October 2011 Book Review

Exit Right: A Guided Tour of Succession Planning for Families-in-Business-Together

Written by Mark Voeller, PhD; Linda Fairburn, MSOD; and Wayne Thompson ©2002

This is a small but powerful book – the size was intentional to make it a sort of ready-reference.  It was written to tackle only one part of the sleeveless in three generations problem —exit/transition/succession planning.  The authors are adamant that people start the succession process when they start thinking about exiting without thinking of how it will affect business strategy and processes, the family members or potential successors. This holistically focused book would be a helpful and practical tool to start a discussion around this issue.

This book reinforces systems thinking, life cycles of a business and the role of a trained advisor in the exiting process.  The structure of the book is very unique.  Each chapter addresses an aspect of exiting a business and could stand alone if need be, but definitely do build upon one another. These chapters are process oriented with key questions, underlying issues, exploration questions and action steps for the founder/current owner to consider. Although this book seems to be written for the owner/founder it would be useful for any member of a family business or advisor.

Renée Montoya Lado M.S., N.C.C

President, Strategic Designs for Learning

Family Owned Business Network  Book Review Chair & Editor

Natalie McVeigh, MBE

Research Analyst, Strategic Designs for Learning

 Family Owned Business Network  Senior Book Reviewer