Better Business, Better Life – Issue 174

WHAT’S INSIDE THIS ISSUE:

Business Tools & Real-life Lessons:

Find of the Month:

I didn’t grow up in a family business, but I did spend years as GM of a 220-person company owned by four families.

I saw first-hand how messy it can get when fathers & sons work together, when loyalty & tradition influence decisions, & when people forget to take off the family hat & put on the business hat.

That experience is why I love working with family businesses now. I get the pride of keeping it in the family, but I’ve also seen how quickly things get tough when roles aren’t clear & expectations aren’t spoken.

That’s why this recent client story really struck a chord with me.

P.S. My parents once built a house in Perth with plans to move here, but life took a different turn & they sold it. Now, I’m here for the first time myself & I’m loving it. The beaches are gorgeous, the weather is stunning, & I’m working with family businesses who found me through the Family Business Association. I’ll be back regularly to support these teams, so if you’re a family business in Perth looking for clarity & traction, let’s chat.

BUSINESS TOOLS & REAL-LIFE LESSONS

Why Family Businesses Need EOS

I recently worked with a second-generation manufacturing business – Dad was still involved, two siblings were in leadership, & a cousin had been ‘helping out‘ for years with no clear role.

They weren’t in crisis. They were successful. But things were tense.

Meetings ended in arguments.
Everyone assumed everyone else knew what was expected.
The cousin was doing something in operations – no one could say exactly what.

They didn’t need therapy.

They needed clarity.

That’s where EOS came in.

Why EOS works in family businesses:

The Accountability Chart gave every person a seat – or revealed that they didn’t have one
Core Values got defined – so behaviours could be measured, not just assumed
Level 10 Meetings created a safe space to raise issues without it feeling personal
Scorecards helped take emotion out of performance – the numbers did the talking

Within 90 days, they’d made two big changes: the cousin transitioned to a better-fit role outside the business (gracefully), & the two siblings stopped stepping on each other’s toes.

Why? Because their roles were finally defined.

The real challenge isn’t succession – it’s survival.

Most family businesses don’t fall apart at handover. They fall apart in the lead-up, when unresolved tensions are allowed to simmer for too long.

EOS doesn’t fix families – but it gives the business what it needs to run clearly, consistently & without emotional chaos.

Devil’s Advocate View

“But family businesses are built on trust – won’t a system kill the culture?”

Actually, it protects it.

The right system creates guardrails, so you’re not constantly renegotiating roles, rules & expectations. It frees the family to be a family again.

Want to protect both your legacy & your relationships?

Book a confidential Family Business Discovery Call at debra@businessaction.com.au

LINKS TO USEFUL STUFF

This section gives you quick access to 3 links - to articles, blogs, podcasts & stuff that will help you to create a better business & lead a better life.

Better Business and Life Resources

Article

What Family Businesses Can Learn from Lego

Learn resilience and growth from Lego’s business story.

Breaking Barriers: Building Better Family Businesses

Strengthen your family’s legacy by breaking barriers.

Listen Here

Life Stuff

14 Steps to Navigate Family Tensions Calmly

Build stronger family bonds with clear communication.

FIND OF THE MONTH

I’ve always said: EOS works best when it’s simple, consistent & easy to use.

And for years, I’ve worked with a variety of software tools to help clients bring EOS to life – platforms like Ninety & Strety have served many of my clients well.

But I recently came across a new player on the scene: Success.co

It’s built specifically for EOS, with next-gen features that genuinely caught my attention.

Here’s what stood out for me:

💡 Modern & fast – It’s slick. It looks good. And more importantly, it feels fast – no lag, no clunky screens.

💡 BlitzSync technology – This was a standout. It keeps your data in sync across devices even without Wi-Fi. That’s huge if you’re in areas with patchy internet or just want a smooth, desktop-like experience.

💡 Deep integration – Google & Microsoft calendar syncs actually work. No more “why isn’t this L10 showing up?” moments. It just… works.

💡 EOS Pure – Everything is built to follow the EOS model, exactly as intended. No weird workarounds or bolt-on hacks.

And after trialling Success.co, I’ve decided to start using it in my own business.

The speed, simplicity & integration are spot on & it just makes my EOS life easier.

Now, I’m still working with clients using Ninety & Strety – they absolutely still have their place. The best tool is always the one that your team actually uses consistently.

But if you’re looking for something new, or you’re starting fresh with EOS software, Success.co is definitely worth a look.

Check it out, have a play & as always – pick the platform that works best for how your team runs on EOS.

Learn More About Success.Co

We are here to help you live a better life by creating a better business. We are real-life business owners with years of experience & a strong desire to make a huge difference to the lives of entrepreneurs.

If anything here resonates with you or you would like our help, then please get in contact. Just reply to this newsletter & let us know who you would like to speak to…. Or visit our webpage & contact any of our team from their own pages.

If you know someone who would benefit from reading this, then please forward it onto them. 💖

NEED HELP?

If you’d like to learn more about any of these tools or would like to find out how I can help you achieve a better life through creating a better business, then book a free Discovery Call with me.

We’ll talk about what you want to get from your business & your life & come up with a plan to do that!

Book a FREE Discovery Call here

Debra Chantry-Taylor

Certified EOS Implementer | Accredited Family Business Advisor | Entrepreneurial Leadership & Business Coach | Speaker & Workshop Facilitator