7 steps to making the hard changes in a family business a bit easier

Change is essential in any business. Times change, competition changes, markets change — and every business must adapt. But change is hard, especially in a family business. As a family business consultant, I have seen first-hand the difficulties that arise when attempting to create change within a family business, and it’s almost always a generational divide. According to Dennis Jaffe, in his article Moving a Family Business Beyond the Founder’s Vision, the resistance to change in a family business often comes from the initial founder or current generation in charge. Jaffe writes: