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.

What happens when successors finally have a system that helps them lead with clarity instead of chaos?

Andrea sits down with Adam Hill and Jacqueline Jensen to explore how EOS (the

Entrepreneurial Operating System) changed their leadership—and their companies.

You’ll hear their origin stories in family business, what EOS made possible, and their favorite

tools (V/TO, Issues Solving Track, Scorecard). Together they sketch a people-first picture of EOS: structure that actually liberates successors to lead with confidence, communicate honestly, and build healthy teams.

What You’ll Hear in This Episode:

• Adam’s turnaround story: from near insolvency to aligned, profitable growth on EOS.
• Jacqueline’s shift from 80-hour weeks to a thriving, people-first culture through self-implementation.
• Why structure → freedom: EOS as bumpers that keep vision and values on track.
• Favorite tools that changed their leadership (V/TO, IDS/Issues Solving Track, Scorecard).
• How EOS separates relationships from roles so families can lead—and love—better.

Connect with Adam Hill:

Email: adam.hill@eosworldwide.com

Connect with Jacqueline Jensen:

Email: jacqueline.jensen@eosworldwide.com

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 it mean to be Generation 1.5—old enough to remember the drywall dust, young enough to build the next playbook?

At just 20 years old, JR runs leasing at Victory Real Estate Group, sits at city council meetings for development projects, and co-founded NextGenX—a peer group for successors who know legacy is about people, not just money. He also launched Retail Equity, introducing capital raising to a business his father built without outside capital.

This episode dives into succession in motion, the courage to pitch innovation to the founder, and why “relational, not transactional” might be the most important mindset for the next generation.

You’ll hear:

• JR’s father’s rags-to-riches story and why it fuels his work ethic.
• Why weekends on job sites shaped JR’s identity as Generation 1.5.
• The early succession moves at Victory: bringing in a CFO and COO.
• How JR pitched capital raising to his dad—and why it stuck.
• Why curated peer groups are the future of successor learning.

Connect with Jahan “JR” Ramji:

Victory Real Estate Group: victoryrealestategroup.com

NextGenX: thenextgenx.com

LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/jahanramji

For Victory Group & Retail Equity inquiries, I can be reached at jr@vg-re.com

For NextGenX inquiries, I can be reached at jr@thenextgenx.com

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.

Ever felt like the transition timeline is moving impossibly slow—while your career clock is

ticking fast?

AJ Treleven (EVP, Sprague Pest Solutions) walks us through the governance backbone of a century-old family enterprise: outside directors to buffer family from operations, a two-meeting cadence that separates fiduciary work from family dynamics, and a long-view philosophy that treats roles as stewarded “seats,” not permanent thrones. We dig into next-gen readiness, why “happiness is dictated by expectation,” and the underrated power of choosing to be in the business—rather than feeling forced.

You’ll learn:

• How family governance (annual family meetings + owner education) pairs with business governance (outside board, comp committee) to reduce friction.
• The two-meeting system: unit holder (fiduciary) vs. family meeting (relationships/learning).
• Why stewardship > ownership: leave the seat better, and measure leaders by the people they promote.
• The “nose in, fingers out” model for elder generations (grandparent the business).
• The mindset shift: choose to be there; align expectations or expect resentment.
• Personal growth math: if the business grows 10%, grow yourself 11%.
• 
  

Connect with AJ Treleven:

Sprague Pest Solutions — https://www.spraguepest.com/

Pacific Family Business Institute — https://www.pacificfamilybusiness.com/

Connect with Andrea Carpenter and Your NextGen 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.

This solo episode is a little different. Andrea shares her personal answers to the three reflective questions she now asks every guest on the podcast—designed to move us through past, present, and future.

✨ Questions explored in this episode:

1. What have I chosen not to inherit?
2. What’s a part of my story that I’m learning to honor right now?
3. In one word, what am I the first of in my family?

Andrea opens up about letting go of the belief that success requires sacrificing family time, redefining what it means to be entrepreneurial, and stepping into the vulnerable role of being the “first” to go public about family, identity, and legacy.

If you’re a next gen navigating the tension of privilege, pressure, and possibility—this episode is for you.

👉 Leave a review, share this episode with a friend, and join Andrea on LinkedIn or Instagram (@yournextgenfriend) to keep the conversation going.

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 if stepping into family business leadership meant putting on someone else’s suit every day—literally and figuratively?

In this episode, Andrea sits down with sixth-generation CEO Anne Bauer, who shares how trying to lead like her dad left her feeling disconnected and creatively stuck. Anne opens up about the moment she realized she needed to stop copying and start leading authentically—and how that shift changed everything.

We explore Anne’s Three Pillars of Legacy framework—clear communication, healthy boundaries, and energetic awareness—and how energy work can transform how we show up inside family systems. If you’ve ever felt the pressure to preserve legacy while losing yourself in the process, this one’s for you.

• Anne’s unexpected leap from “just helping out” to leading her family’s sixth-gen business
• What it feels like to lead in someone else’s shoes—and how to shed the “executive dude suit”
• Navigating sibling transitions across ranching, citrus, and aviation companies
• Her Three Pillars of Legacy—and why energy work matters more than you think
• The difference between being a steward and tying your identity to the business
• How to lead while raising the next generation—and why you don’t have to inherit what doesn’t serve you

Website: https://thelegacyevolution.com/

Free resources: Quarterly magazine, blog, podcast, and more.

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

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

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

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

Podcast theme music by Transistor.fm.

00:00 Introduction: Meet Anne Bauer, Sixth-Generation CEO

01:27 Anne’s Unexpected Path into Family Business

06:34 The Difficult Conversations That Made Transition Possible

08:52 Wearing the “Little Executive Dude Suit” - The Authenticity Challenge

13:42 What Support Could Have Changed Everything

15:01 Sibling Dynamics and Multiple Business Transitions

19:18 From Coaching Herself to Helping Other Family Businesses

24:29 The Three Pillars of Legacy Framework

28:58 Getting Started with Energetic Awareness

35:50 Rapid Fire: What Haven’t You Inherited?

38:12 Learning to Honor Your Story While Leading

39:33 Being the First: Building Bridges Between Past and Future