For business and wealth creators, preserving the family in the midst of wealth is far more difficult than creating the wealth. Integrating second and third generations into ownership and decision-making is something business builders haven’t yet experienced. We focus on 14 strategies families can use to integrate rising generations and pass down responsible ownership and governance.
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Defining a family enterprise’s governance structures is a journey, not a destination. In this webcast Stephanie Traversy, Vice President of Personal Development and Governance at Bridgegreen Capital, will unpack four critical milestones along the path to purposeful governance. She’ll cover why families need to establish their higher purpose and long-range vision, what purposeful activities will drive that vision forward, and how to build the structures, agreements, policies and plans appropriate to the family’s needs.
FOX founder Sara Hamilton, together with Margaret Vaughan Cox, will describe what a complex enterprise family looks like and share a new framework, detailed in their recently published book, Build an Enterprise Family to Last: Proven Strategies to Thrive Across Generations, that distinguishes the Family Journey, the Enterprise Journey, and the Personal Journey. Their methodology and milestones allow each family to explore where they are today, where they want to go in the future, and how they plan to get there.
This breakout session will expand on the methods introduced earlier, sharing specific tools and techniques that can help families get ‘unstuck’ and move their enterprises forward. The authors of Build an Enterprise Family to Last: Proven Strategies to Thrive Across Generations will highlight milestones that have helped families explain complex topics and collaboratively build future plans. Insights from the Enterprise Family workshop will be discussed, and attendees will receive copies of the new guidebook containing 48 milestones with visual descriptions
As enterprising families expand across generations, they often stray from their entrepreneurial wealth creation roots to a more risk-averse wealth-protection mode. However, if maintaining shared family capital across multiple generations is the goal, wealth protection mode is not an ideal strategy and may have some unintended consequences.
It is not uncommon for enterprising families to end up making sub-optimal capital allocation decisions due to limited visibility into, and planning around, the entirety of their shared family assets. To optimize the value of shared family capital, both the business and other entities or advisors in the enterprise ecosystem must work in harmony. With a well-defined shared family capital strategy and holistic framework, enterprising families will be in a better position to grow and sustain their wealth, promote family unity, and prepare for the road ahead with purpose.
Every family office is unique, and so are the governance structures needed to meet the family's objectives. This session will help attendees understand when a family office should implement more (or less) formal governance components - from committees to councils to bringing in outside directors alongside family members. Attendees will walk away with a solid understanding of the family office governance lifecycle, including indicators on when to add or remove governance elements.
From risk management to objective perspectives to succession planning, boards are a crucial component to help the family business achieve longevity. Boards serve as a mechanism to clarify the mandates of the family and provide continuity and formal guidance to future generations. During this session, experts will share easy-to-implement governance tactics to sustain family businesses for future generations. Meghan Juday, Chairman of the Board, IDEAL Industries Peter Moustakerski, CEO, FOX
Enterprise families are unique because they share ownership and stewardship of more than just family businesses. In addition to co-owning operating companies, they are the guardians of family legacy, family trusts, shared philanthropy, and joint properties. As leadership moves from founders to siblings to cousins and family priorities change, the decision-making structures must evolve to stay relevant.
Family wealth encompasses more than the financial capital of the family. From a multi-generational and family sustainability perspective, it’s about thinking beyond the private wealth and incorporating a holistic approach that prepares the human capital, enhances the intellectual capital, and builds the appropriate governance framework. This shift in thinking and practice will foster clearer communication among family members, stronger family cohesiveness, and well-prepared heirs who are better positioned to govern the family enterprise.