Unity Builds Family Farm Success
Will Rogers once said if you want to be successful, "it's just this simple. Know what you are doing. Love what you are doing. And believe in what you are doing." As I travel the country working with...
June 18, 2011 in Management Issues in Family Business
Will Rogers once said if you want to be successful, "it's just this simple. Know what you are doing. Love what you are doing. And believe in what you are doing." As I travel the country working with...
May 18, 2011 in Management Issues in Family Business
Investment firms have a quote that flashes at the end of their commercials or is written in small-type on their marketing materials: "Past performance is not an indicator of future results." Because...
April 18, 2011 in Conflict Resolution and Communication in Family Business
As a parent of three young children, I often wonder about the best way to communicate with my kids. How best to reason with them? How best to get their attention? How best to get them to listen to me...
April 18, 2011 in Advisory Boards and Peer Groups
Advisory boards yield better business results Nathan and Sean Collins put together an advisory group two years ago and it's already yielded huge benefits. "We talked a lot about building a hog...
April 18, 2011 in Management Issues in Family Business
In Meade County, They're Turning 'Me' Into 'We' The "C" word-consolidation-is mentioned often in rural America these days in light of budget cuts and shrinking populations. But there is another "C"...
March 18, 2011 in Conflict Resolution and Communication in Family Business
Some of the most common frustrations are related to ownership transitions.
February 18, 2011 in Conflict Resolution and Communication in Family Business
This time of year can be a great time for family business conversations. The pace is slower, there are opportunities to travel together to industry meetings, and people are generally thinking about...
February 18, 2011 in Succession and Estate Planning
Power shifting in any business is often uncomfortable. Is the older generation ready to hand over some power and is the younger generation prepared to assume responsibility?
December 18, 2010 in Conflict Resolution and Communication in Family Business
Plan a Family Chat During Christmas Break
December 18, 2010 in Succession and Estate Planning
Family business consultants often suggest that families in business adopt a policy encouraging farm kids to go to college or technical school, and then work somewhere else for a few years before...