Alignment for Family Business Professionalisation

Every family business reaches a point where growth, succession, or complexity makes informality risky.
The trust is strong - but roles are unclear, decisions take longer, and next-gen or professional talent gets frustrated.

We help you bring structure, governance, and alignment to your leadership - while protecting what makes the business special.

When this becomes critical

This offering is for family-owned businesses that are:

→ Introducing the next generation or bringing in external professional leaders
→ Preparing for leadership or ownership succession
→ Facing internal friction, role confusion, or slow decision-making
→ Growing beyond the comfort of informal systems
→ Concerned about long-term sustainability and leadership continuity

The problems we solve

→ Unclear roles, decision rights, and accountability structures
→ Friction between legacy leaders and next-gen/professionals
→ Succession discussions postponed or handled informally
→ Talent leaving due to lack of clarity or growth pathways
→ No formal governance or systems to support growth

What we do

We help family businesses make the shift from trust-based to professionally governed - with alignment, structure, and succession readiness.

→ Align family and professional leaders on roles, values, and strategic direction
→ Define how decisions are made, who owns what, and where family/non-family responsibilities begin and end
→ Design leadership and governance models that scale with the business
→ Support succession planning - including role clarity, readiness conversations, and smooth handover processes
→ Coach legacy and next-gen leaders to work with trust, transparency, and clear expectations

This isn’t about corporatizing. It’s about preparing the business - and its leaders - for what comes next.

How we work

Phase 1: Diagnose (4 - 6 weeks)
Deep listening and interviews with family, key leaders, and successors
→ Identify misalignments, decision bottlenecks, and unspoken expectations

Phase 2: Align and Design (8 - 10 weeks)

Working sessions with key decision-makers and successors
→ Define leadership structure, decision forums, and transition plans

Phase 3: Embed and Sustain (6 - 8 months: Build - Operate - Transfer)

We help build practical systems to support growth and continuity - without losing your values.

Succession and Role Transition Plan
→ Define who steps in, when, how - and what support and expectations are in place
Decision-Making and Governance Rhythm
→ Establish family councils, business boards, or operational forums that match your structure and size
Leadership Clarity and Coaching
→One-on-one and group support to build trust between generations and integrate professionals effectively

We don’t just document succession. We help make it real, comfortable, and sustainable.

Why this matters

Legacy is powerful - but legacy alone doesn’t run a growing business.

Without structure and succession clarity:

→ Conflicts fester, often quietly
→ Next-gen leaders feel unsure or unprepared
→ Professionals hesitate to fully engage
→ The business slows or splinters during transition

You’ve built something strong. We help make sure it lasts beyond a few generations.

What clients say

"We were operating like one large happy family- we were building good companies, chasing steep targets but never focused on an identity or processes. When we merged, and wanted to run it more professionally, we realised that the first thing we needed to set in place if we wanted to exponentially scale was a culture that lets legacy and professionalism thrive. ABD’s approach, diligence and guidance gave us a ‘Drishyam (the movie) effect. They helped us have the conversations we were avoiding - and gave us the structure to move forward together. A much needed intervention for all scaling businesses."

Jaymin Bhuptani

CEO, Uplers

Let’s Talk

If your family business is growing - or preparing for succession - we’ll help you align leadership, define structure, and build trust that sustains growth across generations.

You can book a 30 minute free consultation or write to us at sirisha@alignbydesign.in