CircleMakers Expands Succession Support

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE 

CircleMakers Expands Succession Support as Family Businesses Prepare for Their Next Generation

Free webinar series begins October 23; expanded advisory platform helps owners, families and executives prepare leaders, align decisions and protect what they have built.

GREENSBORO, Ga., October 10, 2026 — CircleMakers today announced an expanded family business advisory platform and a free six-month webinar series to help owners, families and executive teams address one of their most consequential challenges: transferring ownership and leadership without putting the business—or family relationships—at risk

The Georgia-based firm, which has served more than 200 family and privately held businesses representing more than $20 billion in combined enterprise value, is introducing the platform alongside a refreshed brand. The expansion brings together practical education, facilitated workshops and ongoing advisory support for families preparing for succession or already navigating a transition.

The need is pressing. According to Deloitte’s 2026 family business succession research, 40% of family businesses are undergoing, or will undergo, a leadership succession in the next 10 years. Yet only about half have thorough, well-developed succession plans, and just 37% are highly confident the next generation is ready to lead.

“The question isn’t whether today’s owners will eventually face a transition. The question is whether the family will have the time, conversations, leadership development and structures in place before that transition becomes urgent,” said Todd Garretson, founder of CircleMakers.

The Hardest Part of Succession Isn’t Financial

Succession is more than a legal transaction or a financial plan. The challenge is rarely a lack of financial tools or legal resources. More often, it is the deeply human work of aligning a family around a shared future, preparing the next generation to lead and giving the current generation the confidence to let go.

“A successful transition rarely happens just because everyone hopes it will,” Garretson said. “A transition has two jobs to get right at once—the company that runs today, and the family that owns it for generations. It takes honest conversations, deliberate leadership development and clear decisions about ownership, authority and the family’s future. The time to do that work is before a transition becomes urgent—not when the family is already under pressure.”

Support for Family Businesses at Every Stage

CircleMakers’ expanded platform offers several ways for owners, families and leadership teams to engage:

A Practical Place to Start

For owners asking “Where do we begin?”, CircleMakers’ resource hub at circlemakers.co/family-business-succession lays out a seven-phase succession blueprint and a ten-point readiness self-assessment that shows whether a family is Exposed, has Pieces, Not a Plan, or is Ahead. From there, families can register for the free October 23 webinar, apply for the Succession Planning Accelerator or book a free private consultation.

“What you’ve built deserves a future,” Garretson said. “Our job is to help families create that future deliberately, so the business doesn’t simply survive a transition but becomes stronger because of it.” 

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