Our Work with Family Businesses

Our track record of successfully advising the owners and managers of privately held enterprises provides us with an informed perspective on the unique challenges and opportunities faced by family-run businesses. Our psychological training provides the depth and safety to address the often difficult to discuss issues of multi-generational and/or sibling control, staffing, and succession planning.

We advise family businesses on daily management, at times, literally offering family therapy in the boardroom. We consult on governance models, provide guidance when creating family boards and, where necessary, assist in crafting family constitutions. We have facilitated workshops and immersive travel experiences that create trusting multi-family groups.

For companies that were founded on hand-shake deals and staffed by friends and family, we provide objective performance metrics and processes to transition from strictly family-dominated management models to senior teams that incorporate non-family leaders. We work alongside trust and estate attorneys when dynamics become complex, and we also assist families in articulating philanthropic goals and resolving conflict about how to direct their giving.

We have been active with the Institute for Family Business in the UK, and have co-lead programs for their members in England and India. We have facilitated numerous programs over the last 12 years for multifamily groups in Brazil, partnering with Instituto Geração, and we’ve served as advisors to Jean-Pierre Boissonnas, founder of the Geneva based Patrimoine Network.

At all times we preserve the legacies of founding families and work to ensure that growth and change does not compromise their core values.

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Sybil Strum
"One of Melanie's greatest strengths is her knack for helping me uncover blind spots and limiting beliefs that were holding me back. Through targeted coaching sessions, she empowered me to overcome barriers and unlock my full potential as a leader. Her insights were always backed by real-world experience and a keen awareness of industry trends."
Sybil Strum
"One of Melanie's greatest strengths is her knack for helping me uncover blind spots and limiting beliefs that were holding me back. Through targeted coaching sessions, she empowered me to overcome barriers and unlock my full potential as a leader. Her insights were always backed by real-world experience and a keen awareness of industry trends."

Sybil Strum,
Co-Founder, Wine Enthusiast Companies, USA

"One of Melanie's greatest strengths is her knack for helping me uncover blind spots and limiting beliefs that were holding me back. Through targeted coaching sessions, she empowered me to overcome barriers and unlock my full potential as a leader. Her insights were always backed by real-world experience and a keen awareness of industry trends."
Andrea Olshan
“With Katzman Consulting’s help, our family run business executed a succession plan, redefined our corporate mission and vision, coalesced as an executive team, and truly became one unified company across many divisions and offices. KC helped us to identify and harness the talents of our entire team and guided our company’s next stage of growth.”
Andrea Olshan
“With Katzman Consulting’s help, our family run business executed a succession plan, redefined our corporate mission and vision, coalesced as an executive team, and truly became one unified company across many divisions and offices. KC helped us to identify and harness the talents of our entire team and guided our company’s next stage of growth.”

Andrea Olshan,
CEO and President, Seritage Growth Properties; Former CEO, Olshan Properties, USA

“With Katzman Consulting’s help, our family run business executed a succession plan, redefined our corporate mission and vision, coalesced as an executive team, and truly became one unified company across many divisions and offices. KC helped us to identify and harness the talents of our entire team and guided our company’s next stage of growth.”
Jean-Pierre Boissonnas
"For over 20 years Melanie has been a trusted advisor, facilitating complicated conversations between people from diverse perspectives. Katzman Consulting helps families and their teams obtain a more global perspective about themselves and their companies, clarifying the values that drive succession planning, impact philanthropy, and community engagement."
Jean-Pierre Boissonnas
"For over 20 years Melanie has been a trusted advisor, facilitating complicated conversations between people from diverse perspectives. Katzman Consulting helps families and their teams obtain a more global perspective about themselves and their companies, clarifying the values that drive succession planning, impact philanthropy, and community engagement."

Jean-Pierre Boissonnas,
Founder, Patrimoine Network, Multiple Family Office Management, Geneva

"For over 20 years Melanie has been a trusted advisor, facilitating complicated conversations between people from diverse perspectives. Katzman Consulting helps families and their teams obtain a more global perspective about themselves and their companies, clarifying the values that drive succession planning, impact philanthropy, and community engagement."
Chris Colabella
"Our work with Katzman Consulting has paid off for our family business in multiple dimensions—strengthening, growing, and transforming, while smoothly resolving outstanding family and generational transition concerns. From our bottom line to our person happiness, KC broadened out perspectives and professional expectations for the future."
Chris Colabella
"Our work with Katzman Consulting has paid off for our family business in multiple dimensions—strengthening, growing, and transforming, while smoothly resolving outstanding family and generational transition concerns. From our bottom line to our person happiness, KC broadened out perspectives and professional expectations for the future."

Chris Colabella,
President, Construction Information Systems (CIS), USA

"Our work with Katzman Consulting has paid off for our family business in multiple dimensions—strengthening, growing, and transforming, while smoothly resolving outstanding family and generational transition concerns. From our bottom line to our person happiness, KC broadened out perspectives and professional expectations for the future."
Daniela Nascimento Fainberg
"Melanie has searchlight intelligence that readily discerns connections across spheres and sees opportunities to cross-pollinate."
Daniela Nascimento Fainberg
"Melanie has searchlight intelligence that readily discerns connections across spheres and sees opportunities to cross-pollinate."

Daniela Nascimento Fainberg,
Head of Latin American Philanthropy, Synergos Brazil

"Melanie has searchlight intelligence that readily discerns connections across spheres and sees opportunities to cross-pollinate."
Bobbi Brown
"What I love most about working with Melanie is how I feel after each session. The tools I learn calm me down and give me perspective. Sometimes it's the smallest adjustments that make the biggest improvements."
Bobbi Brown
"What I love most about working with Melanie is how I feel after each session. The tools I learn calm me down and give me perspective. Sometimes it's the smallest adjustments that make the biggest improvements."

Bobbi Brown,
Founder, Jones Road Beauty, The George, and Bobbi Brown Cosmetics, USA

"What I love most about working with Melanie is how I feel after each session. The tools I learn calm me down and give me perspective. Sometimes it's the smallest adjustments that make the biggest improvements."