Transition / Succession

BLOG | FAMILY DYNAMICS / GOVERNANCE

The 4-Letter Word Owners Can’t Afford NOT to Talk About: EXIT

I’ve had my share of family business owners who avoid discussing this four-letter word to the point of pure denial, quickly ending the conversation when this word bubbles up. The word? E-X-I-T. It sounds so final. The brutal truth is that 100% of owners exit the business, yet only 50% – just 1 out of 2 owners – will do it on their terms...

BLOG | STRATEGY

The Speed of Change. Buckle up.

We have all heard the phrase “the only guarantees in life are Death and Taxes”. I would argue that “Change” should be added to that list.

BLOG | FAMILY DYNAMICS / GOVERNANCE

The 5Ds of Life: Cliff Notes & Challenge

Over the last few months, I have shared blogs about the 5Ds of Life – five life events that can derail your...

BLOG | FAMILY DYNAMICS / GOVERNANCE

Family Disagreements

When disagreements happen in a family business, they can have devastating life-long effects on the family, the business and the employees.

BLOG | FAMILY DYNAMICS / GOVERNANCE

Distress on the highway of life & business

While the internal impact of distress is both financial and emotional, the...

BLOG | FAMILY DYNAMICS / GOVERNANCE

Love, Marriage & Family Business

BLOG | FAMILY DYNAMICS / GOVERNANCE

The hidden impact of Life dis-abled.

BLOG | FAMILY DYNAMICS / GOVERNANCE

Not supposed to happen this way. Until it did.

It was a Sunday evening when I received the call. I heard my father’s voice, but the words were not registering. Utter disbelief and shock welled up inside me...

BLOG | TRANSITION / SUCCESSION

How to FAIL at succession planning in 3 easy steps…

While I love reading articles like “the top 10 ways to….” or “how to succeed in business without really trying”, sometimes I’m more curious about how to avoid...

BLOG | FAMILY DYNAMICS / GOVERNANCE

The Cousin Federation

It’s a common phenomenon around the world. Family businesses rise like a phoenix from the ashes, powered by an entrepreneur’s vision and passion to do something better than what existed, transition to the second generation who work to preserve the wealth, only to see the family business return to the ashes from which they rose three generations earlier.

BLOG | FAMILY DYNAMICS / GOVERNANCE

What’s love (power & money) got to do with family business? EVERYTHING.

When I began my career in family business consulting nearly 20 years ago, I met Dean Fowler, one of the early thought leaders in the field of family business and author of several books, most notably Love, Power and Money. As it turns out, these 3 words line up perfectly with the famed 3-circle model developed by Davis and Tagiuri of the Harvard Business School in 1978,  depicting the family business system - the intersecting circles of family, business, and ownership...

BLOG | NEXT CHAPTER

Maximizing Value to Always Be For Sale

When I started Compass Point nearly 20 years ago, I heard a quote from business owner (and my now mentor) Tom Stine, “The only reason to get into business is to get out.” I remember thinking at the time, “That’s a bit cold. Sounds like consultant talk.” But 20 years later, I can honestly say that truer words have never been spoken.