Our small business online advice columnist. CCH Online Store Books on small business topics. Free E-mail Newsletter Monthly updates on developments affecting small businesses. Training Search Help Training, on the job and otherwise, is the critical ingredient that can put success into a family business succession plan. It can take many forms.
Much teaching is done by example.
Setting a good example for your successor in all aspects of business and family life is essential. Formal education, not just in the specialty of the business but also in management and accounting, is immensely valuable. And actual experience at a job outside of the family business is certainly preferable. Experience in all aspects of the family business operation, from sweeping the floor to driving the truck or counting the inventory, is necessary. Where the successor is active over a period of time in the business, he or she will not only become familiar with what it takes to run the firm, but will also have a chance to interact with employees, suppliers, and customers and gain their confidence and respect.