From Founder to Future: A Business Roadmap to Impact, Longevity, and Employee Ownership

By John Abrams

Learn how to transition leadership, implement shared ownership, and preserve your organization's core values--setting the stage for your business to thrive for generations to come.

This visionary but practical handbook offers mission-driven business owners a roadmap for ensuring their company's lasting impact, building leadership internally, and fostering participatory management.

Through inspiring real-world stories of B-Corps, worker co-ops, ESOPs, and employee ownership trusts, this book demonstrates how to create resilient organizations that benefit workers and communities.

Drawing on his 50-year journey with South Mountain Company and extensive research, Abrams outlines five critical transitions for mission-driven businesses to become what he calls a CommonWealth company:
From founder to next-generation leadership
From sole ownership to widely shared
From hierarchical control to democratic management
From unprotected mission to preserved purpose
From business-as-usual to B Corp force for good

From Founder to Future is an essential guide for mission-driven leaders seeking to reshape their businesses for inclusivity, longevity, and positive impact. Whether you're a retiring owner planning your exit, a young entrepreneur building for the future, or an employee working in a purpose-driven business, this book offers a blueprint for creating enduring, values-driven enterprises in the emerging regenerative economy.

As 3,000,000 U.S. small business founders over 55 prepare to retire, $10 trillion in assets will change hands over the next two decades. This timely guide shows how to preserve your company's mission and legacy while empowering the next generation.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1523006811
• ISBN13: 9781523006816
• Release Date: June 2025
• Publisher: Berrett-Koehler Publishers
• Length: 240 Pages
• Weight: 0.81 lbs.