Membership

How CAFE Can Help You

Being part of a business family presents unique challenges - CAFE can help you deal with them.

Join our family and benefit from shared experience.

Family business is one of the oldest forms of commercial enterprise in the world and a vital driving force behind world economies. In Canada it is estimated that 80% of businesses are family owned and contribute approximately 45% of the GDP, 70% of new jobs and employ 50% of our workforce.  Current research suggests that family businesses last longer and often outperform their non-family-run competitors. It is also true that they contend with unique challenges non-family businesses don’t necessarily face, including:  

• Developing a succession plan consistent with family values and traditions
• Family governance: managing family conflict, rivalry and communications
• Successfully bringing family members into the business
• Ownership transition and transitioning the business to the next generation
• Preparing a family business for sale
• Using professional advisors
• Managing wealth, estate planning and taxation
• Growing the business while maintaining family harmony
• Passing along vision and values to the next generation

CAFE serves as a powerful resource to help business families and their advisors tackle these complex issues.  CAFE is where Canadian business families and their advisors connect with peers and resources for success. You are not alone!

There are two general categories of CAFE membership: Family Business members and Advisor members.

Family Membership

CAFE welcomes family businesses of all sizes and from all industry sectors.  CAFE membership includes the whole family, whether they participate in the family business or not, and we encourage founders, successors, spouses, and extended family members to enjoy the benefits of CAFE membership.  Studies have shown that participation by both active and non-active family members is beneficial to the business and family dynamic over time.

Learn More about Family Membership benefits.

Advisor Membership 

CAFE also welcomes professionals and professional firms who provide consulting and services to family businesses and who are dedicated to developing and disseminating their knowledge of business family issues. Advisor members include financial institutions and advisors, accounting firms, law firms, human resource professionals, business consultants, meeting facilitators and family advisors.  Our Advisor members actively participate at the chapter level in networking events and in helping deliver educational seminars and, workshops to CAFE families.  

Learn More about Advisor Membership benefits.

Our members are passionate about their families, passionate about their business, and passionate about the contribution they make to their local community and the Canadian economy. If this describes you consider becoming a member of our community of business families.

For more information about CAFE please take moment to read our brochure.