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Boards can assist with some of the particularly challenging issues family companies face. There are several different factors that should be considered as a board is created or renewed. While each family company’s situation is unique and every scenario cannot be addressed, the goal is to provide a framework of how corporate governance practices apply to family companies.

This Family Business Corporate Governance Series "What is a Board's Role in a Family Business?" explains how to build an effective board for your family company, and how boards can assist with some of the particularly challenging issues family companies face.

Pitcairn and The Corporate Greenhouse have co-written a case study that validates why talent planning and business planning are equally important and interdependent. The case study discusses how Pitcairn’s CEO is transforming a 90-year-old family business into a high-performing multi‑family office with increased profitability, streamlined processes, and happier employees.

Cybercriminals are increasingly targeting midmarket companies and startups in hopes of easy access. The cost to a business can be high, ranging from financial loss to reputational damage.

Business brokerage services are critically important to the liquidity of small business ownership, business growth, and related jobs preservation and creation. Baby boomers are faced with the prospects of either selling or closing their businesses to retire. Small business owners need and rely upon the professional services of merger and acquisition intermediaries, advisors, and business brokers (together, “M&A brokers”) to advise about and assist with the sale of privately owned businesses.

Family offices are complicated because of the scope of services they deliver, the high number and complexity of entities they oversee and the staff they must manage. These complexities can open the door to liability. Employing consistent policies and procedures, establishing an annual entity review process, maximizing protection provided by indemnification and buying insurance are all tools to help manage the risks associated with management and professional liability.

One of the things we’ve learned is that a family contract can be a valuable tool to help families build trust and avoid conflicts. We’ve also found that for a contract to work well, everyone who signs the contract should have a say in how the contract is written. That doesn’t mean you will get everything you want and, as you probably expect, your parents still have the final say on family rules.