We were lucky to catch up with Jenny Dinnen recently and have shared our conversation below.

Jenny, appreciate you joining us today. Let’s kick things off with your mission – what is it and what’s the story behind why it’s your mission?

With a passion for family business and next gen empowerment, my twin sister and I launched Next Gen Collaborative, a personal growth coaching business focused on empowering next gen leaders to find their voice and craft their own legacy plan to ensure that their journey in the family business feels deeply and authentically right for them.

Why are we so passionate about this….With at least 60% of businesses in the US being Family Owned and data showing that only approximately 30% of those will successfully transition to a second generation, I am on a mission to help Next Gens know that joining the family business doesn’t have to mean you are stuck doing things the way your parents did. You can bring your own authentic vision to the business . The journey isn’t always sunshine and roses but through committed time, authentic and brave communication, you can play an active role of continuing the family vision forward for generations to come.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

Hi, I’m Jenny Dinnen and I co-founded Next Gen Collaborative with my twin sister, Katie Rucker . Next Gen Collaborative is a personal growth coaching business focused on next gen family business leaders. Katie and I are also Co-Owners/ Co-Presidents of MacKenzie Corp, our 2nd generation family owned Consumer Insights Consulting firm that was started here in Orange County, CA by our dad in 1985.

We are on a mission to empower and champion Next Gen family business leaders. Why, you might ask…well because we have been navigating our own Family Business journey for 15 years (and actually longer if you count going to work with mom and dad when we were kids).  The journey has had a lot of ups and downs along the way, but we ultimately found that the ride and experience is a whole lot more enjoyable when you can bring your authentic self into the family business.

What’s been the best source of new clients for you?

We have found that sharing nuggets of inspiration, personal stories and actionable steps through public speaking and our social media outlets has been the best way to reach a broader audience. This allows us to share thought leadership while also showcasing our personality. Generally following our public speaking gigs, we will get an influx of clicks on the website, connects on LinkedIn and prospects reaching out for an intro chat. We work our clients both through one-on-one coaching and VIP days where we leverage our F.A.M.I.L.Y Framework as a foundational tool to empower Next Gen leaders to bring their authentic voice and personal legacy vision to the conversations with have within the family business.

Can you tell us the story behind how you met your business partner?

I started Next Gen Collaborative with my twin sister :) Today we truly feel blessed to not only be on the entrepreneur journey together but we also co-own/co-run our 2nd Generation Family Owned Business, MacKenzie, a boutique Customer Insights Consulting firm.

Having grown up with two entrepreneurial parents (both started their own businesses), we grew up “in the businesses”, but never with the dream or expectations that we would one day take over one of them. We both went away to college and started our careers outside of the family businesses, but ultimately made our way back to dad’s business. At the time, we didn’t fully understand or appreciate the impact of Family Businesses in America. We just knew that we were a family transitioning from an entrepreneur who had been running a company on his own to now having his two daughters starting to talk about how they could play a more active role in the business. There were plenty of cautions shared by friends and colleagues about how hard it would be to work with family. Stories of failure and stats on how only a small percentage of family businesses make it to the 2nd or 3rd generations. We even saw TV shows centered on infighting and backstabbing.

The beginning of our journey felt confusing, lonely, and overwhelming. Ultimately there were days when we honestly weren’t sure if joining the family business was the right decision. And we had no idea who or where to turn for help.  The most valuable learning that we have had over the last 15 years, honoring the past does to mean you don’t get a voice at the table – your vision of the future maters too…..And this ultimately became the catalyst for starting Next Gen Collaborative.

We always hear, “I could never work with my parents/sibling/etc” and honestly, we originally thought the same thing. After dedicated effort, authentic and vulnerable conversations, we ultimately were able to work through old narratives that were no longer serving us and realized that we have the honor to be able to work along side each other every day. #twinpower

Contact Info:

• Website: www.nextgencollaborative.com
• Instagram: nextgencollaborative
• Linkedin: www.linkedin.com/jenniferdinnen