Helping Business Families Thrive
Today and Through the Generations
Building family businesses that last requires more than business acumen—it demands the ability to navigate the unique challenges where family dynamics and business decisions intersect.
The Family Business Challenge
Family-owned businesses face distinctive challenges that traditional corporate structures never encounter. As your business grows and your family expands across generations, complexity multiplies. What worked when you were a startup with a handful of family members may create tension and confusion as you scale.
Common challenges we help family businesses face include:
- Differing expectations between generations about leadership, compensation, and business direction
- Succession uncertainty that creates anxiety and stalls strategic decision-making
- Confusion about roles as family members balance being relatives, shareholders, and employees
- Conflict avoidance that prevents addressing critical issues until they become crises
- Communication breakdowns where important conversations never happen
- Governance gaps that leave decision-making unclear as complexity increases
These challenges are normal, predictable, and solvable. With the right guidance and structures, family businesses can transform potential friction points into competitive advantages.
Our Three-Part Framework
We guide family businesses toward three interconnected outcomes that create sustainable success:
Remarkably Nurturing Families
Strong family relationships are the foundation of long-term business success. We help families develop the communication skills, governance structures, and conflict resolution capabilities that allow them to work together effectively while maintaining healthy family bonds. This includes creating family councils, establishing clear family policies, and facilitating difficult conversations with care and professionalism.
Unusually Profitable Companies
Family harmony means little if the business struggles financially. We help families implement sound business practices, strategic planning processes, and professional management systems that drive profitability. By separating family issues from business decisions and establishing clear governance, we enable family businesses to compete effectively in their markets while maintaining family ownership.
Aligned, Competent, Committed Shareholders
As ownership spreads across generations and family branches, shareholder alignment becomes critical. We help families educate shareholders about their responsibilities, create structures for effective ownership governance, and align expectations about returns, reinvestment, and long-term strategy. Well-prepared shareholders become advocates for the business rather than sources of conflict.
How We Help
The Delaware Valley Family Business Center offers comprehensive support for family-owned businesses at every stage:
Consulting Services
Customized consulting for succession planning, family governance, conflict resolution, and strategic planning. We work directly with your family to address your specific challenges and build sustainable structures for the future.
Family Business Forum
A peer learning community where family business leaders meet monthly to share experiences, learn from expert speakers, and build relationships with others who understand their unique challenges. Our Forum provides both education and the invaluable benefit of connecting with fellow family business owners.
Learning Labs
Professional development programs designed specifically for family business members, including our highly regarded Next Generation Learning Lab that prepares rising leaders for their future roles. These intensive programs combine education, skill development, and peer networking.
Take the First Step
Whether you're facing an immediate succession challenge, want to strengthen your family governance, or are looking to connect with other family business leaders, we're here to help. Every family business journey is unique, and we customize our approach to meet you where you are.
The most successful family business transitions don't happen by accident—they're the result of intentional planning, honest communication, and professional guidance. Start building your family's legacy today.