When Ian Rosen decided to return to the family business in 2018, Harry Rosen Inc., Canada’s leading luxury men's clothing retailer, was only doing 2-4 percent of their business online. In the months before COVID-19 hit, Rosen and his team were creating a thoughtful plan on how to stay relevant in the e-commerce space. When stay-at-home orders shuttered all of Harry Rosen’s retail stores, the launch of their digital platform became trial-by-fire.  How did Harry Rosen Inc. stay relevant to the changing marketplace and to the founder’s family? How did the founder’s legacy become a steadfast ..read more

Who starts a new family startup with a mortgage and kids in college? Entrepreneur Kalpana Waikar of Inspired Indian Cooking founded her Indian cooking spice kit company with the goal of making Indian cooking accessible while maintaining her family-centered life. She defies the expectations of her immigrant parents and the typical narrative of startups.  Listen to the Waikar’s story of familial support systems, pursuing passions, and making strategic career goals that fit their expectations for life outside of work. In this episode, the Waikar’s story highlights how family is at the heart ..read more

As the third-generation family business leader, Ariel Bacal faced overwhelming obstacles in his footwear manufacturing and retail business in Colombia and Venezuela: an onslaught of cheaper products, a plunge in currency exchange, and ever mounting pressures from the fashion footwear industry. After countless pivots and desperate measures, it became clear that the only option left was to close the family business.  Hear Ariel Bacal candidly share his business story: how he decided it was the right time to close the family enterprise and the lessons he learned through failure. And why, onl ..read more

Zack Richner is ambitious, daring, and thoughtful, just like his grandparents who founded Richner Communications and his father who currently leads the family business. Within the story of family entrepreneurship, Zack Richner leverages his family’s assets to create Arrandale Ventures, an innovative startup that creates a new business model for traditional local media.  What does Richner’s leadership story tell us about finding your niche within your family business? Listen to Richner’s entrepreneurial journey as he learns about the family business, works for the Obama Campaign and leads ..read more

Anderson Tanoto saw the potential for his family business, Royal Golden Eagle (RGE), to become a leader in sustainability. Through his journey in transitioning the company into more sustainable practices, Tanoto learned that failure, perseverance, and equity are key ingredients to creating meaningful change ..read more

It was a routine activity that led to a life-threatening accident, a coma, and multiple cranial surgeries. Adam Farver, Chairman of the Board and fourth generation of his family enterprise, Pella Corporation, found himself eavesdropping on doctors who doubted his full recovery. Faced with frightening questions about his future, Adam took stock of his life before the accident, consulting his late great-grandfather and grandmother’s wisdom: what would he do now?   Listen as Adam tells the story of his realizations, recovery, and resetting his purpose. We are also joined by experts Dave Whor ..read more

Along with their younger sister Melissa Steiner, Stephanie Jackson and Kimberly Paxton-Hagner are co-owners of their multigenerational family enterprise, Kwik Lok. If you’ve ever bought bread, tortillas, or apples in a bag, you’ve already used their product! Their grandfather, Floyd Paxton, invented the plastic closure tab that keeps food fresh and tracks the supply of many of our favorite foods.   The sisters’ road to family enterprise leadership started as a total surprise: their grandfather and father never intended for women in their family to take over the business. But their father ..read more

As the brainchild of Kent Johnson’s great-grandparents, Highlights for Children has been an explicitly purpose-driven company from its inception. A passion for serving, honoring, developing, and educating children informs every decision made in this family business. Purpose is so ingrained at Highlights for Children that the in-house newsletter is called “The Purpose,” and the company even has a Chief Purpose Officer!   But when building up the importance of purpose, how do leaders make sure they and their organization actually walk the walk? How does a commitment to living your values im ..read more

Enrico Leta expected to continue to lead and work in his family enterprise, a highly successful regional chain of high end supermarkets started by his Italian immigrant grandfather. But he did not expect that the second generation—Enrico’s father, aunts, and uncles—would decide the best future for their family business rested on leaving the third generation to find their own ventures. Dazed and untethered, Enrico set off to find a new career path and purpose. His story inadvertently illustrates for us what guest expert Dave Evans refers to as “designing your life” with curiosity, community, ex ..read more

Meghan Juday is among the fourth generation of leaders in her family enterprise, IDEAL INDUSTRIES, an electrical and electronic manufacturing company. Currently the Chairman of the Board, she has faced challenges on a wide spectrum from the isolation of being a lone female Chairman to mitigating the shortage of trades professionals. She has proactively tackled these problems and more while contemplating the legacy of her leadership and of her family enterprise.   Listen as Meghan discusses stewardship, “emotional returns,” and the negative aspects of legacy. Guest experts Jennifer Penderg ..read more