Family Business Director

January 5, 2026 Planning & Strategy

What Are You Prioritizing in 2026?

As the new year begins, family business boards have an opportunity to reflect on the often-unspoken priorities that shape their strategic finance decisions. This post explores four key “matched pairs” of priorities—optionality vs. conviction, growth vs. resilience, reinvestment vs. liquidity, and concentration vs. diversification—where misalignment can create tension and confusion. Entering 2026 with clarity and open dialogue about these tradeoffs can be one of a family business’s most valuable strategic assets.

December 23, 2025 Special Topics

Top 12 Family Business Director Blog Posts of 2025

Over the past year, we shared posts exploring the issues that matter most to family enterprises, from capital allocation and liquidity to governance, leadership, and long-term stewardship. Together, they reflect both the complexity and the joy of guiding a family business across generations. In this post we look back at some of the most impactful Family Business Director blog posts from 2025, with brief summaries and links to revisit (or discover) each one.

December 16, 2025 Planning & Strategy Special Topics

Compensation Questions: Staying True to Your “True North” in an Era of Volatility

Macro-economic volatility has put pressure on compensation programs that depend on accurate goal-setting and stable growth, affecting executive morale and jeopardizing talent retention. Ultimately, the family-owned companies that best weather this uncertainty consider pay adjustments within the broader context of family shareholder and business needs.

December 10, 2025 Planning & Strategy

Making it Through December

While its status as a Christmas song is perhaps debatable, Merle Haggard’s “If We Make It Through December” is classic country music at its finest.  The song captures the strain of economic hardship, with a recently downsized father lamenting his inability to … Continued

December 3, 2025 Planning & Strategy

100 Pounds of Popcorn and the Lessons of Family Enterprise

Hazel Krantz’s “100 Pounds of Popcorn” may be a children’s book, but it offers a surprisingly sharp lens on family business dynamics. When three children discover an unexpected windfall, they confront the same challenges real enterprises face: recognizing opportunities, making intentional decisions, managing costs, and navigating differing shareholder priorities. The story is a reminder that clarity, discipline, and alignment matter far more than size or sophistication. Sometimes the best business lessons come from the simplest places.

November 26, 2025 Current Events Planning & Strategy

The Long Run: Gratitude, Trust, and Legacy in Family Business

Thanksgiving traditions like Nashville’s Boulevard Bolt offer a powerful reminder for family business leaders: meaningful progress is always a shared effort. The same sense of community, gratitude, and trust that makes these events successful also strengthens the long-term value of a family enterprise. When leaders acknowledge contributors, foster healthy governance, and build trust across generations, they reinforce the very qualities that drive stability and resilience. This holiday season is an ideal time to reflect on those connections and invest in what truly sustains a family business.

November 19, 2025 Dividend Policy Planning & Strategy

Dividends as Dialogue

Using Policy to Communicate & Align Across Generations

Dividends are about more than distributing profits. They are about distributing confidence that the business is healthy, that management is accountable, and that the true meaning of the family business is being honored.

November 11, 2025 Capital Budgeting

Capital Budgeting in 5 Minutes

We released our newest booklet, “Capital Budgeting in 30 Minutes,” a few weeks ago. The purpose of this booklet is to assist family business directors in evaluating proposed capital projects and contributing to capital budgeting decisions that enhance the value of their businesses. Capital budgeting can’t be avoided — the only question is whether your family business has a consistent and disciplined process for evaluating potential investments or instead makes significant capital commitments in a more haphazard way. The capital budgeting guide provides practical insights to help directors make informed, disciplined investment decisions that align with the company’s long-term goals. Get your copy and learn more about capital budgeting in this week’s post.

November 4, 2025 Planning & Strategy

Insights from Brown Brothers Harriman’s 2025 Private Business Owner Survey

Brown Brothers Harriman’s third annual Private Business Owner Survey offers insights from nearly 500 owners of family and privately held companies. The report provides a revealing look at how these owners approach succession, growth, and shareholder returns. For family business directors, the findings serve as a valuable opportunity to reflect on the governance, planning, and alignment practices that sustain long-term continuity and success.

October 28, 2025 Capital Budgeting

Capital Budgeting in 30 Minutes

A Guide for Family Business Directors and Shareholders

Capital budgeting decisions are among the most important choices a family business board will make. Capital Budgeting in 30 Minutes helps directors understand how to evaluate proposed investments using tools like net present value and internal rate of return—while also considering strategic fit and non-financial constraints. This guide equips family business leaders to make disciplined, informed capital allocation decisions that enhance long-term value.