GUBERNA and the content company launch "Family Business," a podcast series about and for family businesses
A podcast that explores what it means to be a family business. or better, a podcast that inspires family businesses on their path to professionalization. That is the objective of the Family Business series, which GUBERNA and the content company are launching. "Family businesses are in the spirit of the times: they are actually museums and laboratories of entrepreneurship at the same time."
Some 7 out of 10 businesses in our country are family businesses. So, without exaggeration, they form the backbone of our economic fabric. But, what distinguishes such businesses from others? Why is the zeitgeist today so favorable toward family businesses? And above all, how can family businesses use their specific characteristics to achieve good governance? In the podcast series Family Business, a production of the content company in collaboration with GUBERNA, journalist Bavo Boutsen sets out to answer all these questions.
Children of their time
For this new podcast series, he visited the family directors of Spaas Candles, Camino Group, Libeert Belgian Chocolate Creators and IJsfabriek Strombeek. Each of these are family businesses with a history and where the managers and family members deliberately want to further develop the family business on the foundations laid by their ancestors. Furthermore, Liesbeth De Ridder provides interpretation. She heads the Center for Family Business Governance at GUBERNA, the Institute for Directors.
The first installment, "Family businesses, children of their time," discusses the typical characteristics of family businesses and why they are closely aligned with the current zeitgeist, in which sustainable and socially responsible business is taking off. "Of course, we too are focused on shareholder value, but for family businesses this is not just a financial parameter. So we are also concerned with how we are perceived in the market and thinking across generations. Today, more and more companies are doing that," testifies Joost Callens, CEO of the Camino Group, a second-generation construction and family business.
A wide range of topics
Each episode of the series focuses on a specific theme. The next episodes, which will be launched through GUBERNA's channels in the coming weeks, will, for example, take a closer look at successions within family businesses, the building blocks of a family business structure and the (added) value of the past for a family business. Among other things, listeners will learn how the family charters of the Callens, Spaas and Libeert families were drawn up and why this process is so valuable, but also why entrepreneurship is not only proverbial, but also literally in the DNA of family entrepreneurs.
The "Family Business" podcast series shows why family businesses are powerful tools for our economy and how the assets can be leveraged to achieve well-functioning governance. "With this series, we highlight role models who take to heart important issues of good family business governance. They can then also inspire other family businesses and the younger generation in such companies to get involved as well," summarizes family business expert Liesbeth De Ridder's goal.
"With the content company, we have been at home in the world of Flemish family businesses for years. We regularly meet family entrepreneurs and each time we are impressed by their passion, drive and resilience. We felt that their fascinating stories belonged in a podcast. That's why, together with GUBERNA, we took the initiative for the "Family Business" series. We are convinced that these podcasts can be a source of inspiration for many," concludes Björn Crul, director of the content company.
