BMC Associates help business partners and owners of family and non-family businesses deal with conflict and build collaboration.

The Partnership Charter
Mediation
Business Succession Plans
Collaborative Estate Planning
Other Services

The Partnership Charter
Start partnerships out on a solid foundation of comprehensive agreements.
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Mediation
Resolve conflicts among business owners and principals through facilitated negotiations.
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Business Succession Plans
Successfully transferring leadership in business and family to the next generation.
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Collaborative Estate Planning
Families planning together to preserve and build a legacy.
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Other Services
Enhance productivity, strengthen relationships and enhance teamwork.
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The Partnership charter

Millions of people co-own closely held companies, family businesses, and business partnerships, but establishing them and keeping them together is never easy. Here, finally, is the guide they have been waiting for.... Read More

Welcome to BMC Associates

BMC Associates helps business partners, owners of family businesses, and principals of other organizations deal with conflict and build collaboration. BMC’s interdisciplinary and non-adversarial approach helps strengthen working teams’ overall business and interpersonal performance.

BMC’s services include:

Mediation, a process that resolves conflicts through facilitated negotiations.
The Partnership Charter, an innovative, preventative tool for partners and partners-to-be who want a structured approach to negotiating the many issues that tend to cause difficulties and conflicts among partners.
Business Succession Plans, an integrated approach to transferring family business leadership and ownership.
Collaborative Estate Planning, a way for families to address the many sensitive issues involved in transferring assets such as vacation properties from one generation to the next.
Other Services that meet the planning and organizational development needs of clients are offered in conjunction with the services described above.

Recent News & Updates

How to Bring the “Family” in Family Business into Focus: The Continuing Challenge

November 30, 2015

Posting by Ed Kopf, Ph.D., Principal at BMC Associates

Every business can benefit from clearly stating its objectives and, then, understanding the internal and external environment in which it is pursuing those objectives. A well-established approach to examining the environment as part of overall business planning is the SWOT technique. This acronym represents a careful assessment of (internal) Strengths and Weaknesses and (external) Opportunities and Threats.

My Brother, Who Art Thou? The Challenges Brothers Face When They Work and Own a Family Business Together

March 25, 2015

Event: Presentation at the 21st Annual Conference of Psychodynamics of Family Business

Hosted by: Psychodynamics of Family Business

Event Date: May 2, 2015

Location: Hyatt Orrington Hotel, Evanston, IL

David Gage will talk about the ways brothers’ relationships and the power of positions in family businesses can facilitate … or retard family member’s personal growth.

Discussion of Dr. Gage’s Book, The Partnership Charter: How To Start Out Right with Your New Business Partnership (Or Fix the One You’re In)

Event: Book Talk

Hosted by: DC Psychological Association

Event Date: September 24, 2015

Location: Somerset House, Chevy Chase, MD

Celebrating the 10th Anniversary of the publication of his book, David Gage will talk about the impetus for the book, the writing experience, and what he has learned in the ensuing 10 years as a result of it’s publication, first in English, then in Chinese in 2005 and Russian in 2012.

Business Partners Need Mediation – Before They Know It

The media is littered with stories of business partner and family business disasters. "If it bleeds, it leads," as they say. Despite these unfortunate stories, thousands of entrepreneurs join forces every year, often against the advice of their trusted advisers, family, and friends, who’ve seen many partnerships end badly.