Bruske Amy - Business is business: reality checks for family-owned companies

Advance Praise for Business is Business

America is built on families and entrepreneurs. In Business is Business, Kathy Kolbe and Amy Bruske have given us a primer on how to build on these two pillars and create thriving family businesses that can flex and grow with each new generation. If you are running a family business, or thinking of taking the leap, then this book will be your essential guide.

MARCUS BUCKINGHAM, internationally renowned thought leader
and business expert, NYT best-selling author of
First, Break All the Rules and Stand Out 2.0

All family-owned businesses are going to have ups and downsbut with Kathy Kolbe and Amy Bruske as your guides, your potential for success is greater than ever. Read Business is Business, and youll see what I mean.

KEN BLANCHARD, coauthor of The New One Minute Manager and
Collaboration Begins with You

Combining frameworks they originally developed with over 20 years of joint experience running and working with family owned businesses, Kathy Kolbe and Amy Bruske present a wealth of great ideas and examples of how to run this type of business. Business is Business presents concepts based on the Conative Theory of human behavior, uses them to explain ineffective behavior in family-owned businesses, and then goes on to apply these same concepts to suggest practical ways to overcome organizational dysfunctions. Although Kolbe and Bruske focus on family-owned businesses, their approach is applicable to all businesses. This is a special book!

JERRY I PORRAS, professor emeritus at Stanford Business School and
coauthor of Built to Last: Successful Habits of Visionary Companies

The very qualities that give family businesses monumental competitive advantages are often the same qualities that suffocate innovation and accelerate demise. Decoding this paradox has not only been the lifework of Kathy Kolbe and Amy Bruske; its now the written work of their life. Brilliantly conceived, beautifully written.

TOM DEANS, PhD, author of Every Familys Business and Willing Wisdom

In Business is Business, Kolbe and Bruske tackle the most challenging people problems all family-business owners face. This powerful must-read book outlines proven solutions for leveraging family members strengths, dealing with communication challenges, and developing future leaders.

DAN SULLIVAN, founder of The Strategic Coach, Inc.

Our family business has grown more than 20 percent annually since we began using the Kolbe methods described in this book. It has been essential in understanding how to work with my wife, Maria, and many other family members who all have an emotional attachment to the business and has helped us create ideal roles as we prosper together.

ANTONIO DOS SANTOS, CEO of Medisca Corp

Before we had the tips now available in this book, my husband, father, and I experienced a great deal of pain hiringand having to fireother family members in our midsized family business. We also suffered from miscommunications among ourselves. That awful strain didnt stop until we started to follow Kolbes advice. It also dramatically improved communication among ourselves and with our clients. It enabled us to thrive while working together.

DENISE (DENNY) GUSTIN-PIAZZA, president of WealthPlanners, LLC

Kolbe has had a monstrous impact on my life, on my familys and all of my businesses, which have involved over 40 family members. It not only helped us grow our business; it helped us understand how each family member naturally operates. After we started using the Kolbe process as a family, we used it to build the teams around us. The result was that we quadrupled our revenue over a five-year period.

JERRY LUJAN, owner of Manuel Lujan Insurance Agencies

Ive worked with family-owned businesses for over 30 years and find this is the single best book for overcoming the unique challenges of working with family companies. The wisdom in this book is enormous, yet it is presented in simple, organized, and innovative formats. Business is Business will help youwith practical Reality Checksto solve many of the puzzles that have sunk otherwise viable companies.

RAMON G. CORRALES, PhD, CEO of Integral Mastery Center

The Reality Checks in this book have greatly improved my understanding of myself and how to build our business. I am especially thankful that they led to the mending of a near-broken bond between me and my son. Using them opened communication that had never been there, either in my managing or parenting. Theres tremendous value in the previously missing explanations to the differing ways even family members need to solve problems. I wish everyone was aware of this very clear advice on how to make it work to work together.

DON MUNCE, founder and chairman of the board of the
National Research Center for College & University Admissions

This book is filled with substantive information that can enhance your understanding of human behavior and increase your productivityboth at work and in life.

NIDO R. QUBEIN, president of High Point University and founder of the
National Speakers Association Foundation

This book will save much of the heartache and aggravation Ive seen in over 30 years of consulting with family businesses and, more importantly, with the people who own them. Not only is it a powerful resource for those family businesses, but it will help almost any business!

TONY ROSE, senior partner and CPA at Rose, Snyder, & Jacobs, LLP, and
author of Five Eyes on the Fence and Say Hello to the Elephants

Every good business is a family business, whether literally or figuratively. The key to making it work is putting truth at the center of everything, particularly when building and running teams. This book is an essential read for anyone building for the long haul with people they love.

JOSH JONES-DILWORTH, founder and CEO of JDI Consulting

As an author, speaker, and consultant, I needed to learn how to work more effectively with my team. Unfortunately, my lack of understanding caused unnecessary strain with my most important relationshipwith my wife, Diane. Kolbe Wisdom helped us structure our roles and responsibilities in a way that dramatically improved our performance and the quality of life we now enjoy.

JOE CALHOON, business growth strategist, author, and speaker

The power of knowing your striving instincts creates an incredible advantage in a family run business. I have utilized the principles and strategies in this book in working with my husband for over two decades. The need to address tough decisions and keep the love alive as a couple is a difficult dance. Kolbe has helped us navigate through these often treacherous waters.

MARI D. MARTIN, president of Performance Strategies Group, Inc.

Also by Kathy Kolbe

The Conative Connection
Pure Instinct
Powered by Instinct
Striving Zones

This publication is designed to provide accurate and authoritative information in regard to the subject matter covered. It is sold with the understanding that the publisher and author are not engaged in rendering legal, accounting, or other professional services. If legal advice or other expert assistance is required, the services of a competent professional should be sought.

Published by Greenleaf Book Group Press

Austin, Texas

www.gbgpress.com

Copyright 2017 Kathy Kolbe and Amy Bruske

All rights reserved.

No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without written permission from the copyright holder.