More and more family businesses now have a succession plan. Far fewer have a succession that works. The difference between the two is where legacies are won and lost.

Artificial intelligence is everywhere. It is in the headlines, in board papers and increasingly in the questions the next generation asks around the family table. For many family business owners, it also brings a quiet worry: that everyone else understands it, and they have somehow been left behind.

From the Quaker chocolate makers of the nineteenth century to the countless family firms quietly supporting their local communities today, giving back has long been woven into the fabric of family business.

Succession planning challenges are often described as technical problems, ownership structures, tax considerations, legal documents, or timelines. All of those matter, but they’re rarely the real reason family businesses struggle with succession.

For the generation that built the business, stepping back is rarely just a career decision. It is a change of identity, and it deserves as much planning as any handover of shares.

Sibling rivalry is as old as families themselves, and in a family firm it has a stage, an audience and real money attached. Handled well, the competitive energy between brothers and sisters can drive a business forward. Left unchecked, it can split a company that took generations to build.

When a family business passes from one generation to the next, the assets are only part of the inheritance. Alongside the buildings, machinery and shares come a history, a reputation and expectations that can be difficult to escape.

Family businesses rarely fail because the market turns against them. More often, they fail from the inside.

Family Business United (FBU) has launched a new Family Business Apprentice Employers Badge, recognising and celebrating family businesses across the UK that are embracing apprenticeships and investing in the skills, talent and future of their businesses.

Family Business United’s Family Business Apprentice Employers Report 2026 reveals the scale of apprenticeship investment among leading family firms, with Bagnalls named the UK’s top family business apprentice employer.

Two decades after Anne Marie and Paul Cairney took on a tired pizza factory in Glasgow, the Victor Pizza Company has a new home in Coatbridge

Check out the film from the annual Family Business United dinner where the 2026 Family Business Lifetime Achievement Awards were presented.

There is something quietly remarkable about a family business that has spent more than six decades doing one thing very well.

Family Business United (FBU), the UK's independent media, membership and advocacy platform for the family business community, is celebrating its 15th anniversary.

Family Business United (FBU), the UK's independent media, membership and advocacy platform for the family business community, has confirmed that National Family Business Day 2027 will be celebrated on Tuesday 16 September. The annual day recognises the vital contribution family businesses make to the UK economy, from the smallest independent traders to the largest multigenerational enterprises, and provides an opportunity for families in business, their employees and the wide

A Family business tour & insight at Hall & Woodhouse in Dorset will bring together the story of a remarkable family business with a unique opportunity to experience the business from the inside.

Family Business United has announced the ten winners of this year's Lifetime Achievement Awards, celebrating decades of dedication, integrity and community spirit across the UK's family business community.

The only national awards dedicated to the UK family business sector are now open for entries. Find out more and enter today.

Family Business United has announced the launch of a new Women in Family Business Community, creating a dedicated space to recognise, explore and celebrate the contribution women make to family businesses across the UK.

When it comes to pensions and inheritance tax recent years have brought a series of significant tax changes that business owners must navigate.