Transition 3.0: Why Doing It With Them Changes Everything
What an interesting concept: thinking about building a transition strategy together. That’s what we do with this concept of Transition 3.0. You’re moving from doing it for them to doing it with them. There are a lot of benefits in doing it together, not to mention that you get to know your kids better, you […]
What Are Business Transitions?
When someone asks me what I do for a living, I tell them I help business owners transition their businesses to the next generation with their family intact and their successor ready. Almost without fail, the next question is, “What exactly is a business transition?” It’s a fair question. And if you’re reading this, chances […]
The Gift of Not Knowing: Why You Don’t Have to Be Ready to Begin Transition
Episode Description: In this reflective solo episode, Elizabeth Ledoux explores one of the most overlooked advantages in business transition: not knowing. Drawing from her own succession journey and a recent client conversation, Elizabeth challenges the belief that owners and successors must feel “ready” before beginning transition work. Tap or click the play button below to listen to The Gift […]
The Gift of Not Knowing: Why Readiness Is a Myth in Business Transition
I was on a call with a business owner who had done everything right. He’d read “It’s a Journey,” worked through some of the exercises, thought deeply about his transition. He has a daughter working in the business and a strong non-family employee. Both could be part of his future plan. We were talking about […]
The Question That Could Derail Your Transition: Who Actually Owns Your Digital Assets?
I had a conversation with Paige Wiese recently that reminded me why some transitions fail despite perfect financials and flawless legal work. Paige is the founder of Tree Ring Digital, a Denver-based digital agency. Over her 16 years in the industry, she’s developed a framework for protecting digital assets during business transitions. “There’s value in […]
Digital Assets Are Business Assets: Protecting Value Before Succession or Sale
Episode Description: In this episode, Elizabeth Ledoux is joined by Paige Wiese, founder and CEO of Tree Ring Digital, to unpack one of the most overlooked—and increasingly critical—components of business transition: digital assets. Paige shares how websites, domains, marketing platforms, data, and third-party tools are now core infrastructure assets that directly influence valuation, deal confidence, […]
Why 60% of Business Transitions Fail (And How to Be in the 95% That Succeed)
After 30 years in this work, there’s one statistic that still keeps me up at night. 60% of transitions are going to fail. When I share this number with business owners, the gut reaction is like, well, they didn’t lock down their will enough or they had a bad tax strategy. And so all the […]
Why Transition 3.0 Changes Everything: Our Evolve Program
Episode Description: In this rich, energetic conversation, Elizabeth Ledoux and successor-turned-partner Andrea Carpenter break down what’s changing in transition planning—and why most families are still doing it the old way. They introduce Transition 3.0, a collaborative, people-first model where owners and successors design the future together rather than in isolation. Tap or click the play […]
What Does Fair Really Mean in Family Business Succession?
What does “fair” look like when you’re buying the family business? I come back to this question often, because in family business succession, fairness isn’t just a spreadsheet. It’s an emotional equation with a constantly moving denominator: siblings, history, legacy, expectation. I recently had a conversation with Mitch Gambert, third-generation owner of Gambert Shirts in […]