February 2, 2026

Stop Firing People. Your Business Strategy Is the Real Problem

Walter Simson | Interim CEO

Corporate distress is so common, sometimes we don’t even notice it.

Twenty percent of companies fail in their first year. Sixty-five percent fail within 10 years. After 20 years, nearly 80 percent have disappeared.

Yet these statistics also reveal that decline is not at all inevitable. What separates the survivors from the casualties?

The difference lies in how they think about their core business.

This isn’t intuitive, or popular. When companies get into trouble, the reflex is frequently to attack the symptoms: costs.

Fire the receptionist.

Cancel the office perks.

Reduce headcount.

But this approach rarely works, because cutting expenses isn’t usually the way to fix a failing business.

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January 29, 2026

How PE Funds Use Interim CFOs to Drive Value in Middle-Market Portfolio Companies

In the fast-moving world of private equity, middle-market portfolio companies face unique challenges: rapid growth, complex transactions, and tight timelines. For PE firms, ensuring leadership that can drive value immediately is critical to maximizing returns. That’s why more firms are turning to interim CFOs. These experienced executives provide immediate financial leadership, operational expertise, and strategic guidance.

At InterimExecs, we’ve helped PE firms across industries place the right interim CFOs to accelerate growth and unlock value in their portfolio companies. Here’s how.

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January 16, 2026

Why Interim Leadership Isn’t Executive Search and Why the Fundamental Differences Matter

Robert Jordan | CEO, InterimExecs

I just got off the phone with one of our RED Team interim executives, a seasoned operator currently parachuted into a portfolio company owned by a rookie private equity fund. He was brought in to mentor the heir apparent to take over the CEO seat.

Instead, he’s now cleaning up messes no one knew existed.

Very quickly after arriving, our interim executive realized the heir apparent wasn’t just struggling; he was fundamentally incompetent. Then the signs got darker: showing up smelling of alcohol. And then, the final line crossed; groping a young female colleague at a trade show.

Our interim executive had to interview the young woman, then fire the heir apparent.

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January 12, 2026

Family Office Costs Rising? Why an Interim Executive Can Be the Answer in Uncertain Times

Family offices exist to protect, grow, and steward wealth across generations. At their best, they provide clarity, alignment, and disciplined decision-making for complex financial and personal priorities. Yet in today’s environment of economic uncertainty, regulatory pressure, and volatile markets, many high-net-worth families are asking a difficult question:

Is our family office costing more to run than it should?

Concerns about family office management costs are no longer hypothetical; they are becoming a central issue for families seeking operational efficiency, accountability, and flexibility without compromising discretion or quality.

Increasingly, the solution is not a permanent hire, but interim executive leadership for family offices. It’s not just about the permanent nature of, well, hiring permanently, with all of its burdens – it’s that interim is a powerful way to outsource while still keeping control.

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January 12, 2026

Family Office Board Discussion Guide: Evaluating the Need for New Leadership

This guide is designed to help family office boards, family councils, and trustees conduct a structured, productive discussion about whether new leadership could add value to the organization. It is not intended to presuppose a solution, but to create clarity, alignment, and disciplined decision-making.

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January 12, 2026

8 Questions to Ask to Decide Whether Your Family Office Would Benefit from Interim, Long Term Fractional, or Outsourced Leadership

When families begin to question whether their office is operating as effectively as it should, the challenge is rarely a lack of commitment — it’s a lack of perspective. The eight questions below are designed to prompt an objective review of leadership effectiveness, cost alignment, and governance clarity, and to help determine whether temporary leadership support could be valuable without forcing permanent decisions.

1. Are rising family office costs clearly tied to measurable value?

 If operating expenses have increased but performance, transparency, or peace of mind have not improved proportionally, it may be time for an objective operational review by an interim executive. The right ongoing answer might be a fractional executive so you can get all of the firepower of an experienced leader at far lower cost.

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January 7, 2026

Using AI Without Exposing Your Crown Jewels: A Practical Guide for C-Suite Leaders

Artificial intelligence has moved from “interesting experiment” to “board-level priority” with remarkable speed. Most CEOs and executive teams now believe AI can materially improve efficiency, decision-making, and growth. At the same time, many share a quieter concern:

How do we use AI safely so we don’t put our most sensitive data, IP, and competitive advantage at risk?

The good news is that companies can unlock real value from AI without putting proprietary information at risk — and they can do so without rushing into a costly, permanent hire before they’re ready.

Here’s how.

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January 7, 2026

The AI Questions CEOs Should Ask to Avoid the Wrong Executive Hire

Most CEOs know something’s not working — but they can’t always articulate what they need, or who they need in the seat.

Enter Artificial Intelligence.

Lately, we’ve noticed more CEOs coming to us with excellent summaries of their business situation — often generated with AI. Honestly? We love it. A clear brief = faster, better match to the right interim leader.

The worst place to be as a CEO is knowing something is off… but not being able to name it.

AI helps you find the language.

A proven interim executive helps you fix the problem.

This guide (written with the assistance of AI!) gives you the exact ChatGPT prompts you need to help clarify:

• your situation
• your problems
• the outcomes you want
• whether you need an interim, fractional, or full-time leader

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January 6, 2026

Private Equity Operating Partner vs Interim Executive: Which Do You Need?

Private equity firms are under pressure from high interest rates, longer hold periods, and more complex portfolio operations. In response, fund managers are rethinking how they create value.

A recent PwC study found that more than 80% of private equity funds now rely on operating partners to drive transformation inside portfolio companies. Yet many small and mid-market funds lack the operating partner bench they need to succeed in challenging times.

That’s where interim and fractional executives come in.

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December 29, 2025

Should Every Employee Have Ownership in Your Company?

From Silicon Valley startups to legacy manufacturers, business leaders are asking a fundamental question: Should employees have ownership in the companies they help build?

Employee ownership has long been associated with stronger cultures, better financial performance, and more secure retirements for workers. Yet despite these advantages, new ESOP creation has remained steady at roughly 250 plans per year—suggesting that many leaders are still uncertain about how employee ownership works or whether it’s right for their organization.

According to Mary Josephs, founder and CEO of Verit Advisors and a nationally recognized expert in ESOPs, the opportunity is far larger than many realize. Having advised on more than 300 middle-market ownership transitions, Josephs believes employee ownership represents one of the most underutilized tools in American business today.

“The broad range of employee ownership opportunities has the power to transform our economy as they continue to become more widely adopted,” says Josephs.

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