Martha L. Sullivan

Martha Sullivan is a family business consultant, business advisor, recovering-CPA, certified exit planning and value growth advisor, and family business consultant who helps established family and other privately held business owners build thriving companies that can transition to the next generation or garner value upon exit.

Most businesses wrestle with the overlapping responsibilities that come with management and ownership of the company. Running a company is different from building one that grows its top line, net income, and overall valuation simultaneously. When you focus only on revenue or profit, you may not have value. Layer in the dynamics of family, and the need for strong systems of communication, governance, and leadership accelerate. Martha helps companies understand and focus on value so they may have value, growth, profitability and alignment amongst family, ownership and leadership.

Martha is a Consultant with the global advisory firm The Family Business Consulting Group in Chicago, IL (www.thefbcg.com). She is the also the founder and President of Provenance Hill Consulting (www.provenancehill.com), which is the culmination of her journey from an information-systems professional to rebellious CPA to exit planning and value growth expert.

She has had the honor of being a non-family executive in two family-owned companies, COO of a 100-person professional services firm and consulted with many more privately held companies. Her work includes business turnarounds, leadership development, financial systems management, mergers, and acquisitions, and growing vibrant, valuable, and transferable businesses.

A brief example of her podcast work includes: “Alternatives for Family Business Succession” - ILMA Lube Trends Podcast, “Always Have an Exit Strategy: Building a Saleable Business” – Million Dollar Passions Podcast and “Succession Food Fights” – Accelerate Your Business Growth Podcast.

Editorial work includes Family Business Advisor “Money Talks: Financial Conversations for Family Businesses,” Forbes –“Royal Family’s Crisis Has Lessons For All Family Businesses,” The Business Journals "Is it time to sell your small business? How to prepare for and maximize your sale," and Financial Advisor Magazine "Why Every Business Needs An Exit Plan."

In addition to her regular “Exit Stage Right” blog in In Business Magazine (www.ibmadison.com/viewpoints/), Martha provides owners with business improvement insights through numerous public speaking, webinar and podcast events and contributes to additional articles in Authority Magazine, Forbes Finance Council, Real Simple, Journal of Accounting, and the Telegraph Herald.