What really happens when the business you’re buying belongs to your parents — and everyone has an opinion about what’s “fair”?

Today’s episode dives into the emotional, operational, and relational reality of third-generation succession with Mitch Gambert, the new owner of Gambert Shirts, a legacy American shirtmaker in Newark, NJ.

If you’re in the thick of a transition — managing expectations, navigating sibling fairness, or trying to separate family identity from business decisions — this episode will feel like a deep exhale.

Mitch shares candidly about the years-long process of structuring his buyout, the emotional push-pull with his parents, and why succession feels like starting over… even after 20+ years in the business.

In this episode, you’ll learn:

• How Mitch found his way back into the business after 9/11
• The moment he realized he wanted to buy the company
• Why sibling fairness became the hardest emotional layer
• The importance of facilitated conversations and strong legal teams
• What Mitch wishes more successors understood about “starting over”
• What he’s building now as the third-generation owner

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Connect with Mitch Gambert:

Website: https://gambertshirts.com

Email: mitchg@gambertshirts.com

Connect with Andrea Carpenter and Your Next Gen Friend:

Website: https://yournextgenfriend.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/yournextgenfriend/

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@yournextgenfriend

Andrea on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/andreashaver/

Subscribe to “Your Next Gen Friend” on your favorite podcast player:

Spotify: https://yournextgenfriend.com/open-spotify

Apple Podcasts: https://yournextgenfriend.com/apple-podcast

Podcast theme music by Transistor.fm.

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Chapters in This Episode

00:00 – Episode open + host intro

01:00 – Mitch joins the conversation

02:15 – Growing up in the factory & the multigenerational origin story

05:20 – The journey back after 9/11: choosing the family business

08:35 – When the idea of buying the company actually began

10:15 – Navigating sibling equity, fairness, and future upside

12:30 – The emotional push-pull with parents during negotiations

15:40 – Why facilitated conversations mattered

18:45 – “Starting over” at 52 and the realities of third-generation transition

22:48 – The hardest part: separating emotion from business

25:50 – What went well and what Mitch would recommend to others

28:10 – What’s next for Gambert Shirts

31:00 – Reflection Round: Andrea’s three signature questions

33:40 – Close + outro

Ever felt like you’re wearing someone else’s leadership suit? In family business, it’s easy to inherit roles, patterns, and assumptions that don’t fit. In this solo episode, Andrea breaks down the IMAP assessment—a practical framework to name your natural wiring so you can lead with clarity (not copycat energy).

You’ll learn how motivated roles map to a project’s lifecycle (Idea → Prototype → Develop → Refine → Maximize), why operating outside your role drains energy, and how temperament and impact style shape the way you show up.

What You’ll Hear in This Episode

• The 5 motivated roles and how to find yours across a project’s lifecycle
• Why “not my role” ≠ weakness—and how role-misalignment mimics burnout
• Andrea’s wiring (Refiner/Maximizer, Internal Futurist, Feeler-Planner, Analyst) and how it shows up in client work
• Practical scripts for teammates with different temperaments (planner vs. adapter, internal vs. social)
• How successors can design roles that fit them—not just the previous leader
• Invite: Fall IMAP cohort for successors who want to apply this in community

Connect with Andrea Carpenter and Your Next Gen Friend:

• Website: https://yournextgenfriend.com/
• Your Next Gen Friend on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/yournextgenfriend/
• Your Next Gen Friend on Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@yournextgenfriend
• Andrea on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/andreashaver/

Subscribe to "Your Next Gen Friend" on your favorite podcast player:

• Spotify: https://yournextgenfriend.com/open-spotify
• Apple Podcasts: https://yournextgenfriend.com/apple-podcast

Podcast theme music by Transistor.fm.

What does clarity really look like in a family business?

In this episode, Andrea talks with third-generation leader Adam Hatcher, who shares how a simple letter from his father set the standard for joining the family firm—and why that decision changed everything. Together they unpack the complex mix of love, loyalty, and leadership that defines multi-generational companies and the systems that help them thrive.

If you’ve ever wondered how to enter your family business without losing yourself in it, this conversation will feel like a mirror.

What You’ll Hear in This Episode:

• The five criteria Adam’s father required before any child could join the business
• Why clarity and systems protect relationships as much as profits
• How to avoid “drifting into” the family company by default
• The difference between being family-fit and role-fit
• What happens when unconditional love meets conditional business realities
• The conversation that aligned ambition, faith, and growth at $200 million in revenue

Connect with Adam Hatcher:

Website: https://21clear.com

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/adamhatcher/

Adam’s Newsletter: https://21clear.substack.com/

Connect with Andrea Carpenter and Your Next Gen Friend:

Website: https://yournextgenfriend.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/yournextgenfriend/

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@yournextgenfriend

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/andreashaver/

Subscribe to Your Next Gen Friend on your favorite podcast player:

Spotify: https://yournextgenfriend.com/open-spotify

Apple Podcasts: https://yournextgenfriend.com/apple-podcast

Podcast theme music by Transistor.fm.