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 […]
When Fear Keeps Your Family Business Stuck
Every business owner knows fear. It shows up differently for each person—sometimes as a tight grip on the financials, sometimes as “waiting for the right moment,” sometimes as silence where there could be conversation. In this week’s solo episode of The Business Transition Roadmap podcast, Elizabeth Ledoux explores how fear quietly stalls even the most […]
Facing Fear: Why Staying Stuck Costs More Than Moving Forward
Episode Description: In this solo episode, Elizabeth Ledoux explores one of the most underestimated forces in business transition: fear. Drawing from current client experiences and years of transition strategy work, she reveals the hidden fears that keep founders and successors stuck—fear of loss, fear of not being good enough, fear of conflict, fear of regret, […]
How to Talk to Your Adult Children About Wealth: A Guide for Parents Who Feel Stuck
I’ve been working with wealthy families for over 30 years, and there’s one conversation that causes more anxiety than any other: telling your adult children about the wealth they’ll inherit.
Just this week, I spoke with a father—let’s call him Robert—who’s in his late sixties with four children in their late twenties and early thirties. He has roughly $300 million in family assets. His kids are thriving in their careers, building their own lives, finding their own way. And they know almost nothing about what’s coming.
Liminal Space: Navigating the Human Side of Business Transition with Susan K. Bradley
Episode Description: In this episode, Elizabeth Ledoux welcomes Susan K. Bradley, founder of the Sudden Money® Institute and Financial Transitionist® Institute, whose pioneering work reframes how professionals support clients through financial and life transitions. Together they explore how disruption becomes creation and why learning to live in the liminal space—the threshold between “what was” and […]
Your Reputation Is Your Most Valuable Asset in Business Succession Planning
Most business owners approach succession planning with a focus on financial structures, legal documents, and leadership training. These matter—no question. But we see transitions struggle or fail because of something that’s been decades in the making and can’t be reduced to a line item on a balance sheet. It’s reputation. Recently, I had the privilege […]