Category: Applied and Practice

Retirement Options and their Consequences for Small Business Owners

Pierre, a Swiss bakery co-owner for four decades, left his business behind when he reached age 65, the eligible retirement age in Switzerland. He was looking forward to leaving seven-day workweeks Read more

Seven Strategies to Survive the Post-Pandemic Labor Shortage

Small and medium-sized family businesses, which employed a large proportion of the labor force before the COVID-19 pandemic, are reeling from the post-pandemic challenge of retaining current staff Read more

I n 2011, Marc Andreessen famously wrote a prescient claim that “software is eating the world.” His prediction was that software companies would disrupt traditional industries and since then, Read more

Divorce Can Hollow out a Family Business — But it Doesn’t Have to

With Bill and Melinda Gates’ divorce making headlines across the globe, many are wondering how the split will affect their joint business dealings — especially the Gates Foundation, which they Read more

Innovating With Agility: Tips and Tricks for Resurgence and Growth

Part two of a two-part series. As new cases of COVID-19 emerge around the world (as of late July, 2021), the disease continues to remind us that the only certainty is uncertainty -- a theme I Read more

The Best Family Business Boards Embrace Candor and 'Necessary Endings'

Second of a two-part series From our studies evaluating the effectiveness of boards at family firms, we’ve seen first-hand how strong boards can help family businesses be more successful. In our Read more

Networks are one of the most important resources entrepreneurs can have. Indeed, one of the few consistent findings in entrepreneurship research is that networks matter. Entrepreneurs with bigger and Read more

Getting Your Family Business Ready for the 'New Normal'

Part one of two Eighteen months into the COVID-19 pandemic, we are seeing signs of a return to something resembling normality. Vaccination programs are now underway at a substantial pace, and Read more

For generations, grandmothers, mothers, daughters and aunts have played informal, behind-the-scenes but important roles in family businesses worldwide. They have provided critical emotional support Read more

More than 2 billion people do not have access to safe drinking water, and each year more than 1 million people die because of water-related diseases. These facts can make life unbearable for affected Read more