Succession Stories

Want to differentiate your business? Build a competitive moat by mapping out your customers' journey to discover what matters most to them.

Laurie Barkman, host of Succession Stories, talks with Phillip Swan about creating competitive differentiation through deep customer understanding. From his experience with global companies and high growth startups, Phillip shares insights on how customer experience can create value in your company.

Listen in to learn more about:

• How to understand the customer journey and pain points
• What is customer permission and why it matters
• Customer discovery process
• Creating a strong go-to-market strategy
• Driving value by tapping into what makes your business unique

Show Links:

Phillip Swan on LinkedIn

Connect with the host, Laurie Barkman on SmallDotBig.com and sign-up for an insights newsletter to build value in your company.

Laurie Barkman is joined by Ann Bernard, author and creator of the 365 Firsts challenge. Ann shares her life journey and how she navigated several transitions in her personal and professional life. Her story will inspire and challenge you to re-evaluate your own and find the strength within to press on even in the face of seemingly insurmountable odds.

Listen in to learn more about:

• How self awareness can help you align with your purpose
• Learning and growing from failure
• Adapting to change and disruption

Show Links

Ann Bernard's YouTube Channel

365 Firsts YouTube Channel

First Time Storytelling YouTube Channel

Connect with the host Laurie Barkman at https://www.smalldotbig.com/

For business owners thinking about transition, get your personal readiness score at getmyprescore.com

On this episode of Succession Stories, Laurie Barkman is joined by Beth Armknecht Miller, CEO of Executive Velocity, to unpack the issues surrounding succession planning. This episode delivers insights how to prepare for succession by identifying, addressing and avoiding the most pressing mistakes that can arise for business owners and entrepreneurs.

Listen to learn more about:

• Understanding the succession planning process
• Differentiating between high potentials and high performers
• Why succession planning is part of overall strategic business planning
• Planning and succession tools

Show Notes:

Executive Velocity website - Resources

Beth Armknecht Miller on LinkedIn

EQ-i Assessment Tool

Succession Planning 9 Box Grid

Connect with the host, Laurie Barkman on SmallDotBig.com and sign-up for an insights newsletter to build value in your company.

The pandemic has changed many things for small business owners. Comparing to pre-COVID data, a 2020 survey from the Value Builder System showed that more business owners are accelerating their succession plans, looking to sell their company to a third party within five years. Additionally, business owners define "wealth" differently than before, emphasizing freedom and time to do what you want. What does wealth mean to you?

Laurie Barkman speaks with Robb McKinney, Founder of Bridgeview Wealth, about how wealth isn't just about money.

Listen to learn more about how entrepreneurs and family businesses can pass on their values along with their money-- connecting their heart and history, with their future and finances, across generations.

Listen in to learn more about:

• Redefining the meaning of wealth
• Switching to a values and vision based strategy
• Navigating family dynamics that impact business success across generations
• Family philanthropy approach

Show links:

Robb McKinney, LinkedIn

https://www.linkedin.com/in/robb-mckinney-59798b20/

Bridgeview Wealth website

https://www.bridgeviewwealth.com/

The Ultimate Discovery Experience:

https://www.bridgeviewwealth.com/the-ultimate-discovery-experience

Laurie Barkman, LinkedIn

https://www.linkedin.com/in/lauriebarkman/

SmallDotBig website

https://www.smalldotbig.com/

Laird & Company is the oldest commercial distillery and the 26th-oldest family business in the United States. With an official founding date of 1780, the company history of apple brandy production stretches back to colonial times and George Washington. Laurie Barkman spoke with Lisa Laird Dunn, and her son, Gerard Dunn, ninth and tenth generation family members, about innovating with an eye towards the future while keeping a proud appreciation of the past.

Listen in to learn more about:

• Adapting and evolving to survive and thrive
• Importance of mentorship for new leaders
• Next generation decisions to join the business
• Cultivating and engaging their community
• Laird's Apple Aid fundraiser for bartenders
• Staying resilient during the pandemic
• New product development

Show Links:

Laird & Company website

Laird & Company Instagram

Connect with the host, Laurie Barkman, on SmallDotBig.com and sign up for an Insights newsletter to build value in your company.

Laurie Barkman talks about navigating business acquisitions and succession planning with Tom Hine, CEO of Capital Wealth Management, and author of The Zen of Business Acquisitions. Tom has acquired seven wealth management firms and conducted due diligence on more than 100 others. Tom draws from his black belt experience in M&A and karate. To increase your odds of success, you have to work at being prepared.

Listen in to learn more about:

• The Beginner's Mindset
• What buyers look for in an acquisition
• Why company cultures need to mesh instead of match
• How the best deals are the bad ones you never do
• Difference between continuity and succession planning
• Planning your transition successfully

Show links:

Capital Wealth Management website

Tom Hine LinkedIn

The Zen of Business Acquisitions book on Amazon

E29 CEO Succession and Letting Go

Laurie Barkman talks about building your employer brand and cultivating culture with Tiffany Castagno, CEO of CEPHR, a human resources consulting firm. Having a strong culture is foundational to succession and transition planning. As organizations adapt to changes from the pandemic, how do you maintain an environment that fosters productivity, authentic engagement, and safeguards employee wellbeing?

Listen in to learn more about:

• Critical components of brand and culture
• Conducting succession planning
• How transitions intersect with an organization's culture
• Effective leadership amidst a crisis
• Adapting to changes in teamwork

Show links:

CEPHR Consulting website

Tiffany Castagno LinkedIn

Can a Zebra Change Its Stripes? Book on Amazon

Visit SmallDotBig to connect with the host, Laurie Barkman, and sign-up for an insights newsletter to build value in your company.

Most of us get a glimpse into the world of complex business families by watching shows like Succession and Dallas. Josh Baron, co-founder and Partner at BanyanGlobal, has had a front row seat to some of the world's leading family enterprises and how those companies make difficult decisions during transition. Josh talked about his new book that he's co-authored and published with the Harvard Business Review called How to Build and Sustain a Successful Enduring Enterprise. Listen in as Josh shares the five critical aspects of ownership influencing whether the company will have a successful transition to the next generation, or not.

Listen to learn more about:

• Five Core Rights that influence family ownership in businesses
• Using a Four Room Model for governance, decision making, and conflict management
• Different ways of approaching succession in multi-generational companies
• Beating the myths to have a family business that lasts for generations

Show links:

• BanyanGlobal website
• Four Rooms Model
• HBR Family Business Handbook: How To Build and Sustain a Successful Enduring Enterprise
• SmallDotBig.com and connect with host Laurie Barkman

On this episode of the What's Next Series, host Laurie Barkman talks with David Gamble, Founder of DG Coaching & Consulting, about what comes next after you achieve your dream. After an NFL Super Bowl win with the Denver Broncos, David reinvented his career by redefining success to leave a trail where there is no path. If you're thinking about a transition, this episode may provide inspiration to help you find your next.

Show links:

DG Coaching & Consulting website

Connect with Succession Stories host Laurie Barkman on SmallDotBig.com and sign up for the Insights newsletter.

I invited listeners to submit questions and a few were about CEO succession.

To explore this topic, I invited Bruce Walton onto the show.

Bruce is a Partner at Battalia Winston, one of the world's largest woman-owned executive search firms, and an expert at recruiting CEOs, C-Suite, and private company Boards.

We talked about Five Best Practices for recruiting external executives, competencies in a post-COVID world, and hiring up for the long term.

Whether you are a Founder, Owner, Board Member, or an incoming CEO, it's about fostering respect, rapport, and stewardship. Succession takes time to get right, and a hurried plan may be destined to fail.

Show links:

Battalia Winston website

CEO Succession White Papers from Battalia Winston

Caliper Profile

Connect with the host, Laurie Barkman on SmallDotBig.com and and sign-up for an insights newsletter to build value in your company.

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