Resources

Success in Your Family Business is NOT One Size Fits All: Identifying What Will Drive Progress for Generations to Come

December 18, 2023

Life for business owners tends to move at a faster pace — which can make it difficult to step back from the hustle and bustle and focus on the future. But in order to achieve your idea of “success,” you need to first sit down and determine what, exactly, that means to you. In other […]

Do Emotions Ever Belong in Family Business?

November 15, 2023

You’ve likely heard before that “emotions don’t belong in business,” or “it’s not personal, just business.” But when you’re running a successful family business, your decisions are personal, and they have the potential to impact both the future of your business and family dynamics. While people tend to argue that emotions cloud our judgment, it’s […]

How I Uncovered Nature’s Secret to Family Business Success in Alaska

October 19, 2023

Transformative life events have a mysterious way about them. We can’t anticipate them, can’t plan for their arrival, and certainly can’t summon them at will. It can often seem when we most ardently strive to initiate change, it can elude us, slipping through our fingers just when we think we’ve gotten a hold of it. […]

Ownership Structure in Family Businesses: When and How to Pivot for Generational Success

August 24, 2023

Family businesses are unique entities, balancing the intricacies of family relationships with the demands of the business world. They carry legacies, embody values, and represent generations of hard work. The transition from one generation to the next often presents challenges, and it’s crucial for families to navigate these transitions effectively to ensure the longevity of […]

Helping Our Parents Age Gracefully: A Family’s Guide to the Delicate Transition

August 24, 2023

The lifecycle of a family, much like the business it may own, has its ebbs and flows. There’s the rise of the next generation, taking the reins, and the maturation of the older one, requiring new forms of support. Just as we prepare to take over the family business, we must also prepare to step […]

will kate at the prairie family business conference 2023

How a Facilitator Can Help Your Family Break Through

May 3, 2023

Using a Facilitator to Overcome Family Business Challenges

April 25, 2023

Most people realize that building a small business is challenging, but few understand the difficulties of building a business around the intricacies of family dynamics. In the best situations, the family offers a foundation of loyalty, trust, and dedication – traits on which most businesses need to thrive. In the worst cases, challenging family relationships, […]

Safeguarding Family Values While Managing Generational Wealth

March 29, 2023

When it comes to passing down intergenerational wealth, many families tend to mistakenly narrow their focus on the logistics—how they will transfer their assets with strategies like trusts, gifts, life insurance, etc… But there is so much more to it than just the “how.” What about the “why”? Transferring generational wealth involves more than just […]

Family Business Succession Planning: Why the Journey Is More Important Than the Destination

March 8, 2023

When you think about transitioning out of your family business, what do you envision? Is it the day you hand over the keys to your successor? Or maybe it’s the retirement party your loved ones will throw you, where you’re surrounded by friends and family. While we tend to associate the idea of “succession” with […]

What the SECURE Act 2.0 Means for Your Retirement (Hint: It’s Probably Less Than You Think)

January 26, 2023

In 2019, Congress passed the SECURE Act, which raised the beginning age for Required Minimum Distributions (RMDs) from 70 1/2 to 72 and effectively killed the “stretch” IRA, among other things. And perhaps in another few years, we will have a SECURE Act 3.0 to decipher, but for now let’s take a moment to cover […]