Family businesses share a handful of pitfalls that return in almost every generation: roles that are not clearly defined, succession that is put off indefinitely, loyalty that works in the wrong direction. As long as nobody names them, they keep growing beneath the surface. I help family businesses recognise and avoid those pitfalls early, and at least as often to grow from what is already going well.
These are the four pitfalls I come across most often in family businesses, and where early action makes the difference.
At the table you are a brother, sister, son or daughter. In the meeting you suddenly have to be a director, a colleague or a subordinate. If you do not make that distinction early and explicitly, function and family merge over time, with friction as a result that nobody needed to create.
Succession is one of the most predictable moments in a family business, and yet the conversation is often avoided for years. Whoever starts in time gives the next generation room to grow into the role. Whoever waits until it can no longer be avoided lets chance decide who takes over and on what terms.
Giving a family member a place out of loyalty feels natural, but in time it undermines the organisation if the role does not match what the person can do. Loyalty does not have to be a pitfall: used well, it is a strength that not every company has.
Two family members who work together every day but have not been able to stand each other privately for years rarely put that tension on the agenda. It smoulders on in every meeting until it brings decision-making to a halt. Naming early what is going on prevents it from getting that far. And where parents would rather not split up the business while the children want a direction of their own, it starts with exactly that conversation.
I have worked at the highest board level and have seen family businesses at close quarters, from the generation that built the company to the generation that has just taken it over. The pitfalls repeat themselves, even though every family feels unique. Whoever recognises them in time does not have to experience them.
Most of my work is not about solving a crisis, but about preventing one: supporting growth, clarifying roles, getting the right person in the right place, and making loyalty work for the organisation rather than against it.
I work in focused, compact programmes. No years-long programmes, but 3 to 6 sessions that give you something to hold on to well before a pattern has set hard.
I have no shares, no say in the family and no history at the dinner table. That makes room for a conversation that does not arise by itself within the family.
“The pitfalls of a family business are predictable. So is early action.”
3 to 6 sessions, online or on location. A quick start, with no long preliminary phases. You notice the difference after the first session.
I stand outside the family and outside the company. No shares, no history, no taking sides.
Most of my programmes start before anything goes wrong: to clarify roles, get the right person in the right place and make loyalty work for the organisation.
What you discuss with me stays with me. No reports and no external record. Always.
Honest and transparent, tailored to your situation. An introductory conversation without obligation is always possible, with no commitments and no invoice.
A business coach mainly helps family businesses to look ahead: to recognise pitfalls before they become problems, clarify roles and support growth. Where needed, it also helps to get a stuck situation moving again, but that is the smaller part of the work. I work in compact programmes of 3 to 6 sessions, aimed at what is going on. No long-running programmes, no reports.
Not only when things go wrong. Precisely because I understand the dynamics of a family business, I work at least as often preventively: to support growth, clarify roles, get the right person in the right place and make loyalty work for the organisation rather than against it. And if there is a conflict, between family members, over succession, or over a division of roles that no longer fits, an outsider who gets the conversation going again can help.
A mediator mediates in a conflict that has already escalated. A family business adviser often focuses on the legal and tax side of business transfer. I focus on the conversation itself, on leadership and behaviour, so that family and business keep talking to each other before things get stuck. The insights stay with you, not on paper.
I work in compact programmes of 3 to 6 sessions of 90 to 120 minutes, online or on location. No year-long programmes. You will know after the first session whether it works. If it does, we continue. If it does not, we stop, with no obligations.
Yes, always. The first conversation lasts 30 minutes and is entirely non-binding and confidential. No invoice and no proposal. Afterwards you will know whether there is a connection and whether I am the right person to talk to. So will I.
The first conversation lasts 30 minutes. No obligations and no invoice. Afterwards you will know whether it fits, and so will I.
Book a no-obligation conversationRon J.C. Weil · ronjcweil.nl · April 2026
Ron J.C. Weil, Business & Executive Coach. Email: ron@ronweil.nl · Phone: +31 6 47 86 47 07
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Ron J.C. Weil · ronjcweil.nl · April 2026
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Ron J.C. Weil · ronjcweil.nl · KvK 42188077 · VAT ID NL005570740B94
These terms apply to all offers, assignments and agreements of Ron J.C. Weil.
Not included in the fee: VAT (21%), travel costs (€ 0.55/km), and accommodation costs where necessary. Assessment instruments and psychometric tools are quoted separately.
We are fully committed to the confidentiality of our participants and clients.
Changes must be notified at least two weeks in advance. After that, 50% of the daily fee will be charged.
If an open workshop does not go ahead, for example because of too few registrations or because I am unable to hold it, we will offer a new date or refund the amount paid.
We accept no liability for damage caused by participants or clients. Where we are liable, this is limited to the fee invoiced for the assignment concerned. This limitation does not apply in cases of intent or deliberate recklessness.
This agreement is governed by Dutch law. Disputes will be submitted to the competent court in the Netherlands. If the Dutch and English versions differ, the Dutch version prevails.
Invoices are usually sent four weeks before the start. The full invoice amount (100%) is due on the first invoice date. Payment must be made within 14 days of the invoice date. In case of late payment, statutory interest is due.
Private individuals who order the book can cancel within 14 days of receipt without giving a reason. The book is then returned unused, and the cost of returning it is borne by the buyer. We refund the amount paid, including standard shipping costs, within 14 days of receiving the returned book.
