Blog 

• O Partner, Where Art Thou?
  

  Contrary to the romantic notion of a passionate dreamer going it alone, most start-ups are founded by partners, not solo entrepreneurs. Think of some of the high-tech companies that have risen to fame and stunning capitalization in almost no time: Google, Facebook, LivingSocial. All started by partners.

  The trend isn’t limited to cutting-edge tech firms. Partners also founded some of the best-known companies of the 20th century: Black & Decker, Warner Bros., Hewlett-Packard. And then there are 3M, Costco, Microsoft, Intel, and Apple. Partners, too, founded them.
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• Am I My Brother’s Keeper?: Brothers in Family Business
  

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

  Sibling-partners’ relationships are among the most challenging in family businesses. Such siblings are often second-generation co-owners of an inherited business. This means

  • They may not have had a free choice as to who their partner would be.
  • They may be 50/50 owners – a demanding arrangement under any circumstances.
  • Finally, they have a lifetime of emotions and experiences to deal with in their relationship in addition to the demands on all business partners.
• Drafting a Family Business Bill of Rights: Try Your Hand at It
  

  Posting by:  Edward J. Kopf

  The genius of the American political system is that it tries to assure every individual at least enough fairness and respect to keep us working within the system. Even if we are unhappy with current policies and practices, almost all of us are willing to address our grievances by the rules – so long as we know we can speak our piece, be treated fairly in the legal system, and be reasonably secure in our persons and property.

• Fairness and Pay in Family Business
  

  Posting by David Gage, Ph.D., Principal at BMC Associates, and Ms. Liubov Sivokhina. A popular saying goes, “Treat your business like business and your family like family.” But what do you do when business is family? What’s fair then? It shouldn’t be a surprise to anyone that many conflicts in a family-owned business arise from a feeling of unfairness. Oftentimes that “unfair” feeling revolves around money.
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• Keeping Cool: The Art of Family Negotiations (Part 2 of 2)
  

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

  Negotiating is critical to any relationship. As reviewed in Part 1, there are numerous factors that complicate family business negotiations. In this conclusion, strategies to combat the complications are reviewed.

  The first step to avoiding potential negotiation conflicts is to be aware of the special challenges that may arise in important discussions about a family business.