The Family Biz Show

What if the biggest threat to your family business isn't competition, but the policies and decisions that could affect everything you've worked generations to build? You've spent years growing your business, supporting employees, and creating opportunities for your family. But protecting that legacy requires more than running a successful company. "How do I protect my family business from changing tax policies?" "What happens if the next generation isn't ready to take over?" "Who is representing family-owned businesses in Washington?" "How do I protect our legacy without sacrificing family relationships?" This conversation gives you a clearer path forward. In this episode of The Family Biz Show, Michael Palumbos welcomes Tim Schultz of Family Enterprise USA to explore the fight to protect family businesses and the challenges that can threaten their long-term success. From estate taxes and proposed wealth taxes to succession planning and leadership transitions, Tim explains why family-owned businesses need a stronger voice in conversations about economic policy. With more than two decades of experience working with family businesses, including serving as a chief operating officer, advising families through generational transitions, and working with the Cal State Fullerton Center for Family Business, Tim understands the challenges of keeping a business successful across generations. One of the most revealing insights from the conversation is the gap between succession intentions and actual transitions. Tim shares findings from Family Enterprise USA's surveys indicating that approximately 70% of respondents want to keep their businesses in the family, yet only about a third of those have completed a transition to the next generation. The lesson? Wanting to preserve your family business isn't the same as preparing it for the future. And succession isn't the only challenge. For many family-owned businesses, wealth isn't sitting in a bank account. It's invested in employees, inventory, equipment, and facilities. Tim explains how certain tax proposals could create financial pressure for businesses that depend on those assets to operate and grow. But this conversation isn't just about challenges. It's about understanding the resources, relationships, and decisions that can help your family business move forward. You'll discover how Family Enterprise USA works with policymakers, why sharing your business story matters, and how connecting with other family business owners can provide valuable guidance. In This Episode, You'll Learn: Why family-owned businesses need representation in Washington, D.C. How Tim Schultz and Family Enterprise USA advocate for family businesses. Why estate taxes and proposed wealth taxes can create challenges for multigenerational enterprises. How to recognize the gap between succession intentions and actual preparation. Why transferring leadership requires more than an estate plan. How family business centers and peer networks help owners navigate difficult decisions. Why preserving family relationships can be more important than keeping ownership of the business. How sharing your family business story can help policymakers understand its impact on employees and communities. Your family business is more than an asset. It represents years of commitment, the livelihoods of employees, and a legacy that reaches beyond your family. Protecting that future starts with understanding the challenges ahead, preparing for transitions, and finding the right people and resources to support your decisions. Join Michael Palumbos and Tim Schultz for a conversation about protecting family businesses, strengthening their future, and preserving what matters most for generations to come.

What if your next great hire wasn't the result of luck—but of a hiring process you could repeat again and again? Hiring the right people can transform your business. Hiring the wrong person can consume your time, hurt your culture, frustrate your strongest employees, and leave you wondering how you missed the warning signs. "Why do great candidates sometimes turn into poor employees?" "How can I tell confidence from actual competence?" "How do I stop relying on gut instinct when hiring?" "What if there just aren't enough good candidates available?" This conversation gives you a better answer. In this episode, Andrea Roberts, Founder of RascalHR, joins Michael Palumbos, Founder of the Family Business Flywheel, to explain how a structured Topgrading approach can help you identify A Players before they join your team. Andrea challenges one of the most common approaches to hiring: interviewing someone, liking them, and trusting your instincts. Instead, she explains how to define success before the interview, evaluate candidates against a scorecard, uncover patterns across their employment history, and verify what you hear through meaningful reference checks. With nearly 30 years in HR and extensive recruiting experience, Andrea has spent years helping organizations build high-performing teams. After learning the Topgrading methodology about 15 years ago, she says it fundamentally changed the way she approached recruiting and reduced her hiring mistakes. One of the biggest shifts is simple: good hiring is about evidence, not instant chemistry. You'll learn how structured interviews reveal patterns that polished answers can hide, why a candidate's relationship with previous managers matters, and how Andrea uses TORC—the Threat of a Reference Check—to create accountability during the interview itself. Andrea also shares practical strategies you can put to work immediately, from creating hiring scorecards and recognizing red flags to employee referral bonuses, recruiting cards, employer reputation, and continuously building a "bench" of potential A Players before you desperately need someone. In This Episode, You'll Learn: Why hiring out of desperation can create bigger problems than leaving a position open How to define an A Player based on measurable outcomes, capabilities, and cultural alignment Why gut-feel interviews can confuse confidence with competence How hiring scorecards establish clear expectations before interviews begin How structured Topgrading questions uncover patterns across a candidate's career Why TORC can reveal inconsistencies and strengthen your reference-checking process How to recognize interview red flags before they become performance problems Why protecting your existing A Players should influence every hiring decision How to find stronger candidates even when your available talent pool is small How to build a talent bench so recruiting becomes an ongoing discipline rather than an emergency You don't have to wait until someone joins your company to discover whether you made the right decision. By replacing rushed, reactive hiring with a disciplined process, you can make hiring decisions based on evidence, protect the culture you've already built, and create a stronger team capable of carrying outcomes—not just completing tasks.

What if protecting your family business for the next generation means accepting that your family doesn't always have to run it? What if stepping out of the CEO role isn't giving up control—but becoming a better owner? "I want the business to stay in the family, but does that mean a family member has to lead it?" "How do we bring in outside executives without losing what makes our company ours?" "How do we prepare the next generation to become responsible owners—even if they never work in the business?" "How do we build something that can thrive long after today's leaders are gone?" This conversation gives you a different way to think about the answer. In this episode of The Family Business Show, Michael Palumbos talks with Cort Brazelton of Fall Creek Nursery, an Oregon-based family-owned blueberry genetics and nursery company with operations around the world. Cort and his sister returned to the family business in 2008 and helped transform it from a primarily Pacific Northwest company into an international organization. Since then, the business has grown more than 39X while remaining family-owned. But the bigger story isn't simply growth. It's how the Brazelton family learned to separate family, ownership, governance, and management—and why Cort ultimately stepped away from the CEO position while remaining an engaged owner. As Fall Creek strengthened its governance, the family began building a board primarily made up of independent, non-family directors. Being based in Oregon also gave them access to accomplished business leaders from the broader community surrounding major companies such as Nike and Intel—the caliber of people Cort once wondered would even be interested in joining the board of a family-owned company. Today, Fall Creek is led by professional, non-family executives. For Cort, that structure isn't about distancing the family from the company. It's about giving the business the leadership it needs while allowing the family to think like long-term owners and stewards. Cort shares how his family brought in outside advisors, strengthened independent governance, recruited leaders with capabilities beyond their own, and began preparing the third generation to become responsible shareholders rather than automatically assuming they should become executives. The lesson is simple but challenging: being born into the owning family does not automatically make someone the best person to lead the business. When you separate ownership from employment and executive leadership, you create room to ask a better question: What does the business actually need to thrive? You'll also hear why Cort believes family ownership can be a powerful advantage in an industry that requires investments measured in decades. Fall Creek's blueberry breeding work can take 15, 20, or even 30 years to produce results—making patient, generational thinking especially valuable. In This Episode, You'll Learn: Why owning a family business doesn't mean your family has to manage it How separating family, shareholder, board, and management roles can create greater clarity Why Fall Creek built a board primarily composed of independent, non-family directors How Oregon's business community, including talent associated with companies such as Nike and Intel, expanded the caliber of leaders Fall Creek could approach How Cort and his sister helped scale the business more than 39X after returning in 2008 Why bringing in professional leadership can strengthen rather than diminish family ownership How shareholder aspirations can give the board and management direction without family owners interfering in day-to-day decisions Why next-generation preparation should include learning how to become a responsible shareholder How long-term family ownership supports investments that may take decades to pay off Why stewardship means putting the needs of the business, employees, customers, and other stakeholders ahead of personal titles or ego From its roots in Oregon to nursery, R&D, and breeding operations across multiple countries, Fall Creek demonstrates another possible path for a family enterprise: keep the ownership, strengthen the governance, hire the leadership the business needs, and think in generations rather than quarters. If you're navigating succession, wondering whether the next generation should run the company, or trying to build a family business capable of thriving beyond any one leader, this episode offers a practical look at what long-term stewardship can mean.

Where can family business owners turn when the hardest challenges aren't just about running the company—but navigating the family behind it? You don't have to figure out the complexities of family business alone. "Who can we talk to about the issues we can't discuss anywhere else?" "How do we start conversations about succession before it becomes urgent?" "How do we prepare the next generation without pushing them into the business?" "How can we make better decisions together as our family and business grow more complex?" "Everything is going well. Why should we start preparing now?" This conversation shows you where to start. In this episode of The Family Biz Show, Michael Palumbos sits down with Dann Van Der Vliet of Cornell University's Smith Family Business Initiative and Jon Keimig of the University of St. Thomas Family Business Center for an inside look at how university-based family business programs educate, connect, and support business families. While their programs operate differently, Dann and Jon share a common mission: helping family businesses navigate challenges that extend far beyond day-to-day operations. From educational programs and peer groups to research, community events, and opportunities for next-generation leaders, family business centers can give families something that is often difficult to find elsewhere—a trusted environment to ask questions, learn from other families, and have conversations they may have been avoiding. Dann Van Der Vliet has spent more than two decades working in family business education. At Cornell, he has helped build an ecosystem connecting students, alumni, family business owners, researchers, practitioners, and family office executives through education, outreach, and research. Jon Keimig leads the University of St. Thomas Family Business Center, whose roots date to 1991. His work is primarily community-facing, supporting family businesses through educational programming, peer groups, executive education, and opportunities for families to learn from one another. Together, they reveal an important truth: family business support is ultimately about people, relationships, and trust. Dann describes family business centers as being in the "trust business." Families often arrive believing they are the only ones dealing with difficult dynamics. Meeting other business families can change that perspective and create a safe environment for conversations that may not happen with an attorney, accountant, or even around the family table. And those conversations don't have to begin with complicated structures. Dann introduces the distinction between "little g governance" and "big G governance." Big G governance includes formal policies, bylaws, boards, and other structures. Little g governance can begin much more simply—with good communication. Sometimes that means sitting down with a parent and asking: What is your plan for me? Would you ever sell the business? What happens when you die? The questions may be uncomfortable, but starting these conversations early can prepare families for the decisions that become more complicated as the business grows and generations multiply. Dann and Jon also explain why the best time to prepare may be when everything is going well. Waiting for retirement, conflict, an unexpected death, a market disruption, or another crisis can make already difficult decisions even harder. Family business centers give families an opportunity to start learning and preparing before they reach that point. In This Episode, You'll Learn: Why family business centers can provide a trusted community for owners and families who feel isolated How Cornell University's family business initiative combines education, outreach, and research How the University of St. Thomas Family Business Center supports family businesses through community programming and peer learning Why trust is at the heart of effective family business education How "little g governance" can start with better family communication Why difficult conversations about succession, retirement, ownership, and the next generation shouldn't be postponed How family business centers help next-generation leaders explore whether joining the business is right for them Why spouses matter even when they aren't employees or owners How communication "triangles" can prevent families from dealing directly with difficult issues Why increasing success and multiple generations can create greater complexity Why families should prepare for the future while the business and relationships are strong You don't have to wait for a crisis to seek support. Whether you're an owner thinking about the future, a next-generation family member deciding where you fit, or an advisor working with business families, this conversation offers a closer look at the communities and resources available to help family businesses communicate, prepare, and make more informed decisions together. Want more conversations and practical insights designed specifically for family businesses? Explore more episodes of The Family Biz Show and discover insights to help your family business navigate leadership, succession, communication, and long-term continuity: https://www.familybusinessflywheel.com/podcast

Cameron Bishop, Partner and Managing Director at Raincatcher with deep M&A and acquisition experience, discusses prepping businesses for sale. He covers owner dependency, staging financials and adjusted EBITDA, creating competitive bidding, vetting national buyers, deal structure and net working capital, and the emotional and timeline realities of exiting a company.

Growth can look like success from the outside. But inside a family-owned construction business, growth can also create pressure, confusion, and decisions the original business model was never designed to handle. "You built something successful, but why does it feel harder to run?" "Why is every decision still coming back to you?" "How do you pass the business forward without damaging the family?" "What happens when wealth grows faster than communication?" "Are your advisors solving separate problems, or helping you see the whole picture?" This conversation gives you the answer. In this episode, Michael Palumbos leads a powerful discussion on what it really takes to build sustainable success in family-owned construction businesses. The conversation explores why many construction companies outgrow the systems, leadership habits, and informal family assumptions that helped them succeed in the first place. You'll hear from Ricky Stellar, Roey Diefendorf, Jerry Aliberti, and Anthony DiTucci as they unpack the hidden pressures behind growth: owner dependency, unclear roles, siloed advisors, family expectations, succession tension, and the need for stronger governance. This is not just a conversation about revenue. It is a conversation about leadership, trust, communication, ownership, and the future of the family enterprise. Ricky Stellar brings the perspective of a wealth advisor helping families coordinate planning, ownership, taxes, and long-term financial decisions. Roey Diefendorf shares deep experience as a fourth-generation family business leader and advisor focused on preparing families, not just assets, for generational transition. Jerry Aliberti brings operational insight from his work with construction companies, helping leaders develop stronger teams, accountability systems, and scalable structures. Anthony DiTucci offers a practical view of what happens inside family-owned construction businesses when leadership, planning, and people systems are not clear enough to support the next stage of growth. At the heart of this episode is a simple but powerful idea: what got the business here may not be enough to carry it forward. The founder's hustle, instincts, and relationships may have built the company. But sustainable success requires a business that can operate through systems, leadership, communication, and shared alignment. You'll also hear why preparing heirs matters as much as preparing wealth, why the owner bottleneck can quietly limit growth, and why successful families need to coordinate the business, the wealth, and the family together. This episode gives you practical, real-world insight into how family-owned construction companies can move from reactive pressure to intentional planning. You'll learn how to spot the warning signs before they become crises, how to think about succession with more clarity, and how to build a company that can last beyond one person. In This Episode, You'll Learn: Why growth changes more than the business itself How the owner bottleneck limits sustainable construction business growth Why family-owned construction companies need clearer roles and stronger leadership systems How siloed advisors can create risk for successful business-owning families Why succession planning must address emotions, communication, and family expectations How preparing heirs helps protect both wealth and relationships Why governance matters for multi-generational family businesses How coordinated planning supports long-term family business continuity Why employees need clarity during leadership transitions How to start thinking about the business, wealth, and family as connected systems If your family-owned construction business is growing, transitioning, or preparing the next generation, this episode will help you see the pressure more clearly. And once you can see it clearly, you can start building something stronger. Not just a successful business. A family enterprise built to last. For more conversations on family business growth, succession, leadership, and legacy, explore more episodes here: https://www.familybusinessflywheel.com/podcast

Jeff Savlov, a family dynamics and wealth coach at Blum & Savlov, offers concise strategies for raising responsible, grounded children in wealthy families. He explains using simple stories, early chores, teen jobs, and aligned parental values to connect wealth with work and character. Short, practical examples show how to build resilience without removing necessary challenges.

Richard Bryant, family business strategist; Dan Prisciotta, exit and transaction advisor; Shawn Barberis, family dynamics and legacy guide; Dianna Parker, wealth and estate strategist. They discuss the $84 trillion generational transfer. Short talks on communication breakdowns, founder identity and letting go, preparing people versus preparing a sale, governance and liquidity risks. Practical frameworks and coordinated transition approaches.

Most conversations about family business problems focus on what's broken—conflict between generations, lack of succession clarity, or stalled growth. But what if many family business problems aren't caused by dysfunction at all? What if they're caused by something far less obvious—and far more fixable? In this episode of The Family Biz Show, Michael Palumbos sits down with second-generation owner Ed Delia to explore a different lens: many family business problems are not operational failures. They are translation failures. They come from businesses that have built something meaningful over decades—but have never learned how to express that value in a way the market understands. This shift in perspective changes everything. The Hidden Nature of Family Business Problems One of the most important insights from this conversation is that family business problems often hide in plain sight. Leaders assume their challenges are tied to strategy, execution, or market conditions. But in many cases, the real issue is far more foundational. Family businesses frequently undersell themselves. They describe their legacy in ways that feel meaningful internally—but fail to build trust externally. Saying "we've been around since 1946" may feel like a strength. But to a modern buyer, it doesn't answer the only question that matters: Why should I trust you today? This is where many family business problems begin. Not because the business lacks capability—but because it lacks clarity in how that capability is communicated. Why Legacy Creates—and Solves—Family Business Problems Legacy is one of the most powerful assets a family enterprise has. It represents consistency, trust, relationships, and accumulated experience. Yet when poorly framed, that same legacy can become the source of family business problems. Ed shares a simple but powerful example. Instead of leading with how long a company has existed, he reframes the conversation around proof—what the company has actually done over time. In one case, a business shifted from saying "since 1946" to highlighting that it had produced over 24,000 custom components. That change transformed perception instantly. This is the paradox: legacy can either create family business problems or solve them—depending on how it is positioned. When legacy is translated into proof, it becomes a growth driver. When it remains abstract, it becomes invisible. The Real Gap Behind Family Business Problems As the conversation unfolds, a deeper pattern emerges. Many family business problems are not rooted in poor performance. They are rooted in a disconnect between how the business sees itself and how the market sees it. Inside the business, everything feels normal. Processes are routine. Capabilities are expected. Standards are simply "how we do things." But from the outside, those same behaviors often represent a significant competitive advantage. The problem is not that family businesses lack differentiation. The problem is that they fail to recognize—and articulate—it. This is why so many family business problems show up as stalled growth, missed opportunities, or difficulty attracting the next generation of customers. The value exists. It's just not being communicated effectively. The Role of Transition in Amplifying Family Business Problems Generational transition is one of the most critical moments in any family enterprise—and one of the most common times for family business problems to surface. As leadership changes, so does the environment around the business: New buyers enter the market Expectations shift Communication channels evolve If the brand and messaging do not evolve alongside leadership, the business creates friction for itself. Ed describes this as a form of drag—a business moving forward operationally while its identity remains stuck in the past. This is why many family business problems intensify during succession. The next generation is ready to lead. The business may even be strong. But if the story hasn't evolved, the market struggles to connect with what the company has become. Why Family Businesses Still Hold the Advantage Despite these challenges, family enterprises possess advantages that many other organizations cannot replicate. Their long-term perspective, deep relationships, and values-driven approach create a foundation of trust that is difficult to match. In fact, these strengths are exactly what private equity firms are increasingly drawn to. But those advantages only matter if they are visible. When properly articulated, they solve many family business problems: They accelerate trust They strengthen positioning They create continuity across generations Without that articulation, they remain hidden—and the same family business problems persist. A Better Way to Think About Family Business Problems One of the most practical frameworks from this episode is deceptively simple: Every initiative—especially in marketing and growth—should answer one question: Will this deepen an existing relationship, or create a new one? If the answer isn't clear, the initiative is unlikely to solve real family business problems. This principle reinforces a broader truth: family businesses are not just operating companies. They are relationship-driven enterprises. And most family business problems arise when that reality is overlooked. The Path Forward: Translating Legacy Into Growth At its core, this episode is about reframing how leaders think about family business problems. The instinct is often to fix, optimize, or restructure. But in many cases, the solution is simpler—and more strategic: Clarify what makes the business truly different Translate legacy into tangible proof Allow the next generation to express that story in a modern way When those elements align, many family business problems begin to resolve naturally. Because the business was never the issue. It was how the business was being understood. Final Thought Most family business problems are not rooted in weakness. They are rooted in untapped strength. Legacy, when left unexpressed, creates confusion. But legacy, when clearly articulated, becomes one of the most powerful tools a family business has—not just to preserve what was built, but to drive what comes next.

Jim Grubman, wealth psychologist and co-author of Wealth 3.0, reframes family wealth conversations toward adaptation, parenting, and capability building. He debunks the 70% myth and explains how fear-driven planning creates fragile transitions. He highlights active preparation, governance, and parenting as the real levers for lasting multi-generational stewardship.