As a young lawyer, a business owner asked me to help him preserve his family and his business as he looked at passing the business to his children. In that early engagement, I began to see the complexity and risks of passing on a family business. Those risks extended far beyond legal and tax implications to the success of the business and the family. Family relationships and the economic well-being of the owners, and all the employees and their families were at stake, along with the heart and soul of the owner who had given himself to building this business. ​

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It was then that I began to walk alongside owners and the leading generation to help them consider how and to whom the responsibility of leading the business would pass, while preserving and strengthening the business and family relationships. I quickly saw it took more than legal structures for this to be successful. So we began developing ways for the family and business leaders to see clearly what caused the business to thrive, to develop the next generation of leaders, and to discover the role of family members in the business. 

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In helping closely-held and family businesses navigate successions over three decades, we have learned much and honed our focused processes to help business families successfully make generational transitions. We find great satisfaction in building relationships with like-minded business families and walking with them through this rewarding and challenging process. We experience a true joy when the leading and next generation leaders look back and see the years of past work and experiences that have brought success, when leaders emerge and embrace the values that made the business successful, when family members discover their roles and when the leading generation can confidently pass the baton of leadership to the next generation. 

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For us, this is not just a win for one family or one business. It is a win for society. As a country, we need family owned and closely-held businesses to succeed, and one of the greatest goods we can do for others is to help good businesses succeed. One of the greatest goods you can do for your family, employees and community is to have a successful generational transition. So, now you can see our calling and motivation to help your family or closely-held business transition well. 

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                                        Regards,

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                                        G. Craig Howse

                                        Founder

                                        Conext, LLC