Family Owned or Founder Led

We specialize in serving family-owned and founder-led businesses — companies built on passion, purpose, and a vision far deeper than profit alone. For owners who care solely about money, the process is simple: maximize the price and move on. But for those who prioritize legacy, loyalty, and the people who helped build their success, the journey is far more meaningful — and complex.

You may have kids you'd like to take the business over one day. You may have key employees who joined you when the business was immature and broke. As a result of their hard work and contributions to your growth, you may have aspirations to reward them in your exit plan. Your legacy is more closely tied to this type of business than a hired CEO whose main goal is to maximize their own pockets in the transition of leadership.

A Story We Know Firsthand

Interestingly enough, we've experienced the difference between a family owned and founder led company in our own industry. As a firm that opened in 2012, we've custodied our clients' money in several different places. It wasn't in pursuit of a payday for our firm. In multiple cases, we actually paid to leave. It was the culture. Profitability trumped service. Egos wouldn't allow for a servant leadership model. Employee morale was down and turnover high. As advisors, we felt nickeled and dimed. Our only choice was to pass this along to our clients, or leave. We left.

We found a firm that was founded by a single man. He built his practice and eventually agreed to merge with another advisor to create a larger entity. Before this firm even got off the ground, the other partner lost his life to an illness far younger than either business partner could have imagined. The surviving owner, having received no financial benefits from the partnership whatsoever, decided to leave his late partner's name on the business — out of respect.

Years later, this firm would be challenged by a very tough economic cycle and stock market. After getting lean to survive, the company expanded and grew — behind the same family culture that inspired the founder to leave his late partner's name on the marquee.

Today, this firm is one of the largest broker/dealers in the country. It employs a robust investment banking team, a Private Wealth team, a full service Trust division, a Philanthropic giving team, a Bank with full lending capabilities, a robust equity analyst team, a first class fixed income desk that originates bonds in-house — and the same family, generations later, leading this firm in culture and direction.

Their business name sits atop an NFL stadium in Tampa, Florida. The founder's son owns one of the largest art collections on the east coast — a large portion of which you'll find on the walls of their corporate headquarters — and only buys art from living artists, as he believes in supporting them while they're still working and drawing inspiration.

Why It Matters Who You Choose

It is for these reasons that we selected Raymond James as the custodian of our Registered Investment Advisory firm. Their values align with ours. Their culture is in lockstep with ours. The servant leadership is what we promise our clients ourselves. We don't just talk the talk. We walk the walk.