The founder of a successful business possesses the drive, energy and perseverance that started and ultimately drove the business to success. Statistics demonstrate how difficult a challenge this truly is when over 75% of businesses started are nowhere to be found within 5 years. Another 20% fail in years 5-15. The remaining 5% are often successful enough to provide employment opportunities to other family members and a family in business is born. Over time, succeeding generations enter the business and continue to implement the founders’ vision while developing dreams of their own.

This scenario and more provide a wealth of opportunity for the prepared agricultural family to build upon the talent, interests and entrepreneurial drive of all members of the family insuring family business success through the generations. Preparing the family for transition is a lifelong process and not an event. Transition planning requires sensitivity to the family and business dynamics and is well aware of the minefields below the surface that can erupt and ruin the family and the business with a naïve misstep.

The closely held business has estate, management succession and ownership succession dreams that are intertwined with the inherent psychology of the family dynamics.

This workshop will provide families a roadmap for transition planning as well as insights and success strategies for multiple generations in order to make timely, fair and transparent decisions that will promote love and harmony in the family while continuing to grow your family business. This workshop is ideal for multiple family members to attend together.

This workshop will be focused in four parts:

1. Individual Planning
The tyranny of the urgent often overshadows one’s ability or time to plan for your own future, to plan what is next in your life, what is necessary for the next chapter in life. The years speed by and begin to feel beyond your control. The session provides a pathway to capture individual goals as well as dreams while understanding how plans for the future can dovetail with the urgent needs of today

2. Business Planning
The dynamic marketplace of today provides lots of opportunities for growth for the family who are paying attention or for the family that is not caught in trying to maintain things as they have always been. Each generation brings new ideas, talents and energy to the family business but without a planned approach to the integration and development of the individual chaos, misunderstandings, hurt feelings and at worst departure of the family member can occur. The session provides a pathway to integration of multiple generations so that the baton is passed in appropriate areas at the right time

3. Family Planning
As each family member plans for their future, a collective vision for the family based upon their shared dream for the future must be developed which is critical to the effective succession of the family and the business. This session provides a pathway for the family to capture their values and develop their shared future vision.

4. Implementation Plans
Participants will finish this workshop with the development of action planning so that no matter if the transition plan is needed in the next few years or decades the process needed to move forward has been written and responsibilities assigned.