Working With Consultants

October 19, 2026 - Issue #177

Family Business Consultant or Coach: Which Do You Need? Coaches help individual family members grow; consultants solve problems affecting the entire family business. Learn when to hire each and how they can work together.

Multigenerational Consulting Teams Bring Wisdom and Fresh Insights Many family businesses facing a leadership transition to the next generation turn to advisors to help them create a plan and work through their differences. Multigenerational advisory teams can help.

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.

Growing Pains: Helping a Family Office to Evolve The Single Family Office should be a strategic partner that ensures future stability, but this family saw them as a piggybank.

'CHAOS' Brings Order to Family Businesses Business thinking is rational and economic; families are highly emotional. Chaos can result when the two realms intermingle, but it can be minimized.

Helping Families Prepare for the Worst

The Psychology of Effective Exit Planning: A Guide for Families and Advisors Family firms can help the next generation move forward by understanding and supporting the emotional aspects of the exit for the current leader.

Family Firms May Need More Legal Advice Than They Think Families are often reluctant to anticipate and plan for the day when an unexpected transition might upend their business. The costs of inaction are high.

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Why Don't You Educate Your Owners?

What the AI-Wealthy Can Learn from Business Families About Living with a Windfall

When a Family Business Faces a Crisis, Should the Founder Step Aside?

How to Let Your Child Lead the Family Business When You Disagree

Popular Topics

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Recent

The “Perfect Successor” Is a Myth: What Family Businesses Should Look for Instead

by Eric Liguori, Benjamin McLarty, Maria Bracamonte, Parker Ellen, and Michele Medina-Craven / Research Insight

Research suggests that education, experience, confidence, personality, and motivation can all shape family business succession. But none offers a shortcut to finding the ideal next leader. Read more...

How Family Offices Can Turn Impact Investments Into Measurable Results

by Mattias Nordqvist, Marco Mismetti, Fredrik Holmberg, and Lorenz Schwab / Research Insight

Active ownership, clear goals, and close relationships with entrepreneurs can help investments deliver social and environmental impact. Read more...

6 Questions to Ask Before Creating a Family Business Board

by Pedro Vazquez, Isabel C Botero, and Miguel Méndez / Research Insight

As your family business grows, informal decision-making may no longer be enough. These six questions can help you decide when and how to strengthen governance. Read more...

Before You Create a Family Office, Prepare the Next Generation

by Dennis Oteng / Commentary

A full family office may not be the first step. Strong governance can prepare younger family members to steward wealth long before a crisis forces the issue. Read more...

by Klaus Lüber and Nadine Kammerlander

How Family Dynamics Shape Family Businesses

by Joseph Astrachan and Claudia Binz Astrachan

5 Practical Tips for Making Business Decisions With Family Members

by Rostyslav Vovk

How Family Business Succession Shapes Innovation in the Next Generation

by Ludovica Del Barone, Maria Annosi, Filomena Buonocore, and Evelyn Micelotta

Things to Consider When Transferring Family Business Ownership

by Susan Lanz, Gary Burke, Kajsa Haag, and Omid Omidvar

Consumers Love Local Brands. That's Good News For Family Businesses

by Philipp Jaufenthaler, Andreas Kallmuenzer, Sascha Kraus, and Alfredo De Massis