Business Transition Roadmap with Elizabeth Ledoux · 2026-04-14 · 30 min
What if the hardest part of succession isn't strategy but identity? In this episode, Elizabeth Ledoux sits down with Dennis Passis to explore the concept of "founder paralysis," the very real inability of founders to step away from the business they built. At the heart of it? A question most founders avoid: What am I going to do for the rest of my life? Dennis shares how founders often stay stuck not because they lack capability, but because they lack clarity on what comes next. From fear of irrelevance to lack of trust in the next generation, this conversation gets into the emotional realities behind succession and what it takes to move forward with confidence and purpose. What You'll Hear in This Episode: What "founder paralysis" really is and why it's so common The hidden question that keeps founders stuck Signs a founder is holding on too long (and what it costs the business) Why founders are "fixers" and how that shapes their next chapter The role of identity, ego, and fear in succession Why having something meaningful to move toward changes everything
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