Who We Work With

We help family businesses undertake succession that preserves harmony in the family and the business.  We help the families in family businesses balance the human dynamics of the business and the family. We help professionalize the business so it can continues and increases as an asset to the family, and we help develop the leadership to carry the legacy of the business and the family across generations.

We also help small business owners, entrepreneurs, independent consultants and professionals transition from an owner centric business - one that requires the constant presence of the head of the firm to function - to an organization that functions as a business.

You have been successful but that very success now threatens your continued existence. Whether you are a 3-person or a 40-person organization, the responsibilities of running your business or practice are overtaking your ability to grow. The original excitement is overwhelmed by long hours, unceasing demands, lose of sense of who are.  You may feel that you are peddling as hard as you can and not going any faster.

With new organizational capabilities you are able to develop your brand, speak about your firm’s new capabilities, and create more balance in your life and the lives of those around you.

We have worked with clients from many industries; and industry areas where we have greater experience include the construction industries - architects, engineers, designers, builders - as well as attorneys, financial analysts, and IT.

Can you relate to any of these scenarios?

• Clients want to talk only to me. My clients hired me, and want to know that I am involved with their project.
   
• Ready for retirement but don't see leadership in the next generation.  A successful succession process can take a lifetime.  Actually 20 years is not too long to ensure a successful succession.     

• We seem to be putting out fires most of the time. We spend most of our time reacting to urgent matters instead of performing well-planned tasks and objectives.

• I am ready to take over but Dad is not ready to go because this has been his whole life.  Often a major obstacle to a successful succession is because the founder has never had a life apart from the business.  Understanding this and exploring new opportunities either in the business or along a new endeavor can significantly help with the transition.
   
• I have thoughts about growing my business, but no time to do anything about it. I spend most of my time juggling the day-to-day needs of my business. And I don’t know the best way to begin.

• Sibling rivalry is a major challenge to succession in a family business.  Family governance best management practices are designed to mitigate sibling rivalry.  Family meetings, family councils, meritocracy, and clear requirements for leadership roles in the business help avoid sibling rivalry.
   
• There are aspects of the business I do better or prefer to do. The other things are pure drudgery but I don’t know how to get out from behind them.
   
• It’s hard to take in a view from the outside, because I’m so focused on staying afloat. An objective point-of-view and wise counsel would help me see my company through this storm.
   
• I can’t seem to get my employees to think through what is needed next. I want employees who want to be here for more than a paycheck, but I don’t see an alignment of staff goals and my goals for the company. I can’t seem to find the right methods of motivation and inspiration that would keep them personally invested in helping my business move forward.
   
• I have not and cannot take any significant time off for a long time.  There is no one to handle my responsibilities. It leaves me feeling out of touch and off balance.
   
• I would like to add staff but I don’t have the revenue to bring them on. Should I hire first in hopes that the business will grow to support the additional cost, or should I grow the business to a point where their pay will be supported before I start?

If you identify with these scenarios, your business is probably not self-sustaining, meaning that it cannot operate on its own. In actuality you more so have a job than a business, and the worst part is that it’s yours, 24-7. These are the situations we help with.

Aside from their point on the business growth spectrum, our clients are better defined by their mindset than by their size or industry.

They:

• have high standards of excellence.
• are very knowledgeable about what they do.
• are persistent and committed to success.
• will seek out assistance when needed.
• are eager to expand their knowledge and leadership.
• are willing to invest in themselves, their business and their team.
• believe they can do more with a team.
• are willing to challenge themselves in new ways.
• see their role as the stewardship from predecessor to successor while growing the business and developing leadership in the family. 

Now that you know more about the type of people and situations that we help, click here to learn more about How We Work.