I was recently reading the latest Business Dialogue document published by the Central Bank of Malta, which was based on contacts and interviews done with Maltese businesses between April & June 2026. The report outlined that the second quarter of 2026 demonstrated continued economic growth for business (non-financial corporations) operating in Malta, with the net …
What Maltese Family Businesses Can Learn from China’s Successful Businesses
Many family businesses in Malta struggle with speed, succession, and operational scaling. In a recent Harvard Business Review discussion, author Dan Wang broke down the structural engines driving modern Chinese business success. While China’s massive manufacturing landscape operates on a vastly different scale than Malta's small economy, the underlying principles offer powerful lessons for Maltese …
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Arriving Before
As a family business consultant my role is to arrive before, rather after an event. Let me explain. Many times, for other professionals, their role is more of a reactive one rather than a preemptive one . A doctor is normally summoned after the symptoms appear to diagnose and treat the illness. An accountant arrives …
Business Lessons from Tuchel’s failures….
In the pressure cooker of a FIFA World Cup 2026™ Semi-final, a single decision can echo far beyond the pitch. When England faced Argentina at the Atlanta Stadium, manager Thomas Tuchel found himself at a classic crossroad....the same crossroad many business leaders find themselves at. After Anthony Gordon’s electric 55th-minute strike put the Three Lions …
A heartfelt message
In all these years helping family businesses I so frequently face the same culture and situation. Almost every family business cherishes the "doer." They are the first to arrive, the last to leave (if ever), and the ones who can solve any immediate crisis with sheer willpower. In many family business cultures, this relentless execution …
Malta’s Population – 2025
NSO have just published today the latest population figures for Malta in 2025. As an initial statistic the % part of Malta's population from foreign origin stood at 31.06% by end 2025 up from 29.42% by end 2024. The below article examines what these population trends mean for family businesses in Malta.First of all below …
What World Cup Coaches Teach Business Leaders
As I was following some world cup football matches, I could observe how coaches must decide whether to substitute a key player, adjust a tactical formation, or trust a gut instinct as the clock ticks down in front of a global audience. While the setting is a stadium, the environment—intense pressure, public scrutiny, and the …
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Lessons from Heineken
I was reading the recent Financial Times report on Heineken’s dramatic governance shake-up, and it struck me as a definitive wake-up call for family businesses everywhere. Facing sliding global beer sales, crippling inflation, and a staggering 30% drop in share price over the last five years, the billionaire De Carvalho-Heineken family was forced to smash …
The Busy Trap
If you’ve ever spent a day inside a family business, you know it feels a bit like operating a high-speed rescue mission. A supplier drops the ball? They pivot in twenty minutes. A customer has an emergency? They jump on the phone and fix it before lunch. Because they don’t have layers of corporate bureaucracy, …
The Founder Mindset in Family Business – A Blessing or a Curse?
I was recently listening to an episode of the Harvard Business School podcast Cold Call, whereby the host Brian Kenny sat down with Professor George Serafeim and Dimitri Papalexopoulos, the long-time CEO and current Chair of Titan Cement International. Founded in 1902, Titan Cement has survived world wars, economic depressions, and radical political shifts. The …
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