SuccessionReady Podcast
Featured Episode
What Is SuccessionReady?
In this episode, James Grieve and Ashka Wirk, co-founders of SuccessionReady, introduce you to succession planning and why it’s important, walk you through the SuccessionReady approach, and provide some guidance on next steps.
Season 1, Episode 1 | 38min
Meet The Hosts
Ashka Wirk
James Grieve
James Grieve, Principal of Catalyst Strategies, is the co-creator of SuccessionReady. He has a passion for helping founder-lead and emerging businesses build, thrive, and grow. For over 20 years, he has worked closely with business owners to design and develop strategies and systems that create value and make a positive and sustainable difference in the lives of business owners, their employees, and their customers.
Ashka Wirk, Principal of Wirk Consulting, is the co-creator of SuccessionReady. She grew up working in her family’s business, is a seasoned private sector CEO, and has helped leaders, teams, and organizations of all types to set their North Star, engage their key stakeholders, and map a clear path forward for nearly 20 years.
Season One
Episode 1
What is SuccessionReady?
In this episode, James Grieve and Ashka Wirk, co-founders of SuccessionReady, introduce you to succession planning and why it’s important, walk you through the SuccessionReady approach, and provide some guidance on next steps.
Episode 2
SuccessionReady – The Client Experience
In this episode, co-hosts James Grieve and Ashka Wirk are joined by Halee Fried. Halee is the founder of a family-owned business, Farmstrong Cider Company, located in Armstrong, British Columbia, Canada. Halee and her family were early adopter clients of the SuccessionReady approach to succession planning. Halee shares her experience with founding and growing Farmstrong, her succession planning experience with SuccessionReady, and her advice to other founders thinking about succession planning for their businesses.
Episode 3
Succession Planning – The Marketing Angle
In this episode, co-creators of SuccessionReady – James Grieve and Ashka Wirk — are joined by Rob Cupello, VP of Business Development of NowMedia Group. Rob brings two decades of strategic planning and marketing for crown corporations, the tourism industry and a broad variety of small and medium sized businesses. His passion is to help brands build their business and always look outside the traditional approach to ensure every marketing dollar spent sees a return on investment. Rob shares his insights about the top things founders need to think through from a marketing and brand strategy perspective as they consider succession planning for their business.
Episode 4
Have You Thought about a Co-operative?
In this episode, James Grieve and Ashka Wirk speak to Heather Hallgrimson. Heather is the former Director of Entrepreneurship for Co-operatives First, a non-profit organization that provides co-op start-up resources, such as feasibility studies, business plans, online courses, and incorporation support to rural and Indigenous entrepreneurs across western Canada. Their goal is to help leaders in these communities build new businesses, grow local economies, and support community development. Heather tells us about what a co-operative is – the benefits and the drawbacks, provides examples of founder-led businesses that have successfully transitioned their business to a co-operative model, and gives her advice to founders curious about co-operatives as a path to succession.
Season Two
Episode 1
What Can You Expect from Working with SuccessionReady?
James Grieve and Ashka Wirk, co-founders of SuccessionReady, talk through what you, as a founder-led business, can expect from working with SuccessionReady.
Episode 2
Are You Thinking of Selling Your Business?
Steve Harvey, a Commercial Realtor, Certified Business Broker, and founder and President of Business Finders Canada engages in a discussion about what founder-led businesses need to consider as you prepare your business for sale.
Episode 3
How Your Local Economic Development Organization Can Help You as a Founder-Led Business
Kate Watson, the Marketing and Business Support Coordinator for the Salmon Arm Economic Development Society, talks about how organizations like hers help founder-led businesses through the full life cycle of a business – from start up, to scaling, to succession.
Episode 4
Process Mapping, Design, and Redesign – Why Is It Important and How Do You Do It?
Michael Rosen, a process improvement practitioner, shares his experience about the importance of analyzing, mapping, and improving processes by eliminating waste, automating process steps, and performing system enhancements – to help your founder-led business today and set it up for succession planning into the future.
Season Three
Episode 1
What is SuccessionReady?
In this episode, James Grieve and Ashka Wirk, co-founders of SuccessionReady, introduce you to succession planning and why it’s important, walk you through the SuccessionReady approach, and provide guidance on the next steps.
Episode 2
Digital Transformation Considerations for Founder-Led Businesses
Jean-Eric Plamondon, Principal of Winnipeg-based Growth Strategy Consulting, provides his insights about how business owners can build sustainable processes and systems to increase the predictability of their business while simplifying the need to be involved in the day to day tasks – using technology as a tool.
Episode 3
The Ins and Outs of Insurance
Austin Dunn, an Account Executive with Wilson M. Beck Insurance Services, provides advice to founder-led businesses about recognizing and managing the risks that may impact their businesses – today and as they prepare for succeeding their businesses in the future.
Episode 4
Have You Considered an Employee Share Ownership Plan?
Our guest for this episode is Martin Bell, the CEO of Urban Systems. Martin talks to us about his company’s unique employee ownership model – to spark insights for you as a founder-led business considering succession options.
Season Four
Episode 1
Succession Planning for Economic Development
In this episode, SuccessionReady co-creators James Grieve and Ashka Wirk discuss the insights they learned from economic development professionals about the challenges facing their communities regarding succession planning for local businesses during the SuccessionReady session at the 2024 BC Economic Summit, hosted by the BC Economic Development Association.
Episode 2
Succession Planning and Legacy
Lee Vanderlaan, the CEO of the Vanderlaan Family Office, shares her story of the series of successions in her family business, as well as the set up of the Vanderlaan Family Office, whose purpose is to ensure the lasting impact, contributions, and achievements attributed by her family enterprise through generations.
Episode 3
Female Founders and Succession Planning
James Grieve and Ashka Wirk have a conversation with Danica Dutt, the President of Kelowna Women in Business, about her insights, experiences, and stories of female founders and their approaches to succession planning.
Episode 4
Succession Planning for Farm Businesses
Liz Robertson, Executive Director of the Canadian Association of Farm Advisors, shares what she’s noticing about the needs of farmers and farm businesses from a succession planning perspective.
Season Five
Episode 1
Becoming SuccessionReady from the VIEA State of the Island Economic Summit 2024
In this episode, taped during the VIEA State of the Island Economic Summit 2024, SuccessionReady co-creator Ashka Wirk moderates a panel of experts – Ehren Lee of Urban Systems, Joshua Ludgate of Small Business BC, and Kyle White of Co-operatives First. Together, they share their insights, experiences, and innovative approaches for small and medium-sized businesses, and especially founder-led businesses, to navigate and thrive through succession planning.
Episode 2
Business Valuation and Succession Planning
Michael Smith, President of Smith Business Valuations, shares advice and guidance for founders thinking of a business valuation as part of their succession planning process – what to expect, how to prepare, what can get in the way, and how to set you and your business up for a smooth process and outcome.
Episode 3
Effective Communication in Family Business
James Grieve and Ashka Wirk have a conversation with Patti Durand, Principal of Brightrack Consulting, about her work guiding family businesses from complex urgency to results-oriented action.
Season Six
Episode 1
What is SuccessionReady?
In this episode, James Grieve and Ashka Wirk, co-founders of SuccessionReady, introduce you to succession planning and why it’s important, walk you through the SuccessionReady approach, and provide guidance on next steps.
Episode 2
Preparing the Next Generation in Family Enterprises
Judi Cunningham, founder of Trella Advisory Group, explores one of the most challenging aspects of transition in family enterprises – preparing the next generation. She shares what she has learned about working with senior generations to build the knowledge and skills in the next generation for effective succession.
Episode 3
Life Insurance and Succession Planning
Mike Kuzma, Client Solutions Manager at The Targeted Strategies Group, shares how life insurance can be a powerful tool in succession planning and long-term wealth preservation.
Episode 4
Succession Planning in the Collision Repair Industry
Trevor Jones, Area Manager of Operations – Prairie Region with CarStar Canada, shares his personal succession journey and the importance of succession planning at CarStar, North America’s largest Multi-Shop Operator Network of independently owned collision repair facilities.
Season Seven
Episode 1
SuccessionReady – The Client Experience
In this episode, co-hosts James Grieve and Ashka Wirk are joined by Halee Fried. Halee is the founder of a family-owned business, Farmstrong Cider Company, located in Armstrong, British Columbia, Canada. Halee and her family were early adopter clients of the SuccessionReady approach to succession planning. Halee shares her experience with founding and growing Farmstrong, her succession planning experience with SuccessionReady, and her advice to other founders thinking about succession planning for their businesses.
Episode 2
The Co-op Advantage – A New Model for Business Succession
In this episode, SuccessionReady co-creators James Grieve and Ashka Wirk are joined by Kyle White, Director of Education at Co-operatives First. Kyle breaks down how co-operatives work, shares real-world success stories, and explores how the co-op model can offer a powerful path to succession.
Episode 3
A New Path to Succession – How Employee Ownership Can Protect Your Legacy
In this episode, SuccessionReady co-creators James Grieve and Ashka Wirk are joined by Michael Ras, CEO of Employee Ownership Canada. Michael explains employee ownership and why it offers a compelling succession path that keeps jobs local and preserves a founder’s legacy.
Episode 4
Talent is the Bridge – How a People Strategy Enhances Succession Planning
In this episode, co-hosts James Grieve and Ashka Wirk are joined by David Litherland, Partner at Summit Search Group. David shares why recruitment is a critical part of succession planning, the importance of planning across all levels of an organization, and how organizations can take a proactive approach to future leadership.
Season Eight
Episode 1
What Can You Expect from Working with SuccessionReady?
In this episode, James Grieve and Ashka Wirk, co-founders of SuccessionReady, talk through what you, as a founder-led business, can expect from working with SuccessionReady.
Episode 2
Governance as the Catalyst for being SuccessionReady
In this episode, co-hosts Ashka Wirk and James Grieve are joined by Barb Schimnowsky, CMC, FEA, Partner at Watson Advisors Inc. Barb shares how governance, director recruitment, and leadership dynamics can help family and founder-led businesses thrive and transition successfully. She explains why governance matters even in early growth stages, how to build effective boards or advisory councils, and the importance of recruiting directors who align with family values while bringing independent strategic thinking. Through real-world examples, Barb illustrates how governance supports leadership transitions, balances family priorities with business performance, and acts as a performance multiplier by shifting decision-making from reactive to strategic.
Episode 3
Open-Book Leadership: Building Trust, Alignment, and Legacy in Family and Founder-Led Businesses
In this episode, co-hosts James Grieve and Ashka Wirk are joined by Ryan Markewich, an advocate for open-book cultures and transparent leadership. Ryan discusses how open-book leadership builds trust, drives alignment, and prepares family and founder-led businesses for long-term success and smooth succession. He shares strategies for overcoming founder resistance to transparency, connecting open-book practices to succession readiness, and using openness as a performance multiplier. Through real-world examples, Ryan highlights how transparency encourages employees to think like owners, strengthens alignment between family goals and business results, and reduces founder dependency.
Episode 4
Values-based Legacy Planning
In this episode, co-hosts Ashka Wirk and James Grieve are joined by Sandy Pollack, founder of Trimaran Advisory Group and author of Don’t Leave a Mess. With more than 25 years of experience advising entrepreneurial families, Sandy takes a deeply values-based approach to legacy, helping clients protect their wealth while creating meaningful plans for the future. She explains why effective succession and estate planning must begin with values and strategy, and how uncovering the human side of wealth brings clarity, reduces conflict, and builds legacies with purpose.
Is Your Business SuccessionReady?
Ensuring your business is SuccessionReady means more than planning for leadership transition; it’s about securing your company’s future success. At SuccessionReady, we collaborate with you to develop a comprehensive succession plan that aligns with your vision and values, ensuring your legacy endures. Our services include personalized consulting, coaching, and training to prepare you and your team for seamless transitions. Engaging in proactive succession planning not only safeguards your business continuity but also enhances its value and operational resilience. Start the process today to explore your options and secure your business’s future.