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When Family Legacy is a Boat Anchor to Decision Making

The successful business started to decline just before Wanda’s dad passed away, the effect of digitization in the industry.

But even if she could keep the business viable, it is unlikely the business will ever achieve the levels of profitability it had when her Dad was alive.

She didn’t know how to value her company or how to negotiate terms for a merger.

Wanda has a heart of gold, and she’s a champion for having kept the business viable this long, especially in the face of family pressure to keep the dividends coming.

Be vigilant to not let your family legacy cloud your business judgment, otherwise, it goes from being a good thing to being a boat anchor.

When Family Legacy is a Boat Anchor to Decision Making

She could barely hold back the tears. Wanda (not her real name) was telling me how her grandfather started the business after World War II. Her dad took it over in 1974 when her grandfather was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease. Wanda started in 2002, and her dad poured his heart and soul into training her to take over the company. Unfortunately, he had a rare heart disease and died in 2007. “I wasn’t ready to take Read More

The Risk of Waiting

“At the rate I am growing, shouldn’t I wait a couple of years to sell my business? I’m bound to sell it for more if I wait.” Colin (not his real name) owns a fantastic business. He bought it 17 years ago with no idea it would become as successful as it is today. “I was just tired of my job in an office building, I didn’t become an entrepreneur to get rich,” he said as he told me how he got into the business. But by Read More

Second Generation Complacence

“Oh I just love this house,” Emily (her real name) said as she was checking out. “It’s a shame it's fallen into such disrepair. We have so many memories over the years, but we can’t stay here next time we’re at the beach.” Emily loves going to Seaside, a wonderful community on 30A in the Florida panhandle. Her family has been going there since her children were young. For the past few years, she and her husband Jim Read More

The Gift With Strings (not the good kind)

“I have decided it’s time I step away from my business, and I want to sell it to my employees.” Linda (not her real name) invited me to her plush office to discuss her retirement plan and to show me the awards her professional services company had won over the years. It was impressive, but I was more impressed when she started telling me about her side business, real estate investment. In 2004, Linda and her husband Read More

Can You Afford to Watch It Go Up in Smoke?

Covid has wrecked his business. Paul (not his real name) owns a company that is a leading player in Nashville's trendy food scene. As everyone knows, the restaurant sector has been decimated by pandemic-driven shutdowns. To raise cash, Paul asked me to help him sell a minority interest he owns in a business in Texas. Paul was hoping the proceeds from selling that minority interest could be reinvested back into his Read More

Balancing Risk and Reward

I met Wayne (not his real name) through an introduction from his financial planner. Wayne owns a successful business in Mississippi that he had taken over after his dad's death nine years ago. Long hours and employee management issues were taking a toll on him and resultantly, his family. In early 2020, he promised his wife he’d consider selling his business. Wayne started the process by asking his Memphis-based Read More

One Thoughtless Comment, Say Goodbye to $35 Million

Don (not his real name) was smart, but his errant comment cost him $35 million. In just 12 years, he had built his company to be the largest in his industry. Don was a rock star, and his company’s future was bright. But Don had taken the company as far as he wanted to take it. Though just 44 years old, he was ready to sell the company and realize his life’s ambition to play golf on six continents (did you know, Read More

Success in Corporate Life May Not Transfer

“It’s time for me to leave, I can’t take one more HR seminar, help me find a business to buy.”  So started my relationship with Andy (not his real name), a senior-level executive at a publicly traded healthcare company in Nashville.  “I like my corporate job OK, but it’s corporate life I’m not happy with,” he told me over lunch. “I’m ready for a change, I want to be an entrepreneur,” Andy said even before the waiter Read More

Innovate, Renovate, or Reinvent, but Do Something!

“We’ve made a good living singing three to four nights a week for over 20 years. Rodeos, concert halls, colleges, and county fairs all across the United States. We’ve traveled overseas dozens of times, too. But now, we have no place to go, no place to sing, and no concert income.” Jay (not his real name) and his group have spent the last five months at home. His income from record sales and streaming continues, but Read More

Being Your Own Boss is Overrated, You Might Be a Bad Boss

“After thinking about this for a long time, I’m ready to get serious about buying a business.” During a recent phone call, Brian (not his real name) told me he has read my blog for over two years and had been inspired to consider life as an entrepreneur. “I’ve never intended to inspire anyone toward life as an entrepreneur,” I told Brian. “In fact, it’s a very hard life in many ways. I just try to help Read More