The SuccessionReady Podcast

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 successio...

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-bo...

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...

James Grieve and Ashka Wirk, co-founders of SuccessionReady, talk through what you, as a founder-led business, can expect from working with SuccessionReady.

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. 

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.

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. 

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 ex...

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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 busi...

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Austin Dunn, an Account Executive with Wilson M. Beck Insurance Services, provides advice to founder-led businesses about recognizing and managing the risks that may impact their businesses – today and as they prepare for succeeding their businesses in the future.

Jean-Eric Plamondon, Principal of Winnipeg-based Growth Strategy Consulting, provides his insights about how business owners can build sustainable processes and systems to increase the predictability of their business while simplifying the need to be involved in the day to day tasks – using technology as a tool.

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 the next steps.

Michael Rosen, a process improvement practitioner, shares his experience about the importance of analyzing, mapping, and improving processes by eliminating waste, automating process steps, and performing system enhancements – to help your founder-led business today and set it up for succession planning into the future. 

Kate Watson, the Marketing and Business Support Coordinator for the Salmon Arm Economic Development Society, talks about how organizations like hers help founder-led businesses through the full life cycle of a business – from start up, to scaling, to succession.