Beyond a biological threat, the Covid pandemic will have a lasting impact on family-owned businesses across the nation and around the world. Covid, and society's reaction to the pandemic, threatens our way of life.
Business owners, through no fault of their own, have been forced to react to government shutdowns, customer fears, and employee anxieties. No matter the industry, family business owners must respond to a new normal---in a place, where nothing is normal.
Resilience is about learning from the experiences of others and developing new coping mechanisms. It’s about overcoming the challenges of a post-Covid pandemic economy and finding the paths to an even more successful tomorrow.

Thought Leader and Succession Planning Specialist
Kevin Spafford is a thought leader and succession planning specialist. Since 2005 Kevin has:
As the architect of the award-winning* Farm Journal Legacy Project, Kevin improved the way family business owners engage in the succession planning process. He was the founder of Legacy by Design, a succession planning firm dedicated exclusively to serving the needs of farmers, ranchers, and agribusiness owners. As a Wealth Manager with offices in Spokane WA and Yuba City CA, he works with farmers, ranchers, and family business owners across the Pacific Northwest and throughout Northern California.
In 2006, Kevin’s first book, Legacy by Design: Succession Planning for Agribusiness Owners, was published by Marketplace Books®. He’s earned a Bachelor of Science in Agricultural Management with a concentration in Business, from California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo, CA. Among a series of professional designations and licenses, Kevin is also a CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™.
* In 2011, the Farm Journal Legacy Project was awarded the Grand Neal Award considered one of the most prestigious editorial honors in the field of specialized journalism.
AS SEEN IN
As an association leader you have a vested interest in the results of our research.
Family business owners look to you for guidance; they trust that you have the education, experience, and access to the expertise that may help them avoid the pitfalls of a future pandemic and create a better future.
Participating in the Resilience project gives you a front row seat as we distill the lessons from top business owners and devise solutions to overcome the next pandemic.
Resilience delivers:
Questions I will be asking Business Owners:
Please tell me about your business. What are you trying to accomplish?
- 1Please tell me about your business. What are you trying to accomplish?
- 2How has the ‘Covid pandemic’ affected you, your family, and your business?
- 3What did you do right to prepare for this pandemic and the sudden, unexpected, and dramatic downturn in the economy?
- 4What did you NOT anticipate, therefore NOT prepare for, due to this pandemic and the sudden downturn in the economy?
- 5If you could live it over again what would you do differently to prepare for a pandemic of this magnitude?
- 6What are you doing now (today) to recover from the challenges brought on by the pandemic?
- 7What business opportunities could, or may, you capture due to the pandemic?
- 8How have you changed your business, operations, etc. to capture opportunities that may come out of the crisis?
For participating in Resilience, I’m pleased to offer you a copy of Legacy’s eBook "Valuing Closely Held Businesses"
Value is the result of many interrelated factors. Business owners are attracted to and gravitate toward those people who can help them increase value.
"Valuing Closely Held Businesses" is your primer for learning what factors are included in a valuation and more importantly what you can do to help your members increase that value.
Click the image to get the copy of "Valuing Closely Held Businesses" eBook.
How do I send referrals?
CALL KEVIN: (530) 671-2100