What I Learned from Transitioning Out of Our Family Business

Before I became a business advisor, I lived the transition process inside my own family business. In this episode of the Central Illinois Business Leaders Podcast, I sat down with Derek Hayden and Garrett Ulmer to share the story—from burnout and misalignment to finding clarity and a successful succession plan.

Watch the full video or scroll down to read the highlights below.

When I tell people I work with family-owned businesses, the reactions usually fall into two camps: deep curiosity or immediate recognition. If you’ve ever worked in one—or with one—you know it’s a unique mix of love, legacy, and sometimes… lingering conflict.

I know that dynamic firsthand. Before joining Ferguson Alliance as a business advisor, I spent 15 years inside my own family business. And when I say inside, I mean inside. My husband’s family owns a wholesale nursery, complete with a tissue culture lab that clones plant genetics for commercial distribution. It’s niche. It’s complex. And it was my life.

Here’s what I learned from that experience and why I now help other families navigate their own transitions.

When You’re in It, You Can’t See It

Back in 2008, fresh out of college with a political science degree and no job, I reluctantly joined the family business to help implement a new ERP system. I told myself it would be temporary.

Fifteen years later, I had done just about everything in the company—and like many family businesses, the lines between family and work were fully blurred. We were burnt out, stuck, and not sure what came next.

That’s when we brought in Ferguson Alliance.

Working with a third party changed everything. It gave us space to:

• Get out of our own heads
• See where we were misaligned
• Ask the hard questions about the future

It wasn’t about selling the business at first—but that’s where we landed. We sold to a non-family president who was the perfect fit, and I stepped away.

From Client to Advisor

If you had told me then I’d become a business advisor, I’d have laughed. But Rob Ferguson saw something in me. He said, “You’re good with people. You’ve lived this. You get it.”

He was right.

Now I work with family-owned businesses going through the same things we did. I love it. Especially:

• Helping management teams stretch and grow
• Building alignment between generations
• Creating plans that support succession, growth, and peace of mind

Real Talk About Family Dynamics

Here’s what I’ve learned from working with dozens of families:

1. Most businesses have the same problems. They just try to solve them in different ways. Communication breakdowns, unclear roles, mixed priorities—all of it is more common than you think.
2. Roles and expectations need to be written down. We always start with clarity: Who’s responsible for what? What decisions will they make? What’s off-limits?
3. Success doesn’t mean everyone stays. For my family, the healthiest move was for all of us to exit. That’s not failure—it’s the right call for the long-term health of both business and relationships.
4. You can’t DIY facilitation. We were skeptical at first. Why pay someone to help us talk to each other? But an outside advisor changes the tone, sets structure, and pulls out things no one wants to say out loud.
5. Communication is everything. And most of us are bad at it. Especially when we’ve been communicating the same way for 30+ years. The hardest part is recognizing what needs to change—and being willing to change it.

If you’re in a family business and feeling stuck, know this: you’re not alone, and it doesn’t have to be this way. You don’t need to figure it out on your own. We didn’t. And I’m glad we didn’t.

Need Help Sorting Out Your Own Family Business Dynamics?

Let’s talk. Whether it’s leadership development, succession planning, or simply untangling years of family habits—we’ve been there, and we can help.

Reach out today for a consultation with one of our experienced family business advisors.