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How Families Shape Successor Motivation—and the Firm’s Long-Term Direction By Alexandra Dawson on Fri Feb 06 2026 Family firms don’t have goals—people do. The rise and fall of Italy's Florio dynasty shows how successor motivation shapes the balance between growth, legacy, and community—and how families can Read more
The Founder’s Pivot Playbook: Navigating Growth, Constraints, and Stakeholders By Colin Donaldson, Jorge Villagrasa and Eric Liguori on Wed Feb 04 2026 What a €70M mobile-gaming startup reveals about make-or-break decisions. Founders’ decisions play a huge role in whether startups scale up or fizzle out. These decisions become much more Read more
Will Your Nonfamily Employees Defend Your Business? By Sarah Burrows, Craig Crossley, Catherine Faherty and Jim Combs on Mon Jan 26 2026 A stewardship climate, where employees feel trusted and truly valued, mobilizes nonfamily employees to defend the family firm against reputational threats. EDITOR’S NOTE: This article was produced Read more
The 11 Digital Warning Signs of Conflict Escalation in Business Families By Christina Strauss, Arist von Schlippe, Franz Kellermanns and Torsten Pieper on Tue Jan 20 2026 Digital communication speeds up family business decisions—but it also accelerates conflict. Based on 100+ pages of real emails and texts, here are 11 signs that an all-out brawl is coming. The Read more
Cooperating with Competitors is Good Business in Japan By Sigrun C. Caspary, Tom Rüsen and Arist von Schlippe on Sun Dec 28 2025 Japanese family businesses are encouraged to help one another for the benefit of their shared customers and their community. It has helped them survive setbacks and thrive. Family businesses are a Read more
The Founder Storytelling Framework: Match Your Pitch to Your Market’s Stage By Jonathan Preedom, Shannon Younger and Chad Navis on Thu Dec 18 2025 Research shows how to tailor your narrative for nascent, emergent, and mature markets—so investors and customers instantly “get it” and act. Founders face a constant challenge: they need Read more
From 'Passing Down' to 'Building Up': Rethinking Values in Family Firms By Viktoria Luft, Anne Katarina Heider, Heinrich Liechtenstein and Tarek el Sehity on Wed Dec 03 2025 Rather than being inherited like family heirlooms, values are shaped and re-shaped by interactions between the generations at the family firm. EDITOR‘S NOTE: This article was produced in Read more
Families Can Overcome Generational Conflicts Over Technology By Maria Annosi, Mat Hughes, Davide de Gennaro, Roberta Oppedisano and Filomena Buonocore on Thu Nov 13 2025 A study of Italian firms shows how differences can be resolved, so the company can honor tradition and still make progress. EDITOR‘S NOTE: This article was produced in partnership with the Journal Read more
Define Your Legacy, and Strengthen Your Business and Your Impact By Matthew Fox, Kimberly Wade-Benzoni and Jeffrey Covin on Tue Oct 28 2025 Unless you clearly state what you want your legacy to be, your successors will interpret it in their own way -- and it might not be what you intended. EDITOR‘S NOTE: This article was produced in Read more
The World is Changing Faster Than Your Strategy By Torsten Pieper, Claudia Binz Astrachan, Francesco Chirico and Annika Ehlers on Fri Oct 24 2025 Families that learn to use their cohesion, trust, and long-term orientation as strengths can implement strategies more effectively than their non-family peers, especially in times of uncertainty. Read more