Family Business Succession Planning Challenges: Insights from Hugh Roberts, CSP®

Succession Planning Resource Author

Family business succession planning challenges can derail legacies. Learn how Hugh Roberts, CSP®, helps advisors prevent pitfalls.

Quick Summary

Family business succession planning challenges can strain both relationships and business success. In his book Help! I’ve Got Family in the Business, ISPA® member and Certified Succession Planner™ (CSP®) Hugh Roberts shares practical strategies for avoiding common pitfalls and protecting family legacies.

Family Business Succession Planning Challenges That Threaten Legacy

Family businesses are a source of pride, legacy, and financial security—but they are also uniquely vulnerable. Conflicting priorities, strained relationships, and unclear roles often derail even the most successful enterprises.

ISPA® member and Certified Succession Planner™ (CSP®) Hugh Roberts has seen these challenges firsthand over more than 40 years advising families. In his book Help! I’ve Got Family in the Business: 10 Time Bombs That Blow Up Family Business, Roberts reveals the most common succession pitfalls and offers practical solutions advisors and business owners can use to overcome them.

What You’ll Learn from Hugh Roberts’ Book

Help! I’ve Got Family in the Business takes readers through real-life case examples of how poor communication, succession uncertainty, and unresolved family conflict can create business risk. Each chapter provides practical strategies for:

• Strengthening business operations while preserving family bonds
• Navigating conflict resolution with proven frameworks
• Avoiding succession pitfalls that damage business value
• Transforming challenges into opportunities for growth

Roberts emphasizes that the future of a family business legacy depends on addressing these issues proactively rather than reactively.

Why Advisors Should Pay Attention

For advisors—whether CPAs, RIAs, attorneys, consultants, or coaches—the lessons in Roberts’ book are invaluable. They highlight the critical role of frameworks, such as ISPA®’s Succession Matrix®, in guiding families through complex transitions.

For many professionals, helping clients through family business succession planning challenges is becoming a defining part of their role. By applying structured solutions like the Succession Planning Framework, advisors can:

• Clarify leadership and successor roles
• Reduce emotional tension in decision-making
• Safeguard continuity while preparing for the next generation

About Hugh B. Roberts, CSP®

Hugh Roberts is a partner at The Rawls Group, an ISPA® member, and a Certified Succession Planner™ (CSP®). Since 1996, he has helped family business owners navigate the emotional and operational challenges of succession. His decades of experience include speaking at more than 60 industry events and advising countless leaders on how to preserve their businesses and legacies.

Roberts is also a Certified Financial Planner® with degrees from the University of Colorado and Fuller Seminary. Outside of his professional life, he and his wife, Lisa, enjoy time with their two married children and five granddaughters in Woodland Hills, CA.

Key Takeaways

• Family business succession planning challenges can derail both relationships and profitability.
• Structured tools like the Succession Planning Framework help advisors and families navigate pitfalls.
• Hugh Roberts, CSP® and ISPA® member, brings more than 40 years of experience into his book.
• The book provides real-world strategies for preserving a family business legacy.
• Advisors can apply these insights to build trust, prevent conflict, and guide clients through transitions.

Take the Next Step

Want to see why advisors like Hugh Roberts are raising the bar on succession planning? Read our feature: 6 Reasons Why Succession/Business Transition Planning is the Future of Advisory Services.

Download our free guide: 12 Questions to Create Client Opportunities. Learn how to spark better conversations, uncover client needs, and position yourself as the trusted advisor for long-term engagements.

Get Hugh Roberts’ book today and apply his proven insights to overcome family business succession planning challenges and preserve your clients’ legacies: Help! I’ve Got Family in the Business.

FAQs

Q: What makes Hugh Roberts’ perspective on family business succession planning challenges unique?

A: Hugh Roberts is an ISPA® member and Certified Succession Planner™ (CSP®). His book reflects decades of hands-on experience helping families resolve conflict and create strong succession plans.

Q: How can family businesses avoid succession pitfalls?

A: Businesses can avoid pitfalls by clarifying successor roles, improving communication, and using structured frameworks such as ISPA®’s Succession Matrix®.

Q: Why is protecting the family business legacy so important?

A: A family business legacy is more than financial stability—it’s about passing on values, vision, and trust. Addressing succession challenges ensures the business thrives across generations while keeping relationships strong.

Categories: : Family Dynamics