrid. These articles will help entrepreneurship educators be prepared for whatever happens. Read More...
Family Members Can be Valuable Mentors
842 views
Entrepreneur, philanthropist and author Simran Mohinani has great role models among her family members. She talks about balancing the family and mentor relationships and offers advice for future family business leaders and women. Read More...
Breaking the Glass Ceiling in a Family Business
13706 views
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. Read More...
Daughters prepare to lead family firms
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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. Read More...
Startup Helps Military Spouses be Successful Entrepreneurs
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Many smart and talented military spouses are becoming entrepreneurs, a path that allows them to thrive professionally even when they can't stay in one place. Read More...
A Road Map for Resurgence
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With a vaccine on the way, we feel the best advice for 2021 is to focus on what comes next. These articles from the past year can inform your game plan for the post-Covid world that will dawn in a few months. Read More...
Team Exercise: How Parenting Styles Affect The Next Generation
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This experiential exercise is designed to enhance student learning about the four parenting styles and how they affect the dynamics within the family firm. Read More...
Listen to the Experts: How Family Firms are Surviving the Pandemic
7385 views
While some family businesses have closed their doors forever, others have successfully pivoted their business. Four experts discuss what they did right. Read More...
Family Firms Can Optimize Women's Strengths
6236 views
Women often juggle many roles in the business and the family, and typically shun the idea of power because they associate it with dictators and manipulation. Read More...
Female Advisors Can Help Family Businesses
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Women advisors can contribute unique perspectives that often emphasize synergies between the family and business. Read More...
Foundations Give Entrepreneurs a Channel for Doing Good
2361 views
Foundations provide a way for entrepreneurs to address societal problems or to help organizations focused on education, health care research or the arts. Read More...
Divorce Can Hollow out a Family Business — But it Doesn’t Have to
4243 views
It’s surprising how many business-owning families fail to properly plan for this worst case scenario. Here's advice from two experts about protecting the business. Read More...
She Always Gives Her All to the Family Firm -- but He Follows the Leader
4227 views
Women go the extra mile regardless of how they are treated by leadership. Men only exert extra effort in exchange for altruistic leadership. Read More...
What the Bob Ross Fight Can Teach Business Owners
7183 views
The fight over the beloved TV artist's estate is a cautionary tale for any business. How to protect your business and your heirs well before you die. Read More...
People With Disabilities Can Bring Strength to Your Business
2588 views
A more generous view of human capability helps companies access a wider pool of talent in an era of profound labor shortages. Read More...
The New Normal: Overcoming Post-Pandemic Challenges to Survival and Growth
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How to power through this new phase of supply chain problems, labor shortages, frozen networks and the "great resignation." Read More...
Lessons From the Perdue and Sheraton Families on Getting Along
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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. Read More...
How Family Firms Can Prevent (or Cool Down) Sibling Rivalries
829120 views
Koch Industries, McCain Foods and Robert Mondavi were all roiled by sibling battles. These three strategies will help you prevent it. Read More...
Family Business Experts: How to Survive the Holidays
2387 views
We're republishing this popular article from year-end 2019, which includes timeless advice about getting along from our family business editors. Read More...
Strategies for Keeping Your Family Connected
145941 views
We continue our discussion with Mitzi Perdue, widow of Frank and daughter of a Sheraton Hotels founder, who shares what she's learned about family unity. Read More...
Fostering Diversity and Inclusion Can Be Good for Business
1401 views
It can bring stronger connections with customers, better problem solving and enhanced creativity. Here's how to get started. Read More...
Getting Along: Straight Talk from a Family Business Veteran
11238 views
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. Read More...
Thought Leader Dennis Jaffe: What the Best Family Businesses Get Right
3064 views
Jaffe shares the insights gained from his research into family firms from around the world that have lasted at least three generations. Read More...
Family Firm Values Start at an Early Age
904 views
Values, as Mitzi Perdue points out, help children become responsible stewards of the family business when it's their turn. Read More...
How the Next Generation Can Earn Legitimacy, Respect and Loyalty
534 views
Succession can be rocky when the heir is viewed as entitled to the crown, rather than deserving of it. Author Bob Buday talks about how thought leadership can help. Read More...
Dealing with Inflation: Advice From the Experts
225068 views
Keep moving forward; adjust your product portfolio and brand; and manage your family and your money. Read More...
From Startup to Midsized Company: Managing the Growing Pains
37273 views
Startups and family firms with between $10 million and $1 billion in revenue, need different kinds of strategies and leadership, as Rob Sher of Mastering Midsized points out. Read More...
Growing Pains? Advice to Recharge and Sustain Growth
26570 views
A family firm that grows into a midsized company may be going through what Rob Sher calls the difficult Read More...
Non-Family Board Members Bring Perspective and Growth
18117 views
The 100-year-old Nielsen-Massey flavorings company, whose vanilla and other products can be found on store shelves everywhere, spiced up its management with non-relatives. Read More...
Should Your Next CEO be From Outside the Family?
48289 views
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. Read More...
How Family Businesses Can Attract and Keep the Best People
4084 views
We interviewed four founders of family businesses to learn about their challenges and what's working. Read More...
Family Business Professors: 40 Ways to Energize Your Class
17103 views
These free classroom exercises, interviews and other resources will add new energy, fun and inspiration to your students' course work. Read More...
Firm But Flexible Parents Raise the Best Family Business Leaders
11407 views
Overly strict and overly permissive parents are not doing their children or the family business any favors. "Authoritative" parents have the best results. Read More...
Advice for Untangling Conflict in a Family Business
9385 views
Janme Sinha of Boston Consulting Group talks about how soft emotional issues and hard business issues can tear families apart. Read More...
Should Family Members Be the 'Face' of Your Company?
23340 views
Making family members part of your business's image has both benefits and risks. How to weigh if it's the right move. Read More...
The Family Business 'Generation Gap' Can Undermine Success
5721 views
Money, opportunity and succession are all areas where the generations often don't communicate with each other. Professor Peter Jaskiewicz shares insights from his acclaimed new book. Read More...
Advice for Family Business Successors: Be Humble and Curious
4312 views
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. Read More...
New Ways Business Owners Can Use Boards
947 views
Boards can help family firms align the interests of owners and managers, and Read More...
Celebrating International Women's Day 2023
5329 views
EIX and familybusiness.org have a library of articles with research-based best practices for entrepreneurial women. Check them out here. Read More...
International Women's Day 2023: Resources for Family Business Women
720 views
Familybusiness.org and EIX have dozens of articles sharing best practices for entrepreneurial women. You can find them here. Read More...
The Biggest Mistakes Family Businesses Make With Their Boards
455300 views
Family business researcher, lecturer and advisor Claudia Astrachan discusses the top mistakes family businesses make in staffing and interacting with boards, and how to do it right. Read More...
Wealth Can be Hazardous to Future Family Business Leaders
9389 views
Substance abuse problems, lack of motivation and failure to launch are just a few of the problems that can plague young people in wealthy families. A counselor weighs in. Read More...
FamilyBusiness.org's Editorial Guidelines for the Use of Generative AI Tools
873 views
You are welcome to use these tools to help draft, revise, and/or expand on submitted articles -- but make sure you understand our rules. Read More...
FamilyBusiness.org Forges Alliance With Family Business Review
797 views
Alliance will offer family-led enterprises around the world research-tested advice on how to build, manage and sustain vibrant businesses. Read More...
One Family, Multiple Businesses: Preserving Harmony and Profits
1295 views
Families with several businesses under their umbrella face competition for resources and family attention. The right governance can help everyone thrive. Read More...
'Succession' Hits Close to Home at Family Firms
9248 views
A family business advisor finds more than a few similarities between the HBO hit and real families. Here's how to minimize the rancor. Read More...
Family Offices: The Sober Guardians of Family Wealth
6458 views
Often an impartial third party is the best choice to manage the family wealth for future generations and the business's longevity. Read More...
Family Meals Ignite the Entrepreneurial Spirit
3743 views
Families with diverse education and industry experience fuel the fire of entrepreneurship, especially when they dine together frequently. Read More...
Helicopter Parenting Can Hurt Future Family Business Leaders
39151 views
A counselor's advice: Do less, say less and watch more. Let your children make mistakes and experience the consequences. Read More...
Do Family Meals Fuel Entrepreneurship in Family Businesses?
1129 views
Families with diverse education and industry experience fuel the fire of entrepreneurship when they dine together frequently. Read More...
Founders: Let Next-Gens be Entrepreneurial
1804 views
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. Read More...
Why Family Businesses Must Mind the (Generation) Gap
8721 views
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. Read More...
How the Right Mix of Employee Incentives Fosters Innovation
2949 views
Whether your family business’s culture is traditional or modern, you can honor the past and still prepare for the future. Read More...
Build the Strong Family Bonds That Lead to Business Success
1226 views
Being emotionally or geographically distant can undermine the family's ability to work together productively. A family business advisor shares tips for success. Read More...
Let's Talk About Money -- and Trauma
12033 views
Childhood shapes how heirs view the family firm and the wealth it has created. Older generations must start the conversations that confront the issues. Read More...
Help Your Family Business by Helping Others
5019 views
Philanthropy can be a catalyst for leadership development, and generate support and good will towards the business in the community. Read More...
Here's Why Family Businesses Need Branding
65846 views
For family firms, branding is not about marketing but about reputation -- how customers, employees, suppliers and others perceive them. Read More...
Good Intentions Can Sow Dysfunction at Family Businesses
14437 views
A family business advisor talks about what well-meaning families get wrong about succession, conflict, and salaries, and what they can learn from watching Read More...
An Innovation Challenge Can Help Employees Feel More Connected
80905 views
A Minneapolis-based firm challenged employee teams to design and build something that would help people in their local community. Read More...
Family Business Patriarchs and Matriarchs: When Is It Time to Move On?
22909 views
The business may run smoothly; the heirs may be competent -- but is the older generation emotionally ready? An advisor weighs in. Read More...
Succession, Money, and Relationships Were Top-10 Topics in 2023
88783 views
Our site visitors cared about getting the next generation ready for leadership, having a plan in place, and minimizing conflict and money woes. Read More...
How to Defuse and Recover From Family Business Conflict
26528 views
A clinical psychologist and family business advisor shares tips for cutting through emotions and focusing on conflict rationally and productively. Read More...
Why Women CEOs Offer Family Businesses an Entrepreneurial Advantage
13321 views
Family firms, unlike non-family firms, value a learning-based path to entrepreneurship, which plays to women’s strengths. Read More...
Why Do We Treat Strangers Better Than Family Members?
19966 views
A family business consultant explores this question, and shares advice on managing conflict, setting boundaries, and cultivating more kindness within the family. Read More...
Research-Based Advice for Family Businesses: Our 10 Best-Read Articles
43394 views
We've partnered with top researchers to bring their insights to our wide audience of family business owners and leaders. These articles resonated the most with readers. Read More...
A Charismatic Family Business Founder Can Be a Tough Act to Follow
92092 views
For family businesses, a popular leader can bring many benefits, but can make it challenging to manage succession. An advisor offers strategies. Read More...
Family Business Succession: Your Questions Answered
16505 views
This new page of FamilyBusiness.org answers many of your most important questions about succession and has links to dozens of articles. Read More...
Twins Can Be a Family Business's Superpower
10920 views
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. Read More...
A Secret to Success: Family Business Centers
14613 views
While family members running a business together often lean on one another for advice, they can often learn best from people running other family businesses. Read More...
Daughter Continues Mom's Legacy of Helping Others
1642 views
Blessings in a Backpack can inspire any family-run business or organization that hopes to continue the founder's spirit and mission in the next generation. Read More...
Family Business Stories Build a Legacy For the Next Generation
3544 views
Books, websites, videos and blogs can capture a family business's saga, with all its challenges and triumphs, and shape a powerful legacy. Read More...
How Founders Can Stay Relevant When the Next Gen Takes Over
17342 views
A family business advisor says a change in leadership is like passing the baton in a relay race. Don't let go too abruptly. Read More...
Why Families and Their Firms Behave Badly
484675 views
Sometimes the worst behavior happens for all the right reasons. Putting "family first" can jeopardize the business's health and longevity. Read More...
'Performance-Enhancing Vices': Good for Business, Bad for Relationships
21529 views
Advisor and author David Werdiger talks about the business benefits and personal drawbacks of being selfish and stubborn. Read More...
I Banned Cell Phones In My Class: What Happened Next
7959 views
UNC-Chapel Hill Professor Howard Aldrich said focus and grades improved once cell phones were out of the picture…and students engaged with one another more. Read More...
Separate Family Offices Can Minimize Money Problems
5634 views
It can be dangerous to ask executive assistants or your CFO to manage your personal finances. A separate staff of calm professionals will help both business and family manage money responsibly. Read More...
Making the Leap: From Law Enforcement and Marketing to Business Owners
13572 views
Stephen Mould and Lisa Lazure, partners in business and life, left jobs in law enforcement and marketing to start a knife company. Read More...
How Boards Help Complex Family Firms Make Sound Decisions
10640 views
Fiduciary boards keep family firms focused on the long term, rather than on short-term, tactical strategies. But many family firms resist having one, fearful of losing control of their enterprise. Read More...
Hiring Mom and Dad? Optimize Their Strengths and Manage Boundaries
5501 views
Sharon Beck, owner of a Jovie Childcare franchise, shares her insights on the benefits and challenges of being your parents' boss. Read More...
Articles About Relationships, Succession Were Top Draws in 2024
27350 views
Many readers wanted advice about handling toxic family relationships, managing succession, and preserving the family’s values over time. Read More...
Announcing our 2023-24 Schulze Publication Awards Winners
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Each year, the Schulze Publication Awards celebrate the authors of the most impactful articles published on EIX and FamilyBusiness.org. These awards recognize exceptional thought leadership, clarity Read More...
Announcing FamilyBusiness.org's 2023-24 Schulze Award Winners
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Our newest group of winners — who published articles during the academic year of July 1, 2023 through June 30, 2024 — represent a diverse range of insights. Read More...
The Perks and Pitfalls of Hiring Your Parents
5250 views
Allen Esrock of NxtGen Nexus weights in on how to optimize the free labor and other benefits, and how to manage conflicting goals, sibling resentment, and suspicious non-relatives who work for you. Read More...
Outsource or Hire? Advice for Family Businesses
23263 views
Ben Berger and Ron Nahass of RSM talk about the benefits of letting outside contractors handle critical business functions. Read More...
More Than an Entrepreneur: How Best Buy Founder Dick Schulze Saves Lives
14235 views
Along with funding worthy organizations and missions through his foundation, Dick Schulze also works behind the scenes to help individuals during a life-threatening health crisis. Read More...
The Emotional Downside of Exiting Your Business
5837 views
While the money is nice, selling a business is not a happily ever after. Depression is not uncommon. Read More...
All-Time Greats: Announcing Our Wetherbe Award Winners
38034 views
Authors of EIX and FamilyBusiness.org articles with extraordinary impact have received Wetherbe Thought Leadership Awards. We celebrate them in this issue. Read More...
A Family Council Can Help Larger Families Stay Connected
6108 views
Consider one if your family business has 15 or more relatives involved, or multiple generations. Read More...
EDITOR'S PICKS
No a**hole rule by Robert Sutton
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gS2GBq5lKAUThis video offers an overview of Robert Sutton’s Harvard Business Review article and book titled, “The No A**hole Rule.” It reminds us about the need to be civil in the workplace and not to tolerate bad behavior. From an entrepreneurship standpoint, it highlights the need for good leadership and the importance of creating an organizational environment that brings out the best in people.