Blog
Insights, tools, and training straight from the team at Compass Point
BLOG | FAMILY DYNAMICS / GOVERNANCE
What Actually Holds a Family Business Together Across Generations?
Family businesses rarely struggle because of strategy alone—they struggle when there is no shared purpose strong enough to unite generations. Long-term continuity depends on more than ownership, succession plans, or governance; it requires a clear reason for the family to work, lead, and build together.
Read Post
BLOG | FAMILY DYNAMICS / GOVERNANCE
How Governance Preserves Family Harmony and Reduces Conflict
Stronger governance means stronger families and less family dynamics. Governance helps ground decision-making to navigate love, power and money and reduce conflict in family businesses.
Read Post
BLOG | OWNER FINANCIAL GAP
Mind The Gap – Closing Financial Gaps Before They Become Crises
Financial crises in family businesses rarely appear overnight—they develop quietly when expectations about retirement, ownership transitions, and liquidity outpace realistic financial planning. By identifying potential financial gaps early and aligning family needs with the business’s actual cash capacity, owners can avoid rushed decisions and protect both the company and family relationships.
Read Post
BLOG | FAMILY DYNAMICS / GOVERNANCE
Talking Business with Tom Garrity: When the Past Shows Up and What Strong Families Do About It
Family business challenges rarely start with strategy—they often stem from inherited patterns of communication, conflict, and identity that have shaped the family for generations. The good news is that while these patterns are powerful, families that intentionally build awareness, resilience, and better governance can break the cycle and prepare the next generation to lead differently.
Read Post
BLOG | NEXT CHAPTER
When Your Role Ends But Your Story Doesn’t
When you spend a significant portion of your life building a business, walking away comes with a wide range of emotions. After 13 years building a bakery from the ground up, Angela shares the unexpected identity shift that comes after leaving a business – and what founders can learn about purpose, resilience, and life beyond ownership.
Read Post
BLOG | LEGACY / COMMUNITY
Channeling Love into a Family Business Legacy
Marking a very special anniversary, Catherine reflects on how her family turned their loss and love into purpose through a family foundation – and why giving back can become one of the most meaningful parts of a family business legacy.
Read Post
BLOG | LEADERSHIP
How Ready Is Your Next Generation for Leadership?
Relying on interest alone can jeopardize family business continuity and legacy. To ensure Next Gen readiness, an owner must move beyond assumptions, and objectively develop and measure leadership progress through proven skills, real-world experience, and structured mentorship.
Read Post
BLOG | FAMILY DYNAMICS / GOVERNANCE
Talking Business with Tom Garrity: The Next Generation’s Dilemma
If you want your Next Gen in the family business, read how to make it a place where capable adults can lead, grow and be trusted. Otherwise, they’ll blaze their own trail – and they won’t be wrong to do so.
Read Post
BLOG | PEOPLE / TALENT
Are You Planning to Use AI to Solve Problems — or Just to Move Faster?
AI delivers real value when leadership teams focus first on clearly defining the business problems causing friction — not on chasing new tools or moving faster for its own sake. The companies seeing meaningful results use AI to reinforce priorities, improve decision-making, and reduce variability, rather than to amplify unclear goals or inconsistent execution.
Read Post
BLOG | EXECUTION
“It Would’ve Been Faster If I Just Did It Myself”– And Other Lies Leaders Tell Themselves
Most leaders have had this thought – often more than once: ‘It would’ve been faster if I just did it myself.’ The hard truth is that skipping the investment in developing others now only builds a business that permanently depends on you.
Read Post
BLOG | TRANSITION / SUCCESSION
Talking Business with Tom: Avoiding Next-Generation Stall-Out
Thousands of family businesses will change hands in the coming decade. Some will thrive across generations. Others will stall quietly, then disappear. The difference won’t be luck. It will be preparation.
Read Post
BLOG | FAMILY DYNAMICS / GOVERNANCE
Why Every Family Business Needs a Family Constitution (Even If You Think You Don’t)
When rules live only in people’s heads, every disagreement feels personal. The irony is that most of these disputes are completely avoidable. A Family Constitution is the key to creating commitment and strengthen culture.
Read PostWhere Family Businesses Come to Grow & Learn
At Compass Point, we make it easy to get insights, training, tools, and articles straight to your inbox and help family business owners and their team continue to grow, learn, and lead.