The Process
The Path to a Successful Generational Succession
Succession is not a transaction. It's a process that plays out over years — across strategy, family dynamics, leadership development, and ownership structure. Here is how TMC walks alongside you through every stage of that journey, and how it begins.
Two ways to begin. One path forward.
The Self-Assessment is the preferred way to begin — it gives Davis useful context ahead of time — but it is not required. You can go straight to booking a Discovery Call.
- Steps 1 through 5
- 01
Discovery Call
No CostWhichever path brought you here — the Self-Assessment or booking directly — this is where both converge: a free, no-pressure conversation with Davis. Its purpose is insight and trust, not persuasion.
- 02
Review Meeting
No CostThis is where Davis shares his observations and you talk through what he found together. You and Davis discuss your highest-priority opportunities.
- 03
Succession Strategy Assessment
For families who are a strong fit, a structured, in-depth engagement evaluating leadership, ownership, family alignment, governance, business readiness, legacy, and advisor coordination — resulting in a practical roadmap for generational succession.
- 04
Advisory Partnership
An ongoing relationship as the family implements the roadmap: hard conversations, leadership development, governance, and adapting the plan as things change. TMC stays present for the decisions that surface mid-journey — not just the ones that were planned.
- 05
Continual Generational Succession
As the next generation takes over, the cycle continues. TMC's deepest relationships span more than one generational handoff — supporting the incoming generation as they find their footing so the business keeps passing forward.
What TMC doesn't do
TMC is not an operational consulting company. Being clear about that helps families know exactly what kind of advisor they're working with — and who else belongs in the room.
What TMC doesn't do:
Improve manufacturing operations or shop-floor processes
Design products or engineer production systems
Optimize day-to-day operational activities
Provide legal, tax, or financial-planning advice
TMC works alongside — not in place of — the company's legal, tax, financial, and operational advisors, focused specifically on the strategic, organizational, and human dimensions of generational succession.
Who this is for
TMC works with a specific kind of company, led by a specific kind of family.
- Ownership
- Family-owned, founder-led through fourth-generation-plus
- Industry
- American manufacturing companies
- Revenue
- Roughly $10M–$200M
- Employees
- 20–500
- Geography
- Initially focused on the Midwest
What guides the work
The five stages describe what happens. These four principles describe how TMC approaches the work at every stage.
Advisory, not transactional
TMC doesn't hand you a report and walk away. Davis stays in the work with you — present through the decisions, the surprises, and the conversations that matter most.
Lived experience, not theory
Every recommendation Davis makes is grounded in more than three decades inside a real family manufacturing business. He's been in the room where these decisions get made.
The family and the business, together
Succession fails most often not because of financial or legal mistakes, but because the family dimension wasn't addressed. TMC holds both threads simultaneously.
No prescribed outcome
TMC doesn't arrive with a predetermined answer. The right succession path is the one that fits your family, your business, and your values — not a template.
Common questions about the process
Straightforward answers to what families ask before they begin.
There is no universal answer — it depends on the complexity of the business, the ownership structure, the number of family members involved, and how far along the process has already begun. A well-structured succession typically unfolds over several years. The honest answer is that the businesses that struggle most are the ones that waited too long to start. If you're asking the question, it's not too early.
It's a straightforward, no-pressure conversation — not a sales call. If you completed the Self-Assessment first, Davis reaches out personally to schedule it after reviewing your responses. If you booked directly, the call happens on your schedule. Either way, Davis asks questions to understand your specific situation and listens. By the end of the call, you'll have a clearer sense of where you stand. There's no pitch and no obligation. If it's not a fit, Davis will say so plainly.
Yes — completely free. No credit card, no account, no automated follow-up. The Self-Assessment is a tool for you first. It gives you an honest snapshot of where your family business stands on succession readiness. Once submitted, Davis personally reviews your responses and follows up with his observations.
Take the Free Self-Assessment →No. The Self-Assessment is the preferred way to begin because it gives Davis useful context ahead of time, but it isn't required. If you'd rather talk first, you can book a Discovery Call directly — no assessment necessary.
Ready to begin? Choose the path that fits you.
Reflect first with the free Self-Assessment, or talk first by booking a Discovery Call directly. Davis is personally involved either way.