Jolene Brown's Top Ten Mistakes That Break Up A Family Business

JOLENE BROWN, CSP is a real live “FARMER BROWN.” Her corn and soybean farm is in east central Iowa, 40 minutes west of the Mississippi River, on a non-flood year. She also can hypnotize a chicken, plug grain augers and entertain the folks behind the equipment parts counter

She has been authoring books and speaking professionally for 25+ years, primarily to agricultural audiences including grass roots farmers & ranchers, their Associations and Corporations. This includes those who produce in and those who serve the food, feed, fiber and bio-fuels industries. But, come October, she’s completely involved with harvest on the Brown farm and she’s in a tractor, not an airplane!

JOLENE’S TOP TEN REASONS FAMILY BUSINESSES FAIL:

1. Assuming all genetic relationships equal good working relationships

2. Believing the business can financially support any and all family members who

want to work together

3. Assuming others will / should / must change and not me

4. Presuming a conversation is a contract

5. Believing mind reading is an acceptable form of communication

6. Failing to build communication skills and family meeting tools when the

times are good so they’ll be in place to use when the times get tough

7. Ignoring the in-laws, off-site family, and employees

8. Forgetting to use common courtesy

9. Having no legal and discussed estate, management transfer plan, or buy/sell

agreement

10. Neglecting vital facts of fair and equal, paying cash for emotional debts, and

failing to celebrate.

Find out more about her and her books at www.jolenebrown.com