Using a mix of well-known and little-known cases, this book studies how smart founders and managers make sure the right people take over corporate reins. It considers the background moves that can lead to smooth succession-or public feuds. Among the well-known succession battles chronicled: the Crown bookstore chain's Haft family and the Shoen family of U-Haul Truck fame.

  • The Blessings and Curses of a Family-Owned Business
  • The Family as a Source of Capital
  • Leadership in the Family-Owned Business
  • Separating Your Business and Home Life
  • Treating Employees Well-Whether They're Family or Not

  • Using Outside Advice Effectively
  • Working With a Spouse or Significant Other
  • Children in the Family Business
  • Working with Siblings
  • The Extended Family

    Divorce, Remarriage, Estrangement and Other Complexity

  • The Dynamics of Succession

  • Some Mechanics of Succession

  • The Greatest Asset a Family Can Have

"This book is a very good primer on how to start, manage and sustain a family-owned business. Its concluding chapters on succession are especially useful in helping avoid the 'wars' described in the title and illustrated in its colorful tales of high-profile family businesses."
-- Ann Ehringer, Ph.D., Director, Family and Closely-Held Business Program, University of Southern California