Category: Commentary

From Entitlement to Contribution

When a father, absent during the day, returns home at six, his children receive only his temperament, not his teaching. -- Robert Bly A client told me once that all a family member needed to come Read more

Trust Me: I'm a Salesman

Entrepreneurs must believe in their products or services deeply enough to explain their worth to potential customers or clients. For most, this means learning to sell for the very first time -- an Read more

Thriving or Trapped in the Family Business?

For some individuals, working in a family business can be an incredible gift. For others, it's a prison without any chance of parole. For those who are feeling trapped in the family business, Read more

How Family Firms Can Innovate With Less

Family firms often face limits on the financial and human capital available to them. But in Germany, a class of small- to medium-sized businesses known as the "Mittlestand" has learned to transcend Read more

'There's No Birthright' and Other Tips for Raising Entrepreneurial Leaders

Joe Brito, the third-generation head of C.B. Utility Co. in Bristol, Rhode Island, started his career in the family business as a laborer. He firmly believes that anybody entering their family Read more

James Wetherbe is the Richard Schulze Distinguished Professor at the Rawls College of Business at Texas Tech University. Previously he served on the faculty and the University of Houston, Minnesota Read more

Outside Leadership Can Save the Family Business

Cultures around the world acknowledge just how difficult it can be for a family-run enterprise to sustain itself over time. Many have their own version of the adage that family businesses go from Read more

According to Benjamin Franklin, life has only two certainties, death and taxes. It would appear, however, that the business world also has its own two certainties – the growth imperative and the Read more

The ranks of "unintended entrepreneurs" are growing, but neither the public nor the universities are fully aware of this yet. These unintended entrepreneurs will come from both the existing workforce Read more

Sponsored by the Richard M. Schulze Family Foundation, the Schulze School of Entrepreneurship at the University of St. Thomas, and EIX.org, a non-profit online platform for entrepreneurship Read more