SERVICES FOR PARTNERS AND FAMILY BUSINESS OWNERS
Strengthen Your Partnership While Strengthening the Business
Build the trust, clarity, and communication skills you need to work through differences, protect relationships, and keep your business thriving for the long term.
SERVICE 03 | WHO I HELP
Partners and Family Business Owners
The Excitement at the Start
Most partnerships begin with energy, enthusiasm, and a shared vision. No one is thinking about what could go wrong or taking the time to map out detailed agreements for when it does.
Why It Gets Hard Later
Over time, partnerships face shifting business phases, evolving visions, or different approaches to managing people.
When stakes are high, no one wants to rock the boat — so conflicts often go underground.
The visible issues get addressed, but the deeper causes remain. The result? Decisions stall, traction is lost, and everything feels harder than it should.
Succession: The Most Avoided Topic
Even when day-to-day operations are strong, succession planning can shake the foundation.
Partners delay these conversations because:
The future feels uncertain
Daily demands eat up time and energy
Facing “what happens without me” is daunting
In family businesses, these discussions are even trickier. Long-standing family dynamics add another layer of complexity.
Inner Conflicts for Leaders
Before partners can agree with each other, each leader needs to sort out their own feelings — about moving on, handing off responsibilities, trusting the next generation. Conflicting priorities or approaches often lead to… avoidance.
How I Fit In
I help partners face the tricky, unspoken issues that show up at key points in the business.
Whether it’s managing conflict, planning for succession, or both — I help you work through what’s beneath the surface so you can move forward with clarity and confidence.
“Nancy is a compassionate, caring, insightful person, first. A coach second. She is real and authentic with a ton of knowledge to share. I am so grateful that she has been and will continue to be in my life.”
— Tim Walker, The Experia Group
“Working with Nancy
has helped me to initiate hard conversations as soon as possible and not letting them build into something larger.”
— Ryan Knibbe, Engelsma Homes
"Nancy definitely helped clear away all the different things I was trying to do and get to my purpose."
— Matt Elledge, Senior Deputy Director, Veterans Affairs
Tools, Insights, and a Clearer Lens
We often begin with strengths assessments and conflict/problem-solving tools.
Reviewing these — individually or together — creates new awareness:
Partners see themselves and each other more clearly
They recognize when differences are simply work-style preferences
They can separate systemic issues from personal ones
Moving from Awareness to Action
Once we have insight, we put it into practice. This can include:
1:1 partner meetings
Facilitated partner conversations
Off-site retreats
Any format that helps resolve the issues at hand
SERVICE 03 | HOW I HELP
Building Capacity for Tough Conversations
I help partners and family business owners tackle the real issues — the ones that often go unspoken. We work on building the capacity to sort through differences, have productive hard conversations, and put safeguards in place to protect both the relationship and the business.
Getting Below the Surface
Sometimes, this means facing inner conflicts that have been simmering for years.
Other times, it’s about breaking cycles of resentment or long-standing patterns of conflict.
With my background as a psychologist, I can quickly spot what’s really going on and share tools to help partners shift — so you can get on the same page and start moving forward without friction slowing you down.
Navigating Succession with Confidence
When succession is the focus, I work one-on-one with leaders to clarify their goals, vision, and readiness to hand off responsibilities.
We then bring partners together to openly share perspectives, work through differences, and shape a shared vision for the future.
Learn More About My Approach
I share many of these strategies in my book, The Business Partnership Survival Guide: How Siblings, Parents, Cousins, and Friends Get On the Same Page to Build a Profitable Business.
If you’d like to dig deeper into my favorite tools, techniques, and the common mistakes to avoid, you can explore it here.
“Nancy is a compassionate, caring, insightful person, first. A coach second. She is real and authentic with a ton of knowledge to share. I am so grateful that she has been and will continue to be in my life.”
— Tim Walker, The Experia Group
"Within just the first two sessions of working with Dr. Nancy, I learned things that justified my investment for the entire year.”
— Tom Ruggiero, Esq.
"Nancy definitely helped clear away all the different things I was trying to do and get to my purpose."
— Matt Elledge, Senior Deputy Director, Veterans Affairs
OVERVIEW
For business partners and family business owners navigating conflict, succession, or the complex dynamics that come with shared leadership, I help you work through what’s beneath the surface — so you can protect both the business and the relationships that matter most.
WAYS OF HELPING
⟡ Facilitated Conversations
⟡ 1:1 Meetings
⟡ Participation in Team or Owner Meetings
⟡ Off-site Retreats
What You Can Expect …
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Get To The Root of the Issue To Create A New Path Forward
If your company is held back by communication or people issues, it won’t change by itself.
Issues get worse until they reach a breaking point, unless you take charge of actually addressing them. Working on adjacent issues such as business strategy or general leadership is valuable but won’t fix the underlying issues. -
Save Time By Building Skills ‘On the Job’
Develop team skills while striving toward your most important business outcomes.
You don’t need to learn skills and later try to apply them to what you do. Rather, you and your team work on your actual questions under expert guidance, so you reach better decisions faster. We illuminate roadblocks that need to be cleared and shift them in real time. -
Use Business Metrics To Track Progress With Teams
“That which is measured improves.”
~ Karl Pearson
Goals such as team health are great, but they’re often too abstract. Instead, we aim for clear, measurable goals such as faster, more consistent implementation of plans and faster revenue growth. Abstract goals can distract from your main focus.
MY APPROACH
How I Work
I help business partners and family business owners tackle the real — and often unspoken — issues that stand in the way of clarity, alignment, and forward momentum.
Whether it’s resolving long-standing conflicts, navigating the complexities of succession, or building the capacity to make tough decisions together, my approach blends psychological insight with practical tools.
We start by uncovering what’s really going on beneath the surface, then move into focused conversations and strategies that help you protect both the health of the business and the strength of your relationships.
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Everything starts with a conversation. It’s free, confidential, and practical and there’s no commitment to move forward. I listen to your situation, give you some insights about what might be going on, and suggest the next most practical step. If it sounds like there’s a good fit for us to work together, we’ll talk about what that might look like for your particular situation.
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This planning phase can span up to 30 days as we talk more in-depth. We start by understanding the full picture — what’s working, what’s not, and what’s underneath it all. This often includes assessments to reveal strengths, conflict styles, and decision-making approaches.
You gain:Clarity on the core issues, not just the symptoms
Awareness of personal and partner strengths
Insight into where alignment is missing
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With a clear plan, we move into action. This can include one-on-one partner sessions, facilitated conversations, or off-site retreats — whatever format best supports progress.
You gain:Practical tools for productive, respectful conversations
Resolution of long-standing conflicts and tensions
Confidence to make decisions and move forward
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We measure results in two ways: the quality of the working relationship and the health of the business. This means checking in on communication, trust, and decision-making while also tracking tangible business metrics.
You gain:Visible improvement in communication and trust
Faster, more confident decision-making
Measurable progress toward business and succession goalstem description
“Nancy is a compassionate, caring, insightful person, first. A coach second. She is real and authentic with a ton of knowledge to share. I am so grateful that she has been and will continue to be in my life.”
— Tim Walker, The Experia Group
"Within just the first two sessions of working with Dr. Nancy, I learned things that justified my investment for the entire year.”
— Tom Ruggiero, Esq.
"Nancy definitely helped clear away all the different things I was trying to do and get to my purpose."
— Matt Elledge, Senior Deputy Director, Veterans Affairs
Frequently Asked Questions by Partnerships
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It’s often the case that one partner is motivated to make changes and seek help in doing so more than the other(s). Though ultimately the work is most effective when everyone participates, many people are surprised at the degree of change they can make on their own. Because interactions occur between two or more people, changing the way you interact necessarily changes the dynamic. These are cumulative in nature. Plus, it promotes a whole new sense of agency when you’re actively engaged in the change process — with or without your partner(s).
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Partners who have been mired in problems often can’t see their way out and eventually lose hope. Sometimes all they need is an experienced guide to help disentangle the conflict, provide new tools, and show the way forward.
Even if ending the partnership is the next step, partners benefit from doing so from a position of strength, resilience, and understanding. Partnerships built over time can feel like one’s ‘baby’ and determining what happens to this ‘baby’ is generally emotionally charged. There’s often resentment, disillusionment, and disappointment and it’s hard to create good strategy and make decisions from that place. The stakes are high and partners owe it to themselves to sort things out — work through their sh*t to the degree possible — so that the partnership can come to a good end.
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This is a common challenge amongst flourishing small businesses. Everyone is busy doing the work that keeps the business running effectively and, though succession planning is important, it never feels urgent. In this case, business owners often need me to provide a process and a cadence that helps keep them on track. They need a thought partner that helps them think through the different factors involved in planning for the future. Sometimes, any issues that have differing viewpoints regarding how to move forward, get pushed off because there’s no clear way to sort through the ideas. This is the essential help I provide.
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There are many situations when two people have to work together closely even though they’re not technically partners. Non family executives in a family business is one such situation. Also, with companies running on EOS, there are often communication challenges between the Visionary and Integrator. By design, these roles have a different set of innate talent and work styles. These complementary skills translate into different ways of communicating and approaching problems. My clients are often amazed at how their frustration with each other transforms into appreciation for the others’ talents. Within 30 days these issues can be illuminated and the friction smoothed out — creating long-lasting change for the path forward.
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My work typically begins with individual conversations and strengths assessments. From there, the work is highly customized to the individual situation and needs. The data gathered informs how we move forward; the common structure often includes 1:1 meetings, facilitated conversations, attendance at ‘business as usual’ meetings, off-site workshops or retreats, and ‘as needed’ calls with individuals to address issues that come up between scheduled meetings. I’ve found those ‘as needed’ calls to be pivotal in the transformation process.
Then we select the right tools and process for the goals we want to achieve. We determine ideal frequency and set the stage for transformation by introducing the work and positioning its benefits for both the people and the bottom line.
Then we implement. Generally this focuses on 1:1 scheduled meetings, ‘as needed’ calls or texts in between. leadership team meetings
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In my experience, resources are often limited and have to be allocated carefully. Because stalemates partnerships get worse over time rather than better, unbelievable amounts of mental and emotional energy get tied up in partnership conflicts — often impacting life at home. Most of my clients tell me they wish they had reached out sooner because they had no idea how much better things could be with some assistance. Also, I offer monthly payment options to keep the work affordable as you make progress toward your business goals.
WE GET REAL RESULTS
Featured Case Study - “Jack & John”
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“Nancy is a compassionate, caring, insightful person, first. A coach second. She is real and authentic with a ton of knowledge to share. I am so grateful that she has been and will continue to be in my life.”
— Tim Walker, The Experia Group
"Within just the first two sessions of working with Dr. Nancy, I learned things that justified my investment for the entire year.”
— Tom Ruggiero, Esq.
"Nancy definitely helped clear away all the different things I was trying to do and get to my purpose."
— Matt Elledge, Senior Deputy Director, Veterans Affairs
During your free consultation call, we’ll discuss the particulars of your situation. This includes:
your experience as a leader / owner in the company
trouble areas you’re seeing in the team/company and what you think is going on
what you’ve tried in the past to solve them
the next practical step(s) to take
if it seems there may be a good fit for us to work together, we’ll talk about what that would look like
This call is confidential and there’s no assumption or pressure to work with me at the end. However, this call is meant for people who are interested in learning more and possibly working together. If you prefer to email me directly, send a message to nancy {at} drjonker.com.
