Succession Conflict in Family Business: Pain is Unavoidable. Suffering is Optional.

When it comes to family business succession, pain is unavoidable. Even in the happiest, most loving families, there will be moments of disagreement and dissension. It’s unavoidable. That’s because the goal of a family is a loving relationship. But in business, goals must always include results, even if hard-fought. 

So the acknowledgement implicit in family business is: there will be pain. But suffering is optional.

That is the key message InterimExecs CEO Robert Jordan sends in this lively 7-minute video about family business succession conflict:

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Quality of Earnings Report: The Secret Weapon Buyers Won’t Tell Owners About

Are you planning to sell your company in the next year or two? 

If so, think about commissioning your own Quality of Earnings report — BEFORE you go to market. Why? Because your buyer will commission one. And it could mean you’ll be leaving money on the table.

A QOE is the business valuation standard prospective buyers use to determine a final purchase price for target companies. If you haven’t commissioned your own, you’ll by necessity be relying on the one your acquirer commissions.

As InterimExecs CEO Robert Jordan said in a recent webinar (scroll down to watch the 8-minute video), consider a middle market business owner who has signed a letter of intent agreeing to sell the company to a private equity fund for 10 times earnings. He believes EBITDA to be $10 million and expects to close for $100 million.

Then the acquirer commissions a QOE to ensure this is a solid investment decision. The report comes back with an adjusted EBITDA of $9.5 million. BAM! The closing price just dropped by $5 million.

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When is a Fractional Hire the Right Choice for a Company?

In years of pairing executives with companies in need, we have learned that there are times when full-time is too much time. That’s when companies benefit from choosing a fractional executive. It’s a way to get top-notch skills for a fraction of the time at a fraction of the cost of a full-time hire.

On a webinar, InterimExecs CEO Robert Jordan laid out the 5 situations when hiring executives on a fractional basis makes the most sense for companies:

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