Find What's Next For You?: Business Owners Share Their Transition Stories - Paperback

by Steve Coleman (Author), James Gambone (Author)

Find What's NEXT For You: Business Owners Share Their Transition Stories, is an easy to read series of stories from small and medium size business owners explaining their unique transitions from the companies they formed and managed for decades. Their successes, failures, and "lessons learned," make up the core of this timely book. In 2013, the Fox Business Center reported that the sales of small businesses grew by 49%, and the Baby Boom demographics suggest this figure will only grow larger over the next ten years.

Many have heard the story of the entrepreneur who just didn't pay much attention to their transition. Things were going well and there was no urgency to think about what they would do next. Then the "unexpected event" happened and they needed to hastily plan in a crisis environment. This kind of planning usually results in the owner losing some of the wealth they have built up in their company, coupled with added personal and family stress.

One of the owners in the book commented that he wanted to control every part of his business as he was building it. And when it came time for his transition away from the company, he also wanted to be equally controlling by investing the personal time and resources to make his transition as smooth as possible. For the majority of owners who tell their stories, the transition took about five years from the time the started seriously thinking about it.

The book covers stories from a wide range of owners representing many business sectors including service, manufacturing, production and distribution. And the two authors had access to a treasure trove of information which they used to write this book.

Author Biography

Steve Coleman, Partner, The Platinum Group and President of Biz-Bridge LLC

Writing this book has been a labor of love. I'm a business guy. It all started as a kid selling strawberries, corn, and apples from a roadside table. After school and 15 years working in big corporations, I changed gears to become an advisor to small and growing business owners.

Since the early 1980s, I've been sharing my experiences and war stories with family and privately-owned companies. There have been hundreds of businesses served, but no two are the same. Owners want to grow, enter new markets, add products and services, apply new technology, and reach customers through new distribution channels. I've learned that privately-held businesses are the backbone of the American economy.

I hope hearing the stories in this book will alert, inform, challenge, and provoke owners into action. Families, partnerships, businesses, and communities will be preserved and strengthened. That's why Find What's NEXT For You is a true passion and gift to business owners and their advisors.

James Gambone, Senior Partner, Points Of View Incorporated and Chief Information Officer of Biz-Bridge, LLC

For the past 22 years, a significant focus of my consulting work and writing has been helping generations better understand and cooperate with each other. Almost every business transition requires a generational transfer. In most of the breakfast discussions we've had over the past eight years, generational and intergenerational issues have surfaced.

I am excited that this book now offers a new platform to present and challenge owners to deal with the differences between themselves and a new generation of owners.

As a business owner and entrepreneur, I know how difficult it is to step back from the business and try to look calmly into the future. Coming from an Italian family restaurant business, I understand that sometimes it is difficult to ask for help. However, listening to owners tell their transition stories has been a valuable education for me and the companies I've worked with.

I also know from many years as a part-time graduate professor, clear communication and having a realistic plan for the future are the two most important factors for success in almost any venture. I sincerely hope that I have helped to clearly communicate these two critical lessons in this book.