Sam Shar on

Family business and the next generation

Taking over a family firm, keeping what made it trusted, and leading it into its next chapter.

3 videos. Updated 30 Oct 2026

Sam's approach

What I do

I took over Trend-Setters Consulting from my father, Shahin, who founded it and built its name on personal service. I joined him in running it when he became ill, which meant learning the accounts and the relationships from the man who had held them, one client at a time. Then I led the firm myself. The order mattered. Keep the people and the clients first, then separate what made the firm trusted from what simply would not scale. I rebranded TSCi to carry his legacy forward and rebuilt it as an enterprise partner to Fortune 500 companies, still family-built and minority-owned.

How I work

As a family business succession expert, I start from the view that succession is not replacing the founder. Personal service and long relationships are the asset. Reporting, delivery and the way work gets staffed are the parts that break at scale, and those are the parts I change. A small family firm does not get to be right most of the time. We have to get every decision right, because there is no second pass and no one else's name on the door, and that discipline is the edge against larger competitors. A family firm does not separate cleanly from family life, and Krista and I have never pretended otherwise.

When to bring me in

A family business succession expert is most useful while the founder is still there to be asked, because that window closes. Bring me in when the staff have been at the firm longer than you have, when the relationships live in one person's head, or when the work you are winning is larger than the way you are set up to deliver it. To the next generation, earn the trust before you touch the structure. To founders, hand over while you can still answer the questions.

Questions about family business and the next generation

How do you take over a family business from a parent?
Start by learning why clients and staff trust the business, before changing anything. Keep the relationships and values the founder built, and be clear about what has to change for the firm to grow. Earn authority through results rather than the family name. Ideally, work alongside the founder for a period, so the handover is a transition rather than a shock.
How do you keep a family firm's culture while modernizing it?
Be clear about what the culture really is before you change anything. Usually it comes down to a few things, such as how people treat clients, how quickly they pick up the phone and who takes responsibility when something goes wrong. Protect those and be willing to change the tools, processes and systems around them. Bring long-serving people into the change early, because they are the ones who carry the culture and the ones most likely to resist if it feels imposed. Modernizing step by step, with each change tested against "does this still feel like us?", keeps the spirit while the machinery improves.
How can a small family business win Fortune 500 clients?
Quite simply, don't try to out-size the big firms. Compete on what they find hard to offer, which is senior people who stay involved, a short line to the decision-maker and a reputation that rests on every single client. A small firm can't afford to get a decision wrong, and large buyers notice that. Show named results from similar work, be honest about what you can and can't take on, and start with a focused engagement that proves the point. Trust built on delivery is what carries a small firm into bigger work over time.
What should founders do now to prepare for succession?
To prepare for succession, founders would do well to start earlier than feels necessary. Decide what you want the business to look like after you, and have honest conversations with the family about who wants to be involved, in what role and on what terms. Put the next generation in real responsibility rather than titles, so they earn credibility with clients and staff. Write down how decisions get made and who holds the key client relationships, so the business doesn't depend on one person's memory. A good succession plan is a gradual handover, not a single date on the calendar.
How do you balance family life with running a business?
The balance between the two is a tricky thing. You may not get a clean line between them so set out some rules together. Set times when work stays out of family space, and times when family members can talk business openly without it turning personal. Keep roles clear, so a disagreement at work doesn't become a family dispute and vice versa. Make room for people who aren't in the business at all, because they remind everyone what it is for. Accept that some weeks will tip one way, and check in regularly that the balance still works for everyone.

Get in touch

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