Interested in starting your own entrepreneurial journey in estate and legal planning but unsure what to expect? Then read up on our interview with Peter Brand, Co-Founder & CFO of Family Playbook, located in New York, NY, USA.
What's your business, and who are your customers?
Family Playbook is the leading online service to help families organize, protect and share information that they need to pass down to their loved ones.
The Family Playbook platform guides members through a series of discovery questions that form the basis of their Playbook. Topics such as legal, financial, property, key contacts, and end-of-life wishes are covered. Subscribers easily customize their Playbook to address specific needs as well as share private remembrances with invited guests in a digitally secure environment.
Tell us about yourself
I am an entrepreneur with a focus on digital transformation. Oddly this transformation had spanned my entire career, starting when the internet was the new and fairly skeptical thing. I have built (with my teams) and successfully exited several ventures with the commonality of moving industries from an old-school methodology to a better digital mouse trap, so to speak. Family Playbook evolved out of the personal experience of losing my mother and the aftermath of managing (poorly) all the information, documentation, and bureaucracy organizing her affairs. There was no central or comprehensive place housing all the information that was needed. The information that was available was fragmented and held by various players such as law offices, accountants, financial advisors, friends, and family. The lightbulb that went off developed a secure digital platform that empowers people to create a "playbook" that could be shared with designated people while one is alive and create greater transparency. Losing a loved one is hard enough to deal with grief; our aim is to reduce the burden and eliminate the macabre and depressing document scavenger hunt.
What's your biggest accomplishment as a business owner?
Every venture I have been associated with has resulted in a successful and profitable exit. The only exceptions are my three current ventures, which are in fairly early stages. What I am most proud of is watching members of my current and former teams develop and grow.
What's one of the hardest things that comes with being a business owner?
It juggles every aspect of the business and being (or trying to be) an expert or competent in each and every area. While the owner doesn't have to do everything, they do need to be in a position to make decisions or approve most key things. At the same time, this is hard at times, but probably what I like the most because each day comes with a basket of new and fresh challenges to solve.
What are the top tips you'd give to anyone looking to start, run and grow a business today?
- It is ok to be uncomfortable. It is a sign of growth and pushing your limits.
- Having a supportive family or friend network is very important, and having a cheerleader(s), especially early on, is important.
- You do not need to be the smartest person in the room; surround yourself with talented people with different backgrounds and viewpoints.
Where can people find you and your business?
Website: https://www.familyplaybook.com/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/peter-brand-438b471/
If you like what you've read here and have your own story as a solo or small business entrepreneur that you'd like to share, then please answer these interview questions. We'd love to feature your journey on these pages.
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