Hey there, and welcome to the August newsletter!
This month, we’re going to explore: 1) snowflakes, 2) an interesting survey, and 3) a hopeful news story. I hope you enjoy!
1. The Family Company Snowflake Paradox
How could I be thinking about snowflakes when the WSJ just reported that July was the hottest month ever recorded in the contiguous U.S.?!
I know. But I came across this phrase recently, and it blew in like a winter wind, or at least some much needed air conditioning:
Every family business is a unique snowflake. No two are alike. Each has its own history, values, culture, and way of doing things.
You may have heard something similar. “When you get to know a family company, that’s all you’ve done. Gotten to know that family company.”
You may have heard a version of this from a family member, “We do this the (insert surname) way. No one understands our situation.”
But here lies the family company snowflake paradox:
Your family company is a snowflake, but it is also a snowflake.
Unique Snowflake
Yes, each family company is unique. Working with my family and now others, I’ve learned that you cannot copy and paste one family’s approach, values, or decisions onto another family.
Each organization has a unique inner-family business: how family members work in, own, and live around their shared entities.
If you try to graft the exact processes and governance from another family, it just won’t work; it’s not yours.
Common Snowflake
However, while snowflakes are unique, they are profoundly similar as well. For instance, they:
Are precipitation
Almost always form around a microscopic particle
Fall at 1-4mph
Have sixfold hexagonal symmetry (see above)
Will melt (at least around here)
Interestingly, it is the path they take in their fall that gives them their uniqueness. This made me wonder if, somehow, January snowflakes take a better journey than December ones!
Your Common Snowflake
So, each family company is a unique snowflake, but great ones (as rated by Lucy) have common structural elements too.
Many families that get their company to the next level while staying together have, for example:
Family meetings
Consistent communication
Objective written criteria about how they will hire, work in, and leave the company
Familiarity with critical documents (shareholder and buy/sell documents, for instance)
Business and financial literacy
Active trust building with each other as family owners and employees
Common approaches to and values in their shared entities or assets
Family dynamics and their journey influence the rules and agreements families build, which make up their uniqueness. That each family company is a snowflake means that they also need to understand and act on the similarities of healthy snowflakes, building their own inner-family business structure.
Ignoring the need for structural commonalities risks chaos for families and companies, and Lucy’s ire!
This is the family company snowflake paradox.
2. Numbers: Family Office Survey
In reading a recent survey of around 200 family offices, these numbers jumped out to me:
When it comes to investment 79% said that the next generation are ‘more’ or ‘much more’ involved in developing or reviewing strategies. For 39%, the next generation family member is actually the ultimate decision maker when it comes to major investments or structuring/restructuring. An investment committee is still the norm, but only just at 47%.
2026 Ocorian Family Office Report - please note that Ocorian sells family office services.
Many of our newsletters and podcasts circle around to the importance of Family ACTion Meetings; sessions that build alignment, communication and trust between family owners, family employees and the family around those groups.
The numbers above underscore the importance of ACTion meetings.
Generations inevitably have different perspectives, priorities and approaches. As both generations get more involved in the family company and/or shared assets, these meetings become a critical place to work out how you own and operate shared interests together.
3. Chaos-Proof News
This story warmed my inner-family business heart.
The Haimer Group is a German owned family company. Founded in 1977, they announced a major inner-family business inflection point last week:
Effective August 1, 2026, G2 will begin to take over ownership and management of the international manufacturing company. Gradually. The process will last until December 31, 2027.
Click here for the story. I found it encouraging for all family companies that approach succession as a gradual and iterative process versus an acute event. I’m curious what you notice when you read it.
Till next month
As my grandfather would have said, thank you so very, very much for reading.
Adam, for 21 Clear
