“I thought I had more time.” That’s the most common phrase we hear from business owners after an unexpected exit — whether it’s due to a health crisis, a surprise opportunity, or simply burnout that came on faster than expected. And yet, over and over again, leaders delay business succession planning. Not because they don’t care — but because [ Read More ]
“We just assumed you’d be here.” That’s what the operations lead said to her founder, after he announced—abruptly—that he was stepping away. There was no handoff. No plan. Just silence, followed by uncertainty. And while they managed to keep things moving, no one would describe what followed as smooth. Long-standing team members left. Clients began asking questions. Trust wavered. [ Read More ]
If you’re a business owner who doesn’t have a plan for how your business will continue without you, you’re not alone. ~70% of family-owned businesses fail to survive the transition from the first to the second generation, and only about 12% make it to the third. 47% of family business owners looking to retire in the next five [ Read More ]
As a business leader, it’s easy to get caught up in the day-to-day whirlwind of running your organization. You have fires to put out, decisions to make, and projects to oversee —and that can leave little time to pause and consider the bigger picture. But as a leader in your business, setting and executing your strategy is some [ Read More ]
We’re knee-deep in Q4, and preparing for 2025 is top-of-mind for many business owners. If you’re ready to set you, your team, and your organization up for success next year, consider preparing in these three ways. 1. Prepare yourself: Lead your business with more confidence, intention, and clarity in 2025 Most businesses reach an inflection point where their [ Read More ]
Maximum Fire Protection is a family-owned and operated full-service commercial sprinkler company in Milford, Ohio. In 2013, after nearly 30 years in the sprinkler business, Renee Hoderlein and her husband, Nick, teamed up to build their own company. Their mission was to provide superior, personalized service and value by working closely with customers from project design to completion.Over the [ Read More ]
Superior Aluminum is a multi-generational family business that has thrived for more than 68 years. As the second generation of leaders began planning to retire, the organization’s board challenged the company to bring in a new leader who could provide fresh perspective and draw on outside experience. The organization hired Doug Borchers — a member of one of [ Read More ]
Nearly 30 years ago when Aileron was founded, our first service was designed to help private business owners design their strategies. Now, three decades of study later, we’ve learned a lot about small business strategy. This post captures three common but outdated perspectives on strategic planning and offers more productive thought shifts to replace them. Old [ Read More ]
America’s small businesses are the backbone of our economy; small businesses are responsible for 63% of new jobs in the last 25+ years, represent 99.9% of all businesses in America, and employ 46% of America’s private sector employees. It’s clear business owners and small business leaders have one of the most important roles in our society — and [ Read More ]
When it comes to a Board of Advisors, these five qualities separate the exasperating from the exceptional. Does your board have them? A cohesive, high-functioning Board of Advisors can be an invaluable source of wisdom, accountability, and support for a business owner. But if the board is ineffective, misaligned, or poorly managed, it can consume a business owner’s [ Read More ]
At Aileron, we practice customer intimacy and frequently conduct customer research so we can design services and content that support our community of business owners. Part of our process involves completing the Strategyzer Value Proposition Canvas. This tool helps us more deeply understand business owners, the challenges they face, and the outcomes they’re after. Since we started collecting [ Read More ]
Aileron was thrilled to host a Personal Vision Workshop in January to celebrate Founder’s Day and give our community guided time and space to explore their dreams. Nearly 200 community members participated in this workshop, and we heard an outpouring of positive feedback about it — so much so that we’re making the workshop materials available to the [ Read More ]
