Would You Give Your Employees Skin In The Game in Ann Arbor?

In family businesses, there are two main ways stock gets diluted: it gets passed on to employees or it’s passed down through the generations.  We often see the first situation occur in families when owners give out shares to non-family executives as part of a compensation package.

Although some businesses are family owned, that doesn’t necessarily mean they are run by members of the family. And in order to get those non-family members to approach the business with the same “family” mindset, many business owners are giving their employees skin in the game.

The most common form of “skin” in the game is company stock. Done right, this approach can be a win-win for all parties involved. That said, great caution is due; beware, as described in a recent WealthManagement.com article titled “The Tyranny of Minority Shareholders.”

Structuring your family business for the future is not an easy task. What of value in life is? While each company and family is different, making a key employee a part owner certainly can give them added incentive to run things when the family cannot or will not.

On the downside, you can create tension between the family owners and the key employee turned minority shareholder. For example, conflicts can arise should the majority owners (i.e., the family members) take actions in their own self-interests without considering the concerns of the minority owners (i.e., non-family members). In some cases, a minority shareholder can be protected by state and federal laws as in the case discussed in the original article regarding the Empire State Building IPO.

Even if you do not own an international landmark, there are many ways you, your family, your non-family executives, and, yes, your business, can find a happy medium. However, it takes time and qualified counsel to structure things correctly.

If you want to talk with Terry Bertram, an estate planning attorney, visit www.elderlawannarbor.com.

Reference: WealthManagement.com (June 20, 2013) “The Tyranny of Minority Shareholders”