Testimonials
What Business Owners Say About the Value of
9 Elements of Family Business Success
Allen's 9 Elements book has considerable "take home value". It will offer family business owners and their family member employees needed insights and the means to avoid issues I witnessed early in my career. The 9 Elements of Family Business Success is a great value for family business owners. I particularly liked the sharing of Allen's experiences with his son-in-law Jason including the thorough and systematic selection process in his evaluation and hiring of Jason as COO of their family business, TAB.
Don Schlueter, Burr Ridge, IL
Family businesses are a special challenge. Allen begins with reality; that parents, children and siblings will never cease to interact in those roles, and that the functions of the business must accommodate that reality. He then gives us a step by step look at how to make the added complexities of family ownership, authority and responsibility work together in a successful enterprise.
John Dini, Principal, MPN, Inc., San Antonio, TX
The 9 Elements elegantly addresses the unsaid dynamics in family business. Allen's passion for personal and organizational success has its foundation in creating awareness in a way that allows progress. This work is destined to become the bible of family business.
Tom Voccola, Author, The Accidental CEO — A Leader's Journey from Ego to Purpose
The book not only points out the challenges unique to family business, but also lays out usable steps to overcome these challenges. I don't know how many books I've bought only to be left high and dry when it comes to solving the problem. Allen's book gave me the answers I needed to solve some really big problems and the foresight to prevent some I never would have seen coming.
Dave Barone, Strategic Advisory Group, Louisville, KY
Any family member working in a multi-generational family business needs to read this book. It is the landmark for family business leaders and family member employees.
Barry Arnold, York, PA
If you are a non-family member working for a family business, this book is critical if you want to thrive within the family business environment. Especially enlightening for us non-family member employees is The Eighth Element: Recruiting, Retaining and Inspiring Non-Family Employees in a Family Business.
Cheryl Swanson, Arvada, Colorado
Allen has sidestepped the typical text book approach of tables and figures and delivered information that is easy to understand and apply. It's interesting to note how short the glossary is. There are no complicated terms and way out concepts; just practical solutions everyone can easily understand and use.
Steven M. Horner, V&A Management, LLC, Harleysville, PA
The multiple roles that interface and intertwine in family business make for a very special climate: at work and at home. This book helps everyone in the family business examine these issues and creates an awareness of how to keep the family bonds strong while also keeping the business strong.
Sam Wind, The Interdependent Publishing Group, Langley, BC Canada
It can be difficult to separate being a family member and being a family business leader or employee. This book recognizes these sometimes volatile overlapping relationships, and gives the information you need to bring about a successful family business and a successful family environment.
Frank Arroyo, Lakeland, FL
Too many family businesses are only striving to be preserved. The 9 Elements of Family Business Success shows how to do more; to take family businesses to the next level of success.
Cindy Williams, Sychar Ventures, Inc., Greensboro, NC
The 9 Elements of Family Business Success offers a unique perspective on the benefits and challenges associated with family businesses. Allen Fishman is able to speak from both his own experience and the experiences of hundreds of family business that have participated in the coaching services provided by The Alternative Board® — itself a family business that Allen founded. Business owners with family member employees or family succession expectations should read this before they take another step.
David Cunningham, Damer LLC, Fort Collins, CO
Allen Fishman is the Family Business Leader of a successful family business. His real-life experiences the many experiences of leading family business coaches from around the globe, makes this book distinctive. It's real time/real life stuff that everyone involved in a family business can relate to and immediately put into practice.
Ray Brun, Fairfield, CA
What Business Owners Say About the Value of
7 Secrets of Great Entrepreneurial Masters
Those who are willing to introspectively examine their approach to business and life will find that Allen's practical advice is revolutionary for their business and personal lives. There have been many attempts at figuring out what makes certain business owners and managers successful. The "7 Secrets of Great Entrepreneurial Masters" gives an inside, proactive perspective on what makes successful GEMs tick.
Darrell Crawford, The Crawford Group Co., LLC, Grand Rapids, MI
Allen Fishman presents a simple path to reach the proverbial "next level" in management and leadership. The many real-life stories he presents illustrate the value of his teachings.
Oswald Viva, V&A Management, LLC., Phoenixville, PA
Theory is great for the classroom, but the business world calls for "real-world" solutions. Allen Fishman gets right down to the actual problems, issues and opportunities faced by small business owners, and shows how to address each in a way that maximizes success.
Greg Walker, PCS Systems, Inc., Aurora, CO
Allen takes a tangible approach for integrating the business and personal aspects of a business owner's life. I recommend that every business owner use the "7 Secrets of Great Entrepreneurial Masters" to make their life more successful and less stressful.
Hal Vanatta, VanCorp, Inc, Fayetteville, AR
Allen Fishman is a visionary. He has a unique understanding of the challenges faced by business owners and of how they can strategically lead their lives and businesses to attain their dreams.
Wayne Berry, Aquarius International, St. Louis, MO
Getting the personal and professional results you want from a small business is a rare skill. Allen Fishman demonstrates how to master this skill. May millions of entrepreneurs share in and be inspired by his ideas and practices, and find their businesses and lives profoundly impacted as a result!
Ray Brun, Rays of Success, Fairfield, CA
Great entrepreneurs are able to see themselves clearly and honestly. Whether you are an entrepreneur, wish to be one, or simply plan to exhibit an entrepreneurial spirit inside a larger company, the courage to be true to yourself is a skill that brings authentic, repeatable success. Both Allen and his company, The Alternative Board®, employ the principles that teach us how to see ourselves clearly through the eyes of entrepreneurs, how to uncover and share our strengths, and—most importantly—how to mitigate weaknesses through learning from the strengths of others.
Barba Hickman, Applied Clarity, Louisville, CO