Episode 20: Developing Family Businesses for Long Term Success and Succession

Guest Bio

My true passion is to inspire people / companies to think beyond what they’re currently doing and empower them to act on that inspiration.

As a transformational business leader and certified Futurist, I am in charge of driving innovation, excellence and growth for MacKenzie Corporation and empowering our key clients across industries to achieve their goals. I am focused on developing long-term strategies and bold business practices that prioritize the customer experience, and best position our clients for future success.

At MacKenzie I am directly responsible for directing all sales and marketing efforts for the company, including business development, partnerships, marketing strategy and communications planning, aimed at driving new growth and assuring client retention. And as a Futurist, I also lead the technology / strategy team in the development of forward-thinking opportunities to collect customer insights. A self-proclaimed lifelong learner, I maintain a ceaseless curiosity for learning and understanding everything I can about what’s new and next.

Recap & Takeaways

• [00:36 – 04:38] Jenny’s background and foray into the family business
• [04:48 – 05:52] Listening to people’s problems, solving for your vision
• [06:06 – 09:05] The human element in storytelling
• [09:41 – 12:25] Changing the narrative for America’s family businesses, and how Jenny can help as a “transition consultant”
• [13:08 – 15:54] Succession and Strategic Foresight Work
• [15:54 – 20:13] Scenario planning and the need for consultants in planning long term roadmaps for family businesses
• [20:24 – 23:30] Futurism and how technology enables simple, safe data sharing
• [23:32 – 27:45] Web3, Robotics, and AI: Embracing technology
• [27:50 – 29:38] The social aspect of people-enabled technologies
• [29:51 – 30:51] The wealth of modern learning opportunities
• [30:56 – 32:33] Dr. Jane McGonigal and scenario planning
• [32:34 – 34:41] Upstream and The Effortless Effect, books on problem-solving
• [34:45 – 36:13] Time spent in business versus on the business
• [36:16 – 37:42] Slowing down and taking a break from the daily grind to spend time in the community
• [37:44 – 39:33] The narrative of a family business and people won’t change until they fall in love with a version of the future
• [39:41 – 41:33] The Visionary and The Integrator
• [41:37 – 42:31] Fraternal twins
• [42:36 – 46:51] Common themes and stepping stones to forecasted growth
• [47:46 – 48:49] Reach out to Jenny about your family business