Family Business Director

February 18, 2025 Special Topics

Is All EBITDA Created Equal?

In the world of family-owned and other private businesses, most everyone looks to EBITDA (earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation, and amortization) as an indicator of financial performance. Legendary investor Warren Buffett, however, holds a long-standing grudge against EBITDA. Here at Family Business Director, we believe there is a time and a place for EBITDA in financial analysis, but Mr. Buffett does have a point — some EBITDA is better than others. But why? We explore EBITDA and why it matters for family business directors in this week’s post.

February 12, 2025 Special Topics

What Family Business Director Has Been Reading

Fresh off the Super Bowl with no more football in sight, it’s time to pick up that book collecting dust on the shelf.  To help ease you back into the routine of things as we head into the dog days of winter, here’s a quick roundup of what we have been reading.

February 4, 2025 Planning & Strategy Special Topics

Tariff Talk and Adaptive Forecasting

How Family Business Directors Can Stay Ahead of Unpredictable Times

Over the weekend, President Donald Trump signed an executive order that imposed an additional 25% tariff on Canadian and Mexican imports and an additional 10% tariff on imports from China. As the socio-political atmosphere is continuously changing, it is critical for family business directors to keep a pulse on current developments and understand the different implications that may impact or change their industry moving forward. Maintaining an adaptive forecast is one of the best practices for being able to pivot during unpredictable times. As family business managers and directors re-evaluate their projections, we revisit some of the mental biases that can potentially skew forecasts.

January 27, 2025 Planning & Strategy Special Topics

A New Approach for Business Succession Planning

Family Business Director attended the 59th Annual Heckerling Institute on Estate Planning earlier this month. In one of the standout sessions, we reviewed purpose trusts and how companies like Patagonia are employing them for succession planning. Even if your family business is unlikely to follow suit, Patagonia’s novel business succession strategy provides important lessons and reminders for family directors. Your family business may not have a purpose as lofty as “protecting the planet,” but you and your shareholders will benefit if the purpose is clearly articulated, protected by thoughtful governance structures, and visible through disciplined and transparent reporting.

January 20, 2025 M&A

Winter M&A Update for Family Businesses

Middle market M&A activity in the third quarter of 2024 showed signs of the “summer slowdown,” as fewer PE deals were reported compared to the first two quarters of the year. However, as deal activity begins to revert to pre-2023 levels, the outlook for 2025 points to signs of optimism, while some hurdles remain on the horizon. In this week’s post, we look back at middle market (defined as total enterprise value of $100 – $500 million) transaction activity in 2024 and look ahead to what may be on the horizon for middle market M&A in 2025.

January 14, 2025 Capital Budgeting Planning & Strategy

Three Considerations for Capital Projects

Capital budgeting tools are ideal for answering the question: Is the proposed capital project financially feasible? Too often, however, we see these tools being used to answer what seems to be a related question, but one that the tools are simply not designed to answer: Should we undertake the proposed capital project? The first question opens the door to the second, but the tools of capital budgeting — no matter how sophisticated or quantitatively precise — cannot answer the second. To answer the second question, family business directors need to consider three qualitative questions identified in this post.

January 8, 2025 Planning & Strategy

For the Love of the Game?

What Can the San Diego Padres Teach Us About Succession Planning?

What happens when family dynamics collide with billion-dollar stakes? The unfolding legal battle over control of the San Diego Padres serves as a reminder of the importance of clear succession planning. Whether your family business is a sports franchise or something closer to home, having a plan in place can mean the difference between harmony and heartbreak. Here’s what you need to know to safeguard your family business.

December 16, 2024 Capital Structure Planning & Strategy Shareholder Liquidity

The Rise of Staying Private

Shareholder Liquidity Strategies for Family Businesses

Cash-strapped early-stage companies have long relied on equity-based compensation to attract, motivate, and retain employees. But for a variety of reasons, the IPO is no longer the goal line for founders, many of whom are now content to remain private far longer than previously expected. While founders may be content with their illiquid billions, most employee-shareholders want to convert at least some of their illiquid thousands to spendable cash. Family businesses that identify creative strategies for satisfying shareholder liquidity preferences are less likely to fall victim to shareholder discontent that can derail the larger family’s desire to remain independent and private. While not providing a perfect roadmap, strategies devised by early-stage companies for satisfying the liquidity needs of their employee-shareholders may provide some timely inspiration for family business directors.

December 10, 2024 Planning & Strategy Taxes

Nvidia’s Jensen Huang Has an Estate Plan — Do You?

It’s Never Too Early for Family Business Directors to Establish an Estate Plan

Jensen Huang, the chief executive officer of Nvidia, and his family are on track to save north of $8 billion in estate and capital gains taxes. So, how has the tenth-wealthiest person in America managed to protect his wealth from the 40% estate tax? He has an estate plan. As a family business owner, it is never too early to establish or review your estate plan. While there are things that will certainly change over time, taking the pulse on your estate plans can have a major impact on the volume of wealth you pass to your heirs.

December 4, 2024 Planning & Strategy

Is Your Family Business READY for 2025?

Family business owners don’t stay on top by having all the answers but by having the ability to ask the right questions. A natural question our family business clients want to know is what their business is worth today. However, an even better question asked by many of them is what they can do today to make their family business more valuable tomorrow. While the specifics of value creation are unique to each business, we like to use the READY framework coined by Chris Mercer to help our clients identify pathways for creating value. So, before the last-minute Christmas shopping becomes the main priority, we dive into his framework to ask whether your family business is READY for 2025.