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WHITE PAPERS
Family business must consider various exit strategies
BY MIKE COHN
September 30, 2005 , Phoenix Business Journal
You've built a successful company and now it's time for someone else to take over. How can you get fair value for what you have built? Can family members buy out other family members and still spend holidays together? READ MORE

What to do when "all in the family" stops working
BY MIKE COHN
March 18, 2005, Phoenix Business Journal
Family business succession planning sometimes becomes "stuck" until a less-than-productive family member can be bought out. READ MORE

No successors? Treat the business as an invesment
BY MIKE COHN
February 18, 2005, Phoenix Business Journal
What happens when there are no succesors to take over the family business? Is selling the company the only option? READ MORE

Your succession plan must be as individual as you are
BY MIKE COHN
September 17, 2004, Phoenix Business Journal
If succession planning was simple, there would be software available and you could just fill in the blanks. READ MORE

The Bonding Bind - Does your bonding company know your succession plans?
BY MATT DONOVAN
Bonding is critical to the health of many electrical contractors. To the extent contractors engage in jobs requiring bonding, their ability to bid on or perform jobs is limited by their bonding coverage. In setting the capacity limits, bonding companies consider, of course, the company's financial statements and claims history. However, faith in company management is important to the bonding company as well. Therefore, to maintain (not to mention increase) a company's bonding limits, the electrical contractor needs a strong and committed management team as well as strong financials. READ MORE

Like dancing with porcupines
BY MIKE COHN
Summer 2003, Family Business magazine
In family businesses, we often read about succession difficulties when fathers transfer power to sons or daughters. But what about when it’s time to buy out, retire or nudge an elder sibling, cousin, uncle or aunt out to pasture? READ MORE

Unresolved Succession and Governance Issues
Still Prevalent Among Family Businesses
BY MIKE COHN
Summer 2003, TRANSITIONS & traditions
Almost 40% of family-owned businesses (FOBs) will change leadership in the next five years as CEOs retire, or semi-retire—yet 55% of those age 61 or older, have not chosen a successor, according to the 2002 American Family Business Survey of 1143 family businesses.
READ MORE

What to do when the kids say “No”
BY MIKE COHN
Summer 2003, Family Business magazine
You’ve spent your whole life building your business, and although it’s not time to retire, you know it is time to start training a successor to take over. Maybe you dreamed your kids would take over some day but now they have their own successful careers outside the company. Or, the ones who want to take over strike terror in your heart. What are your options when the kids don’t want to come into the business? Is selling out the only way to go? READ MORE

Eat your cake and have it, too
BY MIKE COHN
Spring 2002, Family Business magazine
Phil Burns had built his manufacturing business in California from modest beginnings in a rented warehouse. After 30 years, the private company was an industry leader, with over $100 million in sales. The company needed to expand and had identified an attractive business in Europe that could be acquired for a reasonable price. READ MORE

Keep your banker in the loop
BY MIKE COHN
Winter 2002, Family Business magazine
Quick: What would your bank do if something happened to the current CEO/chairman of your company? READ MORE

The jigsaw puzzle of succession planning
BY MIKE COHN
Summer 2001, Family Business magazine
Succession planning is a tough process because it never ends. Just when you think it’s finally finished, some unexpected event forces you to rethink the whole thing. READ MORE

How Kids and Cousins Can Become
Good Business Partners
BY MIKE COHN
February 2001, Building Material Dealers magazine
For many entrepreneurs, having the kids take over the family business is part of the dream of building a company. What could be a sweeter family legacy than a successful operating business that might last for several generations? READ MORE

To sell, or not to sell?
Buyers are everywhere. Are you prepared for an offer you can’t refuse?
BY MIKE COHN with JAYNE PEARL
Autumn 2000, Family Business magazine
You’re a successful entrepreneur with a well-established business. Throughout your region and your industry you see private business owners selling their companies for apparent fortunes. Now you’re weighing your options. What should you do with your company—sell it or keep it? READ MORE

Avoiding Pitfalls in CEO Succession
BY MIKE COHN
October 2000, Building Material Dealers magazine
Selecting a successor to take over the business is one of the most important decisions you can make for your company. Even if retirement isn't on the horizon, potential successors should be groomed several years in advance of a transition. The pitfalls are endless if the wrong candidate is chosen. READ MORE

When Hiring Family Members,
Avoid These Mistakes
BY MIKE COHN
September 2000, Building Material Dealers magazine
Sometimes family members who have been recruited to join the business can be groomed for the CEO or general manager's role. What could be better than a competent second or third generation son or daughter taking over the business? But before the dream disappears into a cloud of disappointment, do a reality check. READ MORE

Five Criteria for Maintaining Ownership
BY MIKE COHN
TRANSITIONS & traditions, 1999 READ MORE

Seven rules of ownership:
With power comes responsibility
BY MIKE COHN
TRANSITIONS & traditions, 1997
Over the last few months I have conducted several workshops for trade and academic groups such as retail nurserymen (GrowerTalks), the National Association of Metal Finishers, the National Electrical Contractors Association, the University of Texas at El Paso and Goshen College in Indiana. READ MORE