HIDDEN ORGANIZATIONAL DYNAMICS THAT CAUSE A FAMILY ENTERPRISE TO FAIL

EPI GREATER BOSTON CHAPTER

Family enterprises are built on trust, loyalty, shared history, core values, and a vision for the future. But those same foundations, when left unspoken or unattended, can quietly erode what took generations to build and future generation's plans.  In this session, we'll explore the hidden organizational dynamics that threaten even the most successful family businesses - unresolved conflict, succession avoidance, blurred boundaries, and the silence that surrounds them. This session draws on real stories of when things didn't go as planned, and offers practical ways to tend to the foundation before the cracks appear.  Whether you advise on or lead a family enterprise or advise one, you'll leave with new language, sharper instincts, and concrete entry points for the conversations that matter most in helping organizations decide their future.

 

Learning Objectives:

  • Name the hidden dynamics most likely to surface in family enterprises and recognize how they show up day to day

  • Connect theory to lived experience by hearing how these dynamics actually unfold inside real family businesses

  • Foresee issues before they thwart the leading generations ideas and goals

  • Leave with language and entry points for surfacing these conversations proactively in your own organization or with your clients

 

About the Presenters:

Hear from industry experts Amy Born and Lauren Howard.

Event Location

Event Details

Date: Thursday, October 08, 2026
Time: 3:30 pm - 5:00 pm Eastern Time
Where: Fiduciary Trust Company | 53 State St. Boston, MA 02109
Cost: $50, Free for Members
Value Acceleration Knowledge Hours: 1.5
Register Now

Who Should Attend?

  • Attorneys

    You have close relationships with clients, and can benefit from being the first advisor to introduce the idea of exit planning.

  • CPAs/Accountants

    Owners participating in the State of Owner Readiness research continue to indicate that you are the No. 1 "Most Trusted Advisor." You are a natural fit to lead the exit planning team and deepen your relationship (and retention) of next generation owners.

  • Wealth Managers

    You’re a skilled relationship person. Being entangled into your clients’ professional lives matters as you build a strategy to manage their wealth upon them harvesting it from their business. Exit planning allows you to build a deeper relationship with your client, expands your COI network, while giving you an early seat at table well before the liquidity event.

  • Financial Advisors

    One of the critical ‘legs of the stool’ is personal financing planning. An owner must have a strong financial plan & contingency plan post-transition to enable them to thrive in the next act of the lives personally and financially. Exit planning brings this future mindset into the present. Exit is now.

  • Mergers & Acquisition Advisors

    Proper exit planning causes less deals to fall through at the last minute. Connect with CEPAs to build your healthy deal flow network.

  • Insurance Professionals

    Exit planning addresses the 5 D's. So do you. Approach the risk conversation differently with exit planning.

  • Strategic Consultants

    One of the most critical roles in exit planning is building transferable value. Strategic consultants have the ability to expand options and drive rapid business value that affect performance today.

  • Estate Planners

    Exit planning is a natural fit for estate planners who want to operate more holistically with their owner clients.

  • Investment Bankers

    Only 2 of every 10 businesses that come to market actually sell. Learn how exit planning can bring attractive AND ready business to your purview.

  • Valuation Analysts

    Valuation is both a billable engagement AND an opportunity to provide owners some perspective on how to accelerate value drivers (and deal with value killers). Use exit planning to make that valuation into a longer term value acceleration engagement.

  • Professional Advisors

  • Members of Family Business Boards

  • Private Business Owners

  • Other Professional Advisors

    Regardless of your unique specialty, there is seat at the exit planning table for you. Learn more at www.EarnCEPA.com.

  • Family Business Advisors

    More than 50% of lower middle market business owners would prefer to transition to the next generation. Help them succeed with exit planning strategies.

  • Commercial Lenders

    One of the best relationships a business owner makes is with their banker. How can you help your corporate clients think about the future and ensure financial continuity? Answer: exit planning.

  • Business Owners & Their Trusted Advisors

  • Business Owners

  • Other Business Professionals

  • Business Consultants

EXIT PLANNING IS GOOD BUSINESS STRATEGY

The Exit Planning Institute, provides Financial Advisors, Accountants, Consultants, and other advisors of business owners with the critical education to differentiate themselves and add value to their existing client relationships through a credential, conference, courses, and content. Download the CEPA brochure for more information.

ABOUT THE PRESENTER