Episode 39: Each Tiny Effort Builds on the Next so that Brick by Brick, Magnificent Things Can Be Created with Andy Sneed of WASCO, Inc.

Your host, Greg Lewis, talks to Andy Sneed. Andy is Chief Executive Officer of their family business, Wasco, Inc. in Nashville, Tennessee. Andy’s father, Bill Sneed, founded Wasco, Inc. in 1966, and Andy has worked in the family business since 1977.

Episode 38: What Family Business Owners can do to Survive and Thrive During these Chaotic Times with Barbara Roberts

Your host, Greg Lewis, talks to Barbara Roberts. Barbara is a speaker and writer on all stages of entrepreneurship from start-up through growth, exiting and reinvention, Barbara’s work builds on her personal experience as a Wall Street executive, serial entrepreneur and Entrepreneur in Residence at Columbia University Business School and Hofstra University.

Episode 37: Seeing the Blind Spots when Planning a Family Business Transition with Peter Bloom, The Bloom Group

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Your host, Greg Lewis, talks to Peter Bloom, business lawyer with The Bloom Group in Washington DC. 

In his role, he serves as general counsel to emerging, mid-stage and family businesses, providing strategic advice as well as guidance regarding corporate law, contracts, tax, intellectual property protection, financing, succession planning and labor & employment law.

Mariana Martinez and Peter Bloom are the authors of Seeing the Blind Spot: A Guide for Advisors Working with the Family Enterprise.

In this episode of Family Business Today Peter Bloom  will share:

  • The importance of dealing with the emotional aspects of creating a successful transition plan

  • The role family history, culture, relationships and individual personalities play in planning a successful transition

  • Why Transition Planning is a Process and not an Event

  • Key communication steps that family business owners should take in planning a transition

  • Why creating a legacy is so important to family business owners

  • And much more….

To learn more about Peter Bloom visit The Bloom Group LLC website at www.the bloomgroupllc.com.  You can also obtain a copy of  Peter Bloom and Mariana Martinez book Seeing the Blind Spots when Planning a Family Business Transition on Amazon.

At the Tennessee Center for Family Business our passion is to help business owners create a positive environment in which their family THRIVES, their business performs and create a lasting family legacy. To learn more about the Tennessee Center for Family Business visit www.tncfb.com.

If you are considering a transition in your family business contact us today for a FREE  Transition Assessment (follow link) and receive a one on one review of your business transition preparedness with a family business consultant. (a $299 value)

Until next time, There’s No Business Like Family Business…..We Know!


Episode 36: Transform Your Business from a Cash-Eating Monster to a Money-Making Machine with Rocky Lalvani, the Profit First Man

Your host, Greg Lewis, talks to Rocky Lalvani, Chief Profitability Officer for business owners like you.

Rocky teaches business owners how to ensure they get paid and they make profit a priority! As a Certified Profit First Professional, he implements Mike Michalowicz’s Profit First System. We change the accounting formula of Sales - Expenses = Profit to Sales - Profit = Expenses. This ensures Profit comes first! (PS. It's not about money at all costs, people come before money!)

Episode 35: Lawrence Mize – The Heimansohn Family nears 125 Year Milestone in Business

Your host, Greg Lewis, talks to Lawrence Mize, Lui Heimansohn Steel & Salvage, located in Clarksville, Tennessee.

Lui Heimansohn first started a trading post in the Cadiz, KY in the late 1800s before moving to Clarksville, TN to open a storefront in 1896 to access rail and river trade. Joined by his three sons, the family business continues on today with the fourth generation now involved.

Episode 34: NashvillePrinting.Com– The Coolest Family Printing Company in Town

Your host, Greg Lewis, talks to John Taylor, President of Minuteman Press and Nashville Printing Company located in Nashville, Tennessee.

Nashvilleprinting.com is owned by the Taylor Family. In business in Nashville for over 20 years, they have grown from a small franchise printer into a mid-size commercial printer and internationally-recognized branding specialist.

Episode 33: Leading a Life of Excellence with Aaron Walker

Your host, Greg Lewis, talks to Aaron Walker, Life and Business Coach and Masterminds for Men.

Aaron has founded more than a dozen companies over the past 41 years. He attributes much of his success to having surrounded himself with his mastermind counterparts. Aaron is the founder of Irons Sharpens Iron, Inc. Mastermind that now host 19 groups with National and International Members.

Episode 32: Goo-Goo – A 100 year old American Candy Bar wrapped in Family Tradition

Your host, Greg Lewis, talks to Laurie Spradley, Vice President Operations and Brand Development at Goo-Goo Candy Company located in Nashville, Tennessee.

In 1912, in a copper kettle at the Standard Candy Company at Clark & First Avenue in Nashville, TN, America's first combination candy bar was invented. A roundish mound of caramel, marshmallow nougat, fresh roasted peanuts and real milk chocolate the Goo-Goo was a treat that I couldn’t wait to enjoy as a child. I still enjoy them today!!!

Episode 31: There’s No Business Like Family Business…..A Marketing Perspective

Your host, Greg Lewis, talks to Anna-Vija McClain. Anna-Vija is an award-winning entrepreneur, speaker and sought-after expert on topics related to small business growth and professional development for young, ambitious talent. Her company, Piccolo Marketing, helps small business owners achieve unprecedented growth through the development of marketing strategies, business development campaigns, and implementation of processes and systems that maximize efficiency.

Episode 29: Surviving the Death of a Spouse in your Family Business

Your host, Greg Lewis talks to Joan Burge, Founder and CEO of Office Dynamics International, about her family business located in Las Vegas, Nevada. Since 1990, Office Dynamics International has been the global industry leader in the development and presentation of sophisticated executive and administrative assistant training, coaching and resources.

Episode 28: The Family Farm – Obstacles and Opportunities Farmers are Facing Today

Your host, Greg Lewis talks to Jeff Aiken, President Tennessee Farm Bureau, on the future of the family farm and what the Tennessee Farm Bureau is doing to support farmers in Tennessee and across the nation. Mr. Aiken and his wife, Carol, own a multigenerational family farm located near Telford, in East Tennessee, in addition to his responsibilities as President of the Tennessee Farm Bureau, the largest state Farm Bureau in the nation, located in Columbia, Tennessee.

Episode 27: Managing Stress in the Family Business

You may have heard it before, “Business is Business and Family is Family and never the two shall meet …unless you work in a family business.” Your host, Greg Lewis talks to Jennifer Lewis, President Tennessee Center for Family Business, on managing stress in the family business. Jennifer is a professional family counselor and career coach. A graduate of Covenant Seminary in St. Louis with a Master’s Degree in counseling, Jennifer helps individuals and families deal with the curve balls that life throws them.

Episode 26: Meet powerhouse mother-daughter duo, Eileen and Anne Huntington, who work together in their family business, Huntington Learning Centers.

Your host, Greg Lewis, talks to Eileen Huntington, co-founder and her daughter, Anne Huntington, VP Business Development at their family business, Huntington Learning Centers. The relationship between a mother and daughter can only truly be understood by mothers and daughters. If you love each other tremendously, enjoy spending time together and trust each other, then working together in a family business may be just for you.

Episode 25: Business Valuation: What it is and why is it important for your family business to have one in your business transition plans?

Your host, Greg Lewis, talks to Travis Harms, Sr. Vice President at Mercer Capital located in Memphis, Tennessee about the importance of a business valuation in helping you and your family have a realistic understanding of the value of your business and/or the value of your shares. This is critical for business and personal decision-making and planning for you and your family business.

Episode 24: Sibling Success: When brother and sister work together in a family business with Laurie Straus Aronoff and Andy Straus, Goldner Associates, Nashville, Tennessee

The world of family business is full of stories of siblings who didn’t see eye to eye. In today’s podcast we’ll hear from a 4th generation brother and sister combo who have carefully managed these relationships to be both productive and fulfilling for their business and their family.

Episode 23: Practical ways for family business leaders to communicate authentic appreciation with Dr. Paul White, co-author of The Five Languages of Appreciation

Greg Lewis talks to Dr. Paul White about how to lead with appreciation in the workplace. Leading a business is tough enough, but when family is involved the leader will experience the benefits and challenges associated with family owned business when it comes to communications.

Episode 22: Surviving the Business Transition with Brad Franc

Succession Planning is an unfamiliar challenge for most business owners. The anxiety of planning is often aggravated when family members are involved in the business. Our guest today is Bradley J. Franc. In his new book The Succession Solution: The Survival Guide for Business Transition, Bradley provides both an explanation of the importance of succession planning.

Episode 21: Gary Ringger, Founder/President of Lifesong for Orphans and author of Radical Business, From Ownership to Stewardship.

Gary and his family are former owners of Ringger Feed and Ringger Foods in Gridley, Illinois. In his book, Radical Business, From Ownership to Stewardship, Radical Business shares how God used a failing business to change Gary Ringger's definition of success - ultimately leading him on a path from that of a business owner to a business steward.