Additional Praise for Borrowed from Your Grandchildren: The Evolution of 100-Year Family Enterprises

Advance Praise from business families

Once again, Dennis Jaffe reveals a treasure trove of stories for families and advisors that demonstrates how generations can benefit from teaching and learning from one another. Dennis shares practical examples and best practices used by family enterprises, including family councils, family offices, and family foundations, strategically designed to move the family, its business and its wealth forward–generation to generation. Whether you are just beginning your journey or have multiple generations in play, this book is filled with insights, ideas and actionable next steps to turn a family enterprise into a family legacy.

—Dirk Junge

Retired Chairman, Pitcairn

Owners of family businesses with a desire for multi-generational endurance face a complex and never-ending task to pursue both commercial and familial success. Dennis Jaffe and his team have scoured the world for successful exemplars whose practices have allowed them to surpass normal experience and expectations. This is an exceptionally valuable source of inspiration and guidance for family business owners and advisers who wish to pursue and refine effective multi-generational stewardship.

—Alexander Scott

4th generation family business owner and director, FBN-International

When I want authoritative, wise, and knowledgeable insight on family businesses, Professor Jaffe is my one-stop shopping center. The range of both knowledge and wisdom that Jaffe possesses makes him a national treasure. Borrowed from Your Grandchildren is a synthesis of this knowledge and wisdom.

—Mitzi Perdue (Mrs. Frank Perdue)

speaker, business owner, author of How to Make Your Family Business Last

We all need to give Dennis recognition and gratitude for his tremendous research and wisdom around how we can all lead our companies in a way that will leave the world a better place. I believe family business is the foundation of society around the world and is the best way to bring social change for the good due to its multi-generational nature. We all thank you for the work that will be recognized for generations to come and we are forever grateful.

—Charlie Luck

President/CEO Luck Companies

A wealth of practical insights for families and their advisors based on success factors distilled from 4th generation and older family businesses.  Unique concept of the “generative family” to explain how families re-invent and adapt themselves and their businesses. Over 100 relatable and honest family stories to illustrate and reinforce the various concepts.

—Yuelin Yang

Deputy Group MD of IMC Industrial Group (and nephew of the founder)

No one but Dennis and his team have ever interviewed so many successful 100-year family enterprises from all over the world, and distilled their recipe for success in such an engaging and easy to read book! The real-life stories from major business families around the world, combined with the insights and best practices that Dennis brings in this well-structured book, make Borrowed from Your Grandchildren an invaluable resource for every family business in the world, be it small or large, 1st gen or 5th gen! I can't wait to get all my future grandchildren a copy of the book for their 18th birthday!

—Edouard Thijssen

CEO of Trusted Family, leading online governance platform for family businesses, 5thgeneration family member

Dennis focuses on “generative family enterprises” around the world with common attributes. Borrowed from Your Grandchildren is an inspiring book for our Tan family, now with four generations. It is our dream and our goal to evolve into a 100-year “generative” family enterprise. This book gives us great inspiration and references in developing legacy and stewardship of our family and business.

—Sunny Tan

EVP, Accessories Group, Luen Thai Holdings Ltd.

I have been a great follower of Dennis Jaffe's work over the past 20 years. As a 4th generation family member of a 100+-year-old business, his work has been indispensable to helping our family and many others to navigate the opportunities and challenges of surviving and thriving through five generations of ownership and beyond. Borrowed from Your Grandchildren is no different. Dennis clearly defines how other families have survived and thrived in a way that makes it possible for others to follow in their footsteps. I have always believed that to have a successful family business, one must have a good sense of humor and short-term memory, or as in Dennis's words, resilience. It is easy, in a family business, to focus on the business and neglect the family. Still, Dennis's research proves that one must focus on the family returns: Legacy, Social, Human, Financial, Capital. Without success in these areas, the business will not have the solid foundation it needs in the family to attract and retain the top talent required for the business to succeed for the second 100 years. Encouraged by Dennis's work, our family has evolved our thinking, cultivating and caring for the family far more than we ever have before.

So much of the family business research provides insights into 1st, 2nd, and 3rd generations; however, not much research has been done for 4th generation businesses and beyond. To have survived and thrived for four generations is remarkable and difficult. It is a fairly isolating experience, as there are so few peers available to share successes and potential pitfalls. Dennis's work provides a clear path and connects those families out there who are on the lonely journey of being a 5th generation family business and can pave the way for those who want to get there.

—Meghan Juday

Non-Executive Vice Chair, Ideal Industries

Advance Praise from Family Advisors

As the world continues to become more interconnected and complex, generative families need to evolve and adapt together. Dennis Jaffe has written an informative book for the 21st century. While the core pillars of family values and family constitutions remain the same, this book highlights the importance of building a resilient culture while being able to anticipate unchartered waters and emerge even stronger.

—Peter K. Scaturro

former CEO of Citigroup Global Private Bank and former CEO of US Trust Company

In this tour de force, Dennis Jaffe debunks the myth that every business family is destined to suffer the fate of “shirtsleeves to shirtsleeves in three generations”. Filled with rich and engaging interviews with members of thriving multi-generational families, Jaffe and his research team expertly identify the practical secrets of success of the many families that beat the odds and create long-lasting legacies. This book is destined to become a classic for every family - and family advisors thereto - that aspires to be become a long-lived, flourishing, generative family.

—Tom McCullough

Chairman and CEO, Northwood Family Office, Co-Author, Wealth of Wisdom: The Top 50 Questions Wealthy Families Ask

An amazing resource for multi-generational business families and professionals that advise them. I love the premise of the book. Rather than focusing on all the things that can go wrong, try to learn as much as you can from the families that have already succeeded for more than 100 years. And the stories – hearing them in the words of so many families from around the world – are inspiring. Each family is clearly unique. At the same time, seeing common practices and behaviors that have helped shape so many incredible family legacies is fascinating. I couldn't put the book down!

—J. Richard Joyner

President, Tolleson Wealth Management

Transgenerational success may be elusive but Borrowed from Your Grandchildren shines a light on the fact patterns behind those families who have achieved it. Jaffe's research-based story telling is an approachable and tangible guide for families looking to leverage the lessons learned by those who went before them.

—Jim Coutré

Family office and philanthropy professional

Discover a treasure trove of insights into what forms the essence of highly enduring and generative century-old family enterprises in yet another groundbreaking research by one of the most renowned and influential family enterprise advisors of our time.

—Aik-Ping Ng

Co-Head of Family Office Advisory, Family Governance and Family Enterprise Succession, Asia Pacific, HSBC Private Banking

Dennis Jaffe's in-depth, qualitative research on what makes family enterprises pass the test of time offers valuable and actionable insights for families and the advisors that serve them. This is a must read.

—Arne Boudewyn, PhD

Head of Institute for Family Culture, Abbot Downing

Through decades of experience and painstaking research Jaffe has created the definitive work on multi-generational wealth. In this very approachable book, both families and those who...