Succession isn’t a handover.

It’s a shift in identity.

For the founder, it can feel like letting go of a limb.

For the next generation, it can feel like stepping into a legacy that’s both inspiring and heavy.

In this episode of The Green Room Podcast, I walk through the five things I’ve seen that really make succession work — the things that protect the family, the founder, and the future of the business.

Because succession isn’t a transaction.

It’s a relationship decision dressed up as a business plan.

And if it wins financially but costs you Christmas lunch - it’s way too expensive.

In this episode of The Green Room, Chris Green talks about the moment many business owners reach when they feel tired, overwhelmed and stuck under what he calls the entrepreneurial ceiling. He explains why that feeling is not failure, but a signal that it is time to do things differently. Chris walks through how building systems, developing people and stepping back from doing everything yourself allows you to move from being the hero in the business to becoming the architect of something sustainable. A practical and reflective episode about creating freedom, momentum and a business that truly supports you.

Most business owners don’t feel stuck because they’re lazy or unmotivated.

They feel stuck because everything feels heavier than it should.

More offers.

More systems.

More meetings.

More decisions landing back on the owner.

In this episode, Chris explores a pattern he sees repeatedly in growing businesses: the moment where effort increases but clarity disappears.

You’ll hear why growth plateaus are rarely random, how “doing more” can quietly become the problem, and what it really means to design a business that supports the next stage of growth rather than fighting it.

This episode is for business owners who know they’re capable of more, but suspect the answer isn’t adding another thing to the list.

Most businesses don’t struggle because of their people.

They struggle because the structure was never designed properly.

In this episode, Chris explores why strong businesses are built by designing roles and responsibilities first, then placing the right people into those roles, not the other way around.

Drawing on real client conversations and lessons from Jim Collins’ Good to Great, Chris challenges the idea of “just getting good people” and explains why clarity of structure, roles, and execution is what actually allows people to thrive.

What makes a great leader? Yes, great leaders work hard. Yes, they use their strengths well. But the standout trait? They know how to detach from the result and stay curious about what created it.

Great leaders don’t get bogged down in whether an outcome was a success or a failure. Instead, they approach it like a science experiment. They analyse the system, test hypotheses, identify what works, lock it in, and keep evolving.

Chris references Russell Ackoff’s perspective that a system is not the sum of its parts, but the product of their interactions, and draws on Dr Jason Fox’s idea that there’s no such thing as failure – only a disproved hypothesis.

If you’re constantly reacting to outcomes instead of engineering them, this episode will shift how you think about leadership and drive continuous improvement.

Discover how one business grew from $2M to $20M by having someone challenge their thinking. Chris shares why success often comes from being pushed to think bigger – and asks: who’s doing that for you?

Today Chris shares a powerful story from rural New South Wales about a fourth-generation family business he’s worked with for more than 13 years. Their success didn’t come from playing it safe. They aggressively entered new markets, formed strong partnerships, introduced new product lines and backed each other to have a crack.

What sets them apart is their mindset. They don't let the fear of failure get in the way. They understand risk, learn quickly when things don’t go to plan and use that learning to fuel their next move.

In this episode Chris challenges you to reflect on how you are balancing your natural negative bias with your growth aspirations. Growth happens when you mitigate risk through planning – not when you avoid it.

If you want extraordinary results, you have to back yourself.

In today’s episode, I’m sharing a story about a fourth-generation business that achieved 41% growth in a really tough market. I’ll walk you through the three levers they pulled: building capacity, strengthening their supply chain, and committing to long-term positioning. By the end, you’ll have some practical insight into how these same levers can support growth in your own business.