Family Business Audiocast

The Family Business Audiocast series is a premier podcast that brings together the foremost experts from the global family office and business ecosystem. The series has quickly become one of the leading global podcasts in its field, reaching hundreds of thousands of listeners and subscribers worldwide. Each episode offers an exclusive deep dive into the inner workings of family businesses and single-family offices, exploring key topics such as governance, culture, corporate strategy, growth, and mission alignment. Our conversation covers the experiences with, and the importance of, high-quality advisors, investors, partners, governance, and essential resources and vendors for family boards and owners. Founded 2022™ Created, Produced, and Owned by R. Adam Smith

Family Business Audiocast is a business podcast hosted by R. Adam Smith, with 68 episodes on record and a Required Pod Score of 80. PitchCentric scores this show on Booking Probability, Listen Score, and live audience signals refreshed every 24 hours.

R. Adam Smith hosts Family Business Audiocast, a business show with 68 episodes published.

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  Episode #72

  Episode 72: Family Flourishing and the Six Stages of Family Enterprise Life Cycle

  Aug 19, 202637 min

  R. Adam Smith welcomes Peter Moustakerski, CEO of Family Office Exchange (FOX), for a conversation on how enterprise families grow more complex, and more successful, across generations. Peter walks through FOX's six-stage life cycle model, from founder-led business families to multigenerational financial families to fully realized enterprise families, and explains how FOX quantifies complexity through a 43-factor benchmarking tool used by over 230 member families. The discussion turns to flourishing, a concept borrowed from Jay Hughes, as the true measure of family success beyond financial performance, along with how values, governance, and next-gen empowerment sustain family enterprises for the long term.00:00 Welcome and introduction to Peter Moustakerski01:26 What is Family Office Exchange (FOX)03:05 Peter's background across family office roles05:46 The six stages of family life cycle09:48 The founder as creator of the core enterprise12:39 Why success creates complexity15:09 FOX's 43-factor complexity benchmark18:26 What makes FOX different as a community20:31 Introducing the concept of flourishing23:41 Building flourishing into family structures25:15 How shared values evolve across generations27:35 Understanding the next gen conversation29:53 Key factors in next gen transition success32:26 The importance of intentionality and legacy33:17 Peter's optimism for the family enterprise field35:09 How to connect with FOX and Peter

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  Episode #71

  Episode 71: Rebecca Gooch on Succession Planning and the Family Enterprise Boom

  Aug 6, 202634 min

  R. Adam Smith is joined by Dr. Rebecca Gooch, Global Head of Insights at Deloitte Private, for a data-rich look at the modern family enterprise. Rebecca shares research on the rapid growth of single family offices worldwide, the revenue outperformance of family businesses versus non-family peers, and the generational transition now reshaping succession planning across the industry. The conversation also covers technology adoption, AI, and the rising cybersecurity risks facing family offices and family businesses alike. Rebecca offers a global perspective on how sophisticated families are building governance structures, human capital strategies, and long-term thinking to protect wealth across generations.00:00 Welcome and episode introduction01:17 Introducing Rebecca Gooch of Deloitte Private02:53 The rapid rise of the modern family office04:20 Regional breakdown of family office growth04:50 Family office AUM projected to hit $5.4 trillion07:37 Family businesses make up 22% of global firms08:39 Family business revenue growth versus non-family firms09:33 Why long-term thinking drives outperformance12:08 Succession dynamics and culture across Asia14:44 The generational wealth transition underway15:40 Why 41% of families lack a succession plan18:25 CEO age and the coming leadership shakeup19:16 Private equity, IPOs, and sales as succession options20:17 Deloitte's family office and family business research series22:29 Technology adoption inside family offices23:32 AI adoption rates in family businesses24:40 Cybersecurity risk facing family offices26:18 What a cyber attack actually looks like27:23 Family business exposure to cyber attacks29:31 Encrypted data storage and vendor safeguards32:01 Rebecca's favorite part of her work

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  Episode #70

  Episode 70: Rethinking the Family CIO Role for the Modern Family Enterprise

  Jul 22, 202639 min

  This episode of the Family Business Audiocast brings together three veteran advisors to rethink the traditional Chief Investment Officer role inside family enterprises. Jane Siebels, a longtime advisor to family enterprises across capital markets and alternative investments, joins Christian Bühring-Uhle and Hans-Kristian Hoejsgaard of AVS Advisors to unpack how illiquidity, misaligned incentives, and deal-driven compensation can quietly erode a CIO's independence. The conversation moves through governance structures, succession planning, and the human capital search for judgment and courage, arguing that the best family office leaders act less like allocators and more like trusted counsel. It's a candid look at what family wealth office management and family estate planning require when legacy, not just alpha, is the real goal.00:00 Welcome to the Family Business Audiocast01:13 Rethinking the family CIO role today01:58 Guest backgrounds in family capital governance03:37 The traditional CIO model is changing04:55 Jane on private equity and illiquidity risk05:58 Christian on stewardship over asset allocation07:27 Governance structures around CIO incentives08:06 The deal junkie syndrome in CIOs09:53 When strategy stops leading investment11:16 Family responsibility to set clear objectives12:41 Illiquid vehicles and zero dry powder14:13 Quick guest introductions and firm backgrounds15:31 Long-term wealth creation versus short-term alpha17:02 Motivating CIOs without short-term bonuses19:35 Comparing CIO roles in the US and Europe20:42 Introducing the CIO consigliere concept22:30 Balancing long-term strategy with daily operations23:38 Structuring layered incentives across asset types24:18 Judgment, resilience, and low-ego leadership25:30 Human judgment in complex private transactions26:51 Backgrounds that build elite family office judgment28:12 Why courage is the rarest trait in advisors29:45 Emotional intelligence and the truth-teller role30:52 Coaching the next generation through transition31:35 Capital as a subset of wealth, not all of it32:21 How to actually identify emotional intelligence33:58 A real family example of funding with KPIs35:32 Self-awareness as the top hiring signal36:20 Bringing outside expertise into family offices37:13 What each guest loves about the work

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  Episode #69

  Episode 69: Josh Baron on the Six Forces That Break a Family Business Enterprise

  Jul 8, 202634 min

  Josh Baron, Senior Lecturer at Harvard Business School and co-founder of Banyan Global Family Business Advisors, joins R. Adam Smith to explore why the field has moved beyond succession planning toward something broader. Baron argues that ownership, not inheritance, is the most powerful force in business, and that capable owners look very different depending on whether they operate, govern, or invest. He walks through his four room model for healthy governance, the purpose gap that opens after a liquidity event, and the six forces that pull successful families apart. A practical conversation on the kind of family office management and culture that endures across generations.00:00 Welcome to the Audiocast01:06 Introducing Josh Baron02:46 Beyond the old succession model04:45 The three roles of owners06:30 Why inheritance doesn't make owners12:40 Healthy governance and the four rooms16:24 The rise of the business family17:40 The purpose gap after a sale20:00 How the advisor ecosystem grew21:30 The six forces that break families24:50 What's predictable about breakdowns26:40 Good practices most families skip27:20 The five Cs that define survivors30:36 Building a culture of curiosity32:00 Closing thoughts on continuity

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  Episode #68

  Episode 68: Tom McCullough on Family Estate Planning and the Five Pillars of Wealth

  Jun 24, 202634 min

  Tom McCullough, founder and Chairman of Northwood Family Office, joins R. Adam Smith to unpack what a full-service family office actually does and why so few families know where to begin. Drawing on four decades in wealth management, McCullough lays out the five pillars of family office services, planning, investment management, governance, family wellbeing, and administration, and makes the case that wealthy families aren't under-advised but under-integrated. The conversation moves from the founding story of Northwood to the rise of the integrated advisor, the goals-first approach to investing, and a candid reflection on legacy and succession.

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