Our Latest Articles
//September 21, 2026 - Issue #176
How Family Business Succession Shapes Innovation in the Next Generation Research on 16 family businesses reveals why some successors build on the previous generation’s innovations while others rarely or never innovate.
Can a Family Business Consultant Really Help? Nine Experts Explain What Families Often Miss Family business consultants often create their greatest value in unexpected ways: helping families uncover the real reasons they're stuck, have difficult conversations, and make better decisions.
When Political Differences Threaten the Family Business Political differences can turn dangerous when family members begin dismissing one another’s business judgment based on political identity.
'Family-Owned' or 'Family-Run'? The Words You Use Can Affect Customer Trust Family businesses often promote their ownership and heritage to build trust. Research suggests that “family-run” may send a stronger message than “family-owned” — and that adding more heritage claims can sometimes backfire.
Why Every Family Business Leader Needs a Peer Group More than 300 peer-group meetings show what happens when family business leaders have a trusted place to talk with people who truly understand their challenges.
How Cronyism Undermines Innovation and Entrepreneurial Productivity Favoritism may make it easier to get things done, especially in difficult business environments. But as cronyism increases, productive entrepreneurship falls and profiteering rises.
A Family Trust Sows Bitter Discord Mat Hughes The story of the Buss family, owners of the Los Angeles Lakers, shows the pitfalls of a "last man standing" trust, which awards a deceased sibling's shares to the surviving siblings rather than his or her heirs.
Build a Family Governance Talent Pipeline Before You Need One Don’t wait for a vacancy. Prepare family members now — through education, mentoring, clear expectations, and hands-on experience — to serve on boards, family councils, and committees.
Three More Strategy Tools Every Small Business Owner Should Know The Value Chain, PESTEL, and Competitive Analysis can help entrepreneurs understand where they create value, anticipate market shifts, and compete more effectively.
The Cowboy Advantage: What Rural Culture Teaches Entrepreneurs Stephenville, Texas, shows how tight relationships, resource constraints, deep customer knowledge, and a culture of self-reliance can create entrepreneurial strengths that urban founders should study.
Serious health problems can disrupt leadership, finances, customer relationships, and more. New research shows how family firms can prevent illness from becoming a business crisis. Read more...
Family businesses are often viewed as ripe for operational improvement, making them especially attractive to private equity investors seeking value creation. Read more...
A job rotation program gives next-gens both hands-on experience and a working knowledge of different departments and important outside relationships. Read more...
When a successor becomes CEO, the title may change overnight — but authority, identity and trust do not. Next-generation leaders must act like the CEO before they feel like one. Read more...
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Supported by the Richard M Schulze Family Foundation