Conscious Wealth Conversations with Brandon Hatton

What if the next buyer of your business is already working inside it?

Brandon Hatton talks with Zoe Schlag, founder of Common Trust, about employee ownership, Employee Ownership Trusts, and what changes when an owner starts planning an exit before the transaction is on the table.

Zoe became interested in employee ownership after watching mission-driven founders achieve strong financial exits and later regret what happened to their employees, culture, products, or services. That experience led her to explore structures that give owners another succession option while giving employees a stake in the businesses they helped build.

Brandon and Zoe discuss:

• Why some founders regret a financially successful exit
• Employee ownership as a succession option
• How Employee Ownership Trusts differ from ESOPs
• Why exit planning should begin years before a transaction
• Employee ownership and long-term wealth creation
• AI, labor, and the future of ownership
• The relationship between ownership, agency, control, and economics
• What changes when we think of a business as an ecosystem

For an owner thinking five years ahead, the conversation raises a practical question: who do you want owning the business after you?

Chapters:
0:00 Why Zoe Started Common Trust
4:40 Why Founders Regret Successful Exits
5:45 What Makes a Business Mission-Driven?
10:05 Employee Ownership and Wealth Creation
11:50 Employee Ownership Trusts vs. ESOPs
14:20 When Should Exit Planning Begin?
16:30 AI and the Future of Employee Ownership
18:30 What Does Ownership Mean?
22:00 Thinking About a Business as an Ecosystem

ABOUT THE SHOW
Exploring Business Growth, Exits, & a Life of Abundance

Conscious Wealth | Conversations with Brandon Hatton features conversations with founders, advisors, operators, and others working through the decisions that shape businesses, wealth, and life.

Each episode starts with what the guest is seeing in their work right now. Brandon follows those observations into questions about growth, ownership, succession, leadership, legacy, health, relationships, and the role money plays in a well-lived life.

The show is for entrepreneurs and families thinking about how to build well, prepare for transition, and use their wealth with purpose.

#ConsciousWealth #BrandonHatton #BusinessExit #ExitPlanning
#SuccessionPlanning #EmployeeOwnership

Conscious Wealth | Conversations with Brandon Hatton explores business growth, exits, and a life of abundance through conversations with founders, advisors, operators, and others working closely with entrepreneurs and families.

Brandon follows what guests are seeing in their work into questions about leadership, succession, legacy, health, relationships, and the role money plays in a well-lived life.

New conversations begin October 20.