A practical guide to successful management of the family business--today and tomorrow--from one of its most innovative and outspoken proponents.

This practical and important book offers ideas, examples, and suggestions that address the challenges inherent to developing and sustaining a successful family business. It explores the complex dynamics involved in working with loved ones and how to pass a business on to a new generation. Structured around the story of a family that has built a successful enterprise, now facing the issues of succession, the book utilizes the solution-focused model to provide step-by-step instructions to creating good working relationships and orienting toward common goals while building trust, respect, and love. Complete with summaries, toolkits, and case studies, this book is an essential read for any member of a family business, as well as those who provide services to family businesses, including coaches, consultants, and non-family employees.

John L. Ward, a leading world expert on family business, offers the best practices of the most successful and long-lasting families in business, including Ford Motors, Marriott Hotels, Levi-Strauss, and the New York Times. He provides a framework of five insights and four principles in which to position his fifty "lessons learned" for family business longevity. This is a comprehensive book on sustaining family businesses that contains international examples, cases, essential tools, and checklists of best practices; a how-to every entrepreneur should have.

John L. Ward is a leading world expert on the family business. In this book he brings together a vast amount of experience to show the, 'best practices' of the most successful and long-lasting families in business. He provides a framework of five insights and four principles in which to position his 50 lessons for family businesses. This is the most comprehensive book on sustaining the family business and contains international examples and cases and essential tools and checklists of best practice.

The one book you need to navigate the complex decisions and critical relationships necessary to create and sustain a healthy family business--and business family. Though "family business" may sound like it refers only to mom-and-pop shops, businesses owned by families are among the most significant and numerous in the world. But surprisingly few resources exist to help navigate the unique challenges you face when you share the executive suite, tax returns, and holidays. How do you make the right decisions, critical to the long-term survival of any business, with the added challenge of having to do so within the context of a family? This comprehensive handbook brings you sophisticated guidance and practical advice from family business experts Josh Baron and Rob Lachenauer. Based on their decades-long experience working closely with a wide range of family businesses around the world, the authors present proven methods and approaches. In the HBR Family Business Handbook you'll find: A new perspective on what makes family businesses succeed and fail A framework to help you address the myriad decisions facing your family business--including how to make good decisions together Step-by-step guidance to help you understand what type of family business you own, define success on your own terms, communicate effectively, manage conflict, prepare for changes within your business family, and transition to the next generation Key questions about wealth, unique to family businesses, that you can't afford not to ask yourself--and your family Exercises and assessments to help you determine where you are--and where you want to go Stories of real families and real companies, from Radio Flyer to Sierra Nevada Brewing Company The HBR Family Business Handbook addresses these issues and more. Keep this guide with you to help you build, grow, and sustain your family business--and your business family--for years, and generations, to come.

The purpose of this book is to provide readers with an introductory overview of family business, the most prevalent form of business in the world. The differences between family and nonfamily businesses are emphasized in this book. There are several key audiences: As a supplemental text for university undergraduate or graduate level courses such as small business management, introduction to business, entrepreneurship, or family studies. Members of family businesses will benefit from the book as an introduction to the unique nature of family businesses. Professional advisors to family firms such as accountants, attorneys, bankers, insurance providers, and financial services professionals may develop a better understanding of their clients. Suppliers to family businesses will gain insight to this important business customer. Much of the literature on family business is from the United States; an attempt has been made to present relevant international information, as well. Chapter one defines a family business and provides an overview of family business. Chapter two explores the many differences between a family owned business and a nonfamily owned business. Chapter three explores the major family business theories. Chapter four discusses how family firms make business decisions. Chapter five explores the significant issues prevalent in a family firm. Chapter six explores the most problematic issue in family firms: succession or the transfer of ownership to the next generation. Chapter seven explores the many differences among the generations of a family firm. Chapter eight presents information on family business strategic planning. Chapter nine focuses on effective family business governance and use of advisors and boards. Chapter ten explores key success tips for long lasting family firms. Chapter eleven discusses trends in family business. Chapter twelve contains key points for family business professionals and suppliers who target or service family firms. Chapter thirteen presents areas for future research to advance the study of family business.

This practical and important book offers ideas, examples, and suggestions that address the challenges inherent to developing and sustaining a successful family business. It explores the complex dynamics involved in working with loved ones and how to pass a business on to a new generation. Structured around the story of a family that has built a successful enterprise, now facing the issues of succession, the book utilizes the solution-focused model to provide step-by-step instructions to creating good working relationships and orienting toward common goals while building trust, respect, and love. Complete with summaries, toolkits, and case studies, this book is an essential read for any member of a family business, as well as those who provide services to family businesses, including coaches, consultants, and non-family employees.