family owned business

I talk to a lot of business owners who say, “I’d love to give my team a stake in the business, but I’m not ready to hand it over.”

Good. You don’t have to.

Ownership doesn’t have to be all or nothing. There are smart, flexible ways to bring key people in, reward loyalty, and build commitment — without giving up control or cash flow too early.

A few ways to do it

• Gradual ownership transfers. You can set milestones where equity is earned over time — based on performance, tenure, or contribut…

Every owner eventually asks the same question: What happens when I’m not here?

It doesn’t always come from wanting to retire. Sometimes it comes after a long week, a health scare, or just the realization that time moves faster than you thought.

The truth is, most small and family business owners wait too long to figure it out. Then, when the time comes, they have limited options and a lot of pressure.

Let’s talk about what those options actually look like — and how to start planning earl…

Most small and midsized businesses don’t have a marketing problem — they have a measurement problem.

You’re spending time (and probably money) on websites, social posts, trade shows, maybe even ads. But if you asked, “What return are we getting on all this?” the answer usually sounds something like:

“We’re getting our name out there.”

That’s not a strategy. That’s hope. And as a CFO, I’ll tell you — hope doesn’t make for a good business plan.

Marketing Should Work Like Any Other Invest…

If you own a small or family-run business, there’s a good chance your fingerprints are on just about everything.
You know every customer, every supplier, every number in QuickBooks. You’ve spent years building this thing — and let’s be honest, it works because you work.

That’s exactly why thinking about stepping back, selling, or even taking a long vacation feels impossible.
It’s not that you don’t want to step away. It’s that you can’t quite imagine what would happen if you did.

But here’s what…

Every month in Ask the CFO, I like to pull back the curtain on what’s really happening behind the numbers. Not the polished version we present in board meetings or end-of-year reports — but the real, everyday decisions that shape a company’s direction. Running a business isn’t just about spreadsheets and forecasts; it’s about how you spend your time, where you focus your energy, and what trade-offs you’re willing to make along the way.

What I’ve noticed lately — across clients in different indu…

Every company faces trade-offs — cost versus quality, speed versus service, growth versus stability. Each one says something about what your business truly values.

These choices shape your reputation, your culture, and ultimately, your profitability. But too often, financial decisions are made in isolation — focused on short-term targets, investor expectations, or putting out fires — without connecting back to what the company actually stands for. When that happens, clarity fades. The business …

Family-owned and closely held businesses are built on trust, shared purpose, and legacy. But they’re also built on relationships—and relationships, as we all know, can get complicated.

When family, finances, and the future collide, emotions can run high. Disagreements aren’t a sign that something’s broken—they’re a sign that people care deeply about the outcome. The healthiest businesses I’ve worked with aren’t free from conflict; they’ve just built systems to handle it with clarity, fairness, …

Reflections from the October Ask the CFO Session

In our October Ask the CFO session, I decided to take a break from the usual financial headlines — tariffs, cost-cutting, and global uncertainty — and focus on something closer to home: the human side of being a CFO in a family-owned or privately held business.

After all, numbers are the easy part. It’s people, relationships, and trust that make the work meaningful — and often, challenging.

The Six Cornerstones of a Great CFO (Fractional or Ful…

Recap from September 16, 2025 — Ask the CFO with Lowell Mora

This month’s Ask the CFO conversation touched on some of the toughest financial choices family-owned and privately held businesses face today. We covered everything from owning vs. leasing property and equipment, to rising interest rates, vendor complacency, and the long-term strategy behind insurance captives.

These are not theoretical discussions—they’re real issues my clients are wrestling with every day.

Owning vs. Leasing Pro…