Episode 90 - Business Transition Advisory Discussion with Laurie Barkman

Sometimes, what’s difficult in moving on is not about whether you do it or not, it’s about how you will do it and with whom you are doing it.In this episode of The Disruptive Successor show, Jonathan welcomes Laurie Barkman, CEO, and Founder of SmallDotBig, who works to help business owners add value to their businesses and successions. Laurie will be sharing her story and advice to business owners who are planning their exits and successions along the way.HIGHLIGHTSIntroducing Laurie BarkmanExits and successions are as important as building and runningLaurie's point of view on diversityIns and outs of family boardsOpening up to outside advisory boardsDigging deep into strategic planningTo sell or to transferQUOTESLaurie - Surround yourself with equally skilled people to plan your exit:“It's important for them to realize that they'll want to have the same kind of talent around them on the sell side or to the transaction side, whatever that exit is for them and their succession.”Laurie - Diversity of thought, not the surface only:“How I like to describe it, Jonathan is a diversity of thought, and people's experiences and perspectives is what makes us diverse, I don't really look at us on the surface and say, This is a diverse board.”Laurie - Sell the business or transfer to the family:“Selling versus the family is tricky for a lot of the reasons we mentioned, maybe we want junior to have it but Junior, again, doesn't have the skills, either Junior is not interested, they don't have the skills, or it's a time sensitivity, where we just can't wait that long to see what happens.”Connect with Laurie and learn more about her work:About LaurieAbout SmallDotBigSmallDotBig.comIf you enjoyed today’s episode, please subscribe, review and share with a friend who would benefit from the message. If you’re interested in picking up a copy of Jonathan Goldhill’s book, Disruptive Successor, go to the website at www.DisruptiveSuccessor.com Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.