The Principles of an Unstoppable Family Business: How Successful Family Businesses Think and Grow

By Bryan Dodge and David Williams

The Principles of an Unstoppable Family-Business is all about building a family-based business on a set of specific principals that are absolutely necessary for it to survive. It’s an enormous challenge to be in business with kin and actually make it work. Family-business consultant Bryan Dodge goal is to provide the best practices and key elements needed for a solid foundation. It’s all about making something very challenging into something very rewarding with this go-to resource for understanding the key concepts behind a successful family-business.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Open Road Integrated Media
• Release date: Jul 17, 2018
• ISBN: 9781683507123

Book preview

Preface

Ever since I was a young man, managing my father’s ranch in Colorado, I’ve wanted to help others succeed in both business and on a personal level. It’s been a journey with many difficulties, but one I wouldn’t hesitate to do all over again. I truly can’t think of another profession I’d rather be in, and, frankly, it’s been a blessing to meet and work with so many people in so many different occupations.

This book is the result of first-hand dealings with family-owned businesses, the challenges they face, and the environment needed for a successful operation. It covers the primary components necessary to take a family business to the next level, and ensure its successful passage to future generations.

Being in business with family is often a huge challenge, one that supersedes most businesses that don’t have the element of kin involved. It’s these challenges that many times will not only ruin the business, but also damage family relationships—oftentimes beyond repair. I felt like it was imperative that I share my viewpoint, since I’ve worked with, and specialized in this complex niche for almost three decades. It’s the common denominators I talk about that provide the inspiration for this undertaking! You’ll find elements in here that are very specific to family-based businesses, and you’ll find components that are present in all organizations! I believe the perspective and understanding of how all these ingredients work together is what makes this book a must read!

My company, Dodge Development, is built on bringing together the differing elements and personalities present in a clan-based livelihood. We work daily with businesses in many different industries, all in an effort to tighten the family bonds, and define their financial futures! This is a true passion of mine, and I sincerely hope that passion is evident in the chapters ahead.

I want to thank my lovely wife Margaret of over 39 years, and the support I’ve received from my three kids and their families for standing by me and allowing me to follow my passion. There is no way this book happens without the real-life experiences I’ve encountered, and that doesn’t happen without the love and inspiration I’ve been lucky enough to have!

I’d also like to thank my long-time friend and co-conspirator David Williams for assisting me with this book, and helping me put it all together. I also want to extend a thank you to Terry Whalin, and Morgan James for publishing this book.

I’d also like to thank all the members of the Dodge Development team. I like to think of us as a living example of how a family-based business should operate. We talk the walk and walk the talk every day, and I’m proud of each and every one of you!

An Introduction

It was mid-1994, and I had been in professional sales about two full years, working with a local organization that sold business marketing lists. It wasn’t a very rewarding job as it was a difficult sale, and the product itself was subpar. As was common back then, it was basically a call center that relied on heavy telemarketing to achieve what amounted to unrealistic numbers. My success to date had been because of relentless persistence, the financial drive to succeed, and an overly optimistic, sometimes naive outlook. It was this combination that landed me my first interview with Results Educational Network, a company focused on personal and professional development—something I was a complete newbie to.

Results Educational Network

The professional speaking industry was a completely different animal back then as opposed to what it is now. There was only a handful of big-name guys and really not much in the way of mid-level or lower tier people doing anything that was considered relevant. Professional development was very much in its early stages, yet for these big-time speakers, it was their prime time as far as making a name for themselves! There was no internet to speak of, computers were still relatively new to the workplace, and the ones that were around ran the antiquated DOS operating system. So, marketing was done the old fashion way: get out there, interact, and talk with folks! Results Inc. was primarily a marketing company and event planner for these speakers, and when I say these speakers, I’m talking Zig Ziglar, Brian Tracy, Tom Hopkins, Tony Robbins, and the late great Jim Rohn! Industry icons by today’s standards!

My job upon getting hired at Results Inc. was to reach out to various business organizations, and convince the presiding Sales Manager to let one of our facilitators join their weekly meeting. We would then do a 30 to 45-minute workshop on a pre-determined topic that management felt their team needed help with. It could be time management, prospecting, communication, closing skills, or whatever else might be prudent. The last 15 minutes were spent talking about an upcoming event that Results would be promoting, one that was featuring our nationally known speakers.

This is how we filled seats at these events, and it’s also where I had the pleasure of meeting Bryan Dodge, who just so happened to be the owner of Results Inc.

My first impression upon meeting Bryan was, Wow, this guy has a lot of energy!, but it was infectious energy, energy that made you want to get up and do something! Bryan and I formed a good relationship almost immediately, and I joke with him still to this day that it was my production, not my glowing personality, that he took such a personal interest in! Regardless, I’m grateful he did because my introduction into the personal and professional development realm got a whole lot more intense! For several years, we worked relentlessly at advancing the company’s agenda, and engaging hundreds of companies across the spectrum of industries. Bryan was a very busy guy, but between all the events he maintained a consistency when it came to his principles, and that rubbed off on me big time! Bryan has always had a passion for teaching, training, and educating, and even back then, living the message was a big part of being in his company.

In 1996, the whole speaking industry was changing and all kinds of different companies were surfacing that basically did the same thing Results was doing. It was getting harder and harder to compete, and this is where I personally think it all changed for the better. For years Bryan had been interacting with organizations nationally, speaking at their sales meetings, addressing their organizations on a corporate level, all in an effort to promote other nationally recognized speakers. The time was right for Bryan to take his place as one of the nation’s top authorities, and that’s exactly what he did!

As Results Inc. was sold, I took another job opportunity and went on to be quite successful in business development, marketing, and persuasive writing in many different industries. I can’t tell you or emphasize enough how my experience with Bryan Dodge and Results Inc. impacted my life! It engrained principles into my everyday routine, and without even thinking about it, they became as second natured as drinking a glass of water. Those principles helped me understand the importance of self-education and never being satisfied with my own status quo. I learned the art of having a conversation with clients, determining their actual needs, and building rapport, as opposed to hard-selling or closing in haste just to put a number up. At home, I found myself putting in more time behind a book then before. I took chances professionally with my own endeavors, and made it a point to learn something, whether that endeavor succeeded or fell flat on its face. I can look back at the Results days with a lot of fond memories, and without meeting Bryan, there’s a very good chance I might not be the same man I am today.

Bryan and I continued to stay in touch a good nineteen years, even though we were off doing different things and pursuing different paths. Yet, there was an underlying sense that we would be working together in the future, and when the timing of that hit, something great would happen!

Dodge Development

Bryan formed Dodge Development in the late 90’s, and it was to be a continuation of Results Inc. in the fact that its primary purpose would be to perpetuate professional development. Bryan most definitely wasn’t any different, and the same principles still applied. His passion for helping people certainly hadn’t changed.

The primary difference was the business model. Dodge Development was moving from being a speaking company to a consulting organization, and it really was a no-brainer! Bryan had spent years in the industry, and had built up a very deep well when it came to subject matter and topics of interest. His experiences with companies in all kinds of different industries had given him a wealth of knowledge to draw from. This was a natural move, and it was time he played a bigger role in both people’s everyday lives and their professional existence. Dodge Development would hang its hat on being a service company that was all about improving internal relationships, identifying areas of need, and consolidating leadership. Since Dodge Development is also a family-business, Bryan wanted to make sure the focus of his endeavors was the same: family-businesses and addressing their challenges.

Let’s look at some of the facts.

•90% of all US businesses are family-owned

•Family-businesses account for 78% of new jobs created, and 64% of the GDP

•The survival rate of family businesses getting passed down to the second generation is only 30%, and it’s only 12% after that!

When you look at those statistics, it should be clear where Bryan saw his sweet spot (which we’ll talk about later in the book). When you combine the fact that this was a natural fit for him, and a natural progression, his success should be no surprise at all.

The company’s mission statement is simple: To deliver results that help the family and business grow together.

I think that statement, as simple as it is, says it all. With 90% of businesses in this country family-owned, there is a real need to help these organizations flourish, especially with only 30% surviving to the next generation! Helping family businesses is not only what Dodge Development and Bryan Dodge are all about, but it’s what he enjoys doing on a professional level the most.

That’s why you need to read this book.

Identifying common denominators that all family businesses have, and challenges that dictate their course, is exactly why it was written. This book is a manual a guide to recognizing how these challenges can be navigated, and ultimately dealt with in a productive way. We’ll start out with trust, a key component in any business, what it means to a family business specifically, and how you can harness its power within your proverbial circle of trust. We cover leadership, elements that cause a family business to fail, steps to put in place that re-energize your employees, and much more!

It has been an honor and privilege to work with Bryan in both the past and the present, and especially to help co-author this book. I think you’ll find it to be very straightforward when it comes to content. There have been hundreds of books published on the details of running an organization, but very few, if any, on the qualities and principles needed to make it last!

Enjoy the read, and enjoy the journey into an informed perspective of what family businesses face, and how applying the lessons learned can change your family’s life!

David Williams

Creating and Exhibiting Trust

Without a high level of trust from all parties involved, all things are limited. I think without a doubt that’s a statement we can all agree on. How important is trust and what kind of role does trust play in a successful family-based business?

Trust is, in fact, easily the most important business-building commodity there is. It is key that all involved trust each other from the start, and that this same level of faith be maintained throughout the entire business relationship. It’s important to have certitude that your business partners possess the necessary skills and competence to handle their roles. It’s whether they can demonstrate effective leadership with subordinates