The SuccessionReady Podcast

Епизоди

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  Values-based Legacy Planning 10.09.2025 26мин

  In this episode, co-hosts Ashka Wirk and James Grieve are joined by Sandy Pollack, founder of Trimaran Advisory Group and author of Don’t Leave a Mess. With more than 25 years of experience advising entrepreneurial families, Sandy takes a deeply values-based approach to legacy, helping clients protect their wealth while creating meaningful plans for the future. She explains why effective succession and estate planning must begin with values and strategy, and how uncovering the human side of wealth brings clarity, reduces conflict, and builds legacies with purpose.
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  Open-Book Leadership: Building Trust, Alignment, and Legacy in Family and Founder-Led Businesses 10.09.2025 28мин

  In this episode, co-hosts James Grieve and Ashka Wirk are joined by Ryan Markewich, an advocate for open-book cultures and transparent leadership. Ryan discusses how open-book leadership builds trust, drives alignment, and prepares family and founder-led businesses for long-term success and smooth succession. He shares strategies for overcoming founder resistance to transparency,connecting open-book practices to succession readiness, and using openness as a performance multiplier. Through real-world examples, Ryan highlights how transparency encourages employees to think like owners, strengthens alignment between family goals and business results, and reduces founder dependency.
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  Governance as the Catalyst for being SuccessionReady 10.09.2025 27мин

  In this episode, co-hosts Ashka Wirk and James Grieve are joined by Barb Schimnowsky, CMC, FEA, Partner at Watson Advisors Inc. Barb shares how governance, director recruitment, and leadership dynamics can help family andfounder-led businesses thrive and transition successfully. She explains why governance matters even in early growth stages, how to build effective boards or advisory councils, and the importance of recruiting directors who align withfamily values while bringing independent strategic thinking. Through real-world examples, Barb illustrates how governance supports leadership transitions,balances family priorities with business performance, and acts as a performance multiplier by shifting decision-making from reactive to strategic.
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  What Can You Expect from Working with SuccessionReady? 10.09.2025 7мин

  James Grieve and Ashka Wirk, co-founders of SuccessionReady, talk through what you, as a founder-led business, can expect from working with SuccessionReady.
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  Talent is the Bridge – How a People Strategy Enhances Succession Planning 10.07.2025 26мин

  In this episode, co-hosts James Grieve and Ashka Wirk are joined by David Litherland, Partner at Summit Search Group. David shares why recruitment is a critical part of succession planning, the importance of planning across all levels of an organization, and how organizations can take a proactive approach to future leadership. 
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  A New Path to Succession – How Employee Ownership Can Protect Your Legacy 10.07.2025 38мин

  In this episode, SuccessionReady co-creators James Grieve and Ashka Wirk are joined by Michael Ras, CEO of Employee Ownership Canada. Michael explains employee ownership and why it offers a compelling succession path that keeps jobs local and preserves a founder’s legacy.
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  The Co-op Advantage – A New Model for Business Succession 10.07.2025 38мин

  In this episode, SuccessionReady co-creators James Grieve and Ashka Wirk are joined by Kyle White, Director of Education at Co-operatives First. Kyle breaks down how co-operatives work, shares real-world success stories, and explores how the co-op model can offer a powerful path to succession. 
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  SuccessionReady – The Client Experience 10.07.2025 25мин

  In this episode, co-hosts James Grieve and Ashka Wirk are joined by Halee Fried. Halee is the founder of a family-owned business, Farmstrong Cider Company, located in Armstrong, British Columbia, Canada. Halee and her family were early adopter clients of the SuccessionReady approach to succession planning. Halee shares her experience with founding and growing Farmstrong, her succession planning experience with SuccessionReady, and her advice to other founders thinking about succession planning for their businesses.
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  Succession Planning in the Collision Repair Industry 23.04.2025 31мин

  Trevor Jones, Area Manager of Operations – Prairie Region with CarStar Canada, shares his personal succession journey and the importance of succession planning at CarStar, North America’s largest Multi-Shop Operator Network of independently owned collision repair facilities.
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  Life Insurance and Succession Planning 23.04.2025 23мин

  Mike Kuzma, Client Solutions Manager at The Targeted Strategies Group, shares how life insurance can be a powerful tool in succession planning and long-term wealth preservation.
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  Preparing the Next Generation in Family Enterprises 23.04.2025 34мин

  Judi Cunningham, founder of Trella Advisory Group, explores one of the most challenging aspects of transition in family enterprises – preparing the next generation. She shares what she has learned about working with senior generations to build the knowledge and skills in the next generation for effective succession.
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  What is SuccessionReady? 23.04.2025 9мин

  In this episode, James Grieve and Ashka Wirk, co-founders of SuccessionReady, introduce you to succession planning and why it’s important, walk you through the SuccessionReady approach, and provide guidance on next steps.
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  Effective Communication in Family Business 15.11.2024 28мин

  James Grieve and Ashka Wirk have a conversation with Patti Durand, Principal of Brightrack Consulting, about her work guiding family businesses from complex urgency to results-oriented action.
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  Business Valuation and Succession Planning 15.11.2024 25мин

  Michael Smith, President of Smith Business Valuations, shares advice and guidance for founders thinking of a business valuation as part of their succession planning process – what to expect, how to prepare, what can get in the way, and how to set you and your business up for a smooth process and outcome.
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  Becoming SuccessionReady from the VIEA State of the Island Economic Summit 2024 15.11.2024 56мин

  In this episode, taped during the VIEA State of the Island Economic Summit 2024, SuccessionReady co-creator Ashka Wirk moderates a panel of experts – Ehren Lee of Urban Systems, Joshua Ludgate of Small Business BC, and Kyle White of Co-operatives First. Together, they share their insights, experiences, and innovative approaches for small and medium-sized businesses, and especially founder-led businesses, to navigate and thrive through succession planning.
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  Succession Planning for Farm Businesses 07.06.2024 23мин

  Liz Robertson, Executive Director of the Canadian Association of Farm Advisors, shares what she’s noticing about the needs of farmers and farm businesses from a succession planning perspective.
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  Female Founders and Succession Planning 07.06.2024 26мин

  James Grieve and Ashka Wirk have a conversation with Danica Dutt, the President of Kelowna Women in Business, about her insights, experiences, and stories of female founders and their approaches to succession planning.
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  Succession Planning and Legacy 07.06.2024 34мин

  Lee Vanderlaan, the CEO of the Vanderlaan Family Office, shares her story of the series of successions in her family business, as well as the set up of the Vanderlaan Family Office, whose purpose is to ensure the lasting impact, contributions, and achievements attributed by her family enterprise through generations.
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  Succession Planning for Economic Development 07.06.2024 16мин

  In this episode, SuccessionReady co-creators James Grieve and Ashka Wirk discuss the insights they learned from economic development professionals about the challenges facing their communities regarding succession planning for local businesses during the SuccessionReady session at the 2024 BC Economic Summit, hosted by the BC Economic Development Association.
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  Have You Considered an Employee Share Ownership Plan? 09.01.2024 34мин

  Our guest for this episode is Martin Bell, the CEO of Urban Systems. Martin talks to us about his company’s unique employee ownership model – to spark insights for you as a founder-led business considering succession options.