Author Archives: Meg


About Meg

Meg grew up outside New York City and graduated from Brown University with a degree in Comparative Literature. After college she moved to California to work on an organic farm. For three years she ran a science education garden for elementary school children. Her interest in organic growing led her to get a Master’s degree from Cornell Agriculture School, after which she was hired to manage a large organic vegetable operation in New Jersey. Eventually Meg moved to New Hampshire and married Gary Hirshberg, founder and current President and CEO of Stonyfield Yogurt, whom she’d met at an organic farming conference. Meg worked in the business for several years, in sales and yogurt production. Stonyfield took nine painful years to reach profitability, and now, with about $350 million in sales, it is the largest organic yogurt company in the world. After Meg stopped working in the business, she wrote two yogurt cookbooks, and launched a career in freelance nonfiction feature writing for magazines, including Yankee, New Hampshire Magazine, and The Boston Globe Magazine. Currently Meg is a regular columnist for Inc. Magazine. Her column, “Balancing Acts”, focuses on work/life balance issues in an entrepreneurial setting, a subject she also addresses in speaking appearances. Meg enjoys gardening, going for long walks and teaching nonfiction writing at a community college. Meg and Gary have three children.

Congratulations Inc. magazine!

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Inc. just won the prestigious National Magazine Award for General Excellence for Special Interest Magazines.  Kind of like getting the Oscar for Best Picture.  Kudos to my friends: former Editor in Chief Jane Berentson, Managing Editor Alexandra Brez, Deputy Editor Dan Ferrara, Editor at Large (and my book and column editor) Leigh Buchanan, and the many other talented, hard working and creative people who together put out a helluva magazine every month.

Interview with Paul Karofsky, family business consultant

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Paul Karofsky

Paul Karofsky is the Founder and CEO of Transition Consulting Group, based in Framingham, Massachusetts and Palm Beach Gardens, Florida. Paul and his son, David, consult with families in business together about the challenges they face concerning the transition of leadership and ownership. Their goal is to facilitate communication and relationship-building among family members.

Paul Karofsky on why transitions in family business work well only half the time; on why it’s sometimes hard for the older generation to let go; on what questions families need to ask themselves; and on why occasionally progeny shed tears of relief that they are not the right fit to take over. 

Q:  Generally speaking, how well do leadership and ownership transitions go in family enterprises?

A:  Approximately 50-60% of the transitions go really well.  The others have hitches that can vary from serious breaches of trust to confusion about how to do the transition.  There’s often a lot of fear and anxiety on the part of the older generation around letting the younger generation take hold.  Can the kids handle it?  Can they take the company to the next level?  And, if so, what am I going to do with the rest of my life?  And what if the kids screw up?

Q:  What types of problems do you encounter when counseling families on business succession planning?

A:  I encounter older people with middle-aged “children” working in the business, and the owners either can’t or won’t let go.  I encourage people in that situation to commit to a date to retire.  Occasionally I run into someone who has brought their child into the business, and when the child surpasses the parent in terms of success or effectiveness, the parent feels proud, but also uncomfortable.  One of them complained to me:  “Look what it says about Continue reading →