• Who We Are

Our Story

Our two co-founders, M and Q, informally launched the first iteration of SMP back in 2022, shortly after the unexpected passing of Q’s grandfather.

Q’s family had no formal familial governance structure in place and was plagued by the usual intrapersonal squabbling that derails so many families and their businesses. Unsurprisingly, there was no formal succession plan in place at the time of Q’s grandfather’s sudden departure. Q’s family divvied up all of their patriarch’s liquid assets and left Q to deal with various trusts, philanthropies, and family businesses. While Q had earned a JD/MBA, practicing in BigLaw and in-house for several years at that point, his professional experience had not prepared him to take over a complex family enterprise.

Shortly afterward, Q attended his best friend’s wedding, where he encountered his high school classmate, M. M and Q loathed each other in high school, for posterity’s sake. However, they ran into each other at three additional weddings that year and decided to talk.

M informed Q that she was working at her family’s SFO, learning the ropes of family and investment management, and invited him to cut his teeth alongside her and her siblings.

The duo launched SMP out of M’s family office, reaching out to similarly-situated friends who desired both community and a more comprehensive, structured “succession prep curriculum.”

Our Core Philosophy

Mission Statement

We believe every family enterprise should have a confident, qualified, and well-prepared successor positioned to take the reins when needed. We are committed to providing a space where prospective successors can learn the skills necessary to keep families and family businesses moving forward.

Our Core Values

Values and Desired Client Traits

Salt of the Earth, No Matter Your Net Worth

SMP has a firm “no brats” rule. No exceptions. No second chances.

We do not tolerate bad attitudes, incivility toward staff, or any other unbecoming behavior.

We value humility - not only because we know how fortunate we are to be in a position to inherit anything at all, but because we know families who were not able to successfully transfer their operations into the hands of a capable successive generation. We are exceptions to the “shirtsleeves-to-shirtsleeves” rule, and we never forget it.

Discretion

SMP members and clients enjoy complete, mutually-assured discretion. Prospective members undergo a rigorous and comprehensive set of “social inquiries” over the course of 18 months prior to receiving an indication of interest from our Membership Committee.

Our members and clients may be in possession of confidential, or otherwise sensitive, information. For that reason, we maintain policies and practices that guarantee the privacy of every member.

We frown upon braggadocio and ostentation, because we refuse to compromise our families’ or each other’s safety in exchange for the cheap thrill of being admired or envied.

Commitment to Heritage and Prudent Stewardship

We owe everything to our heritage and the people who came before us. Over time, our predecessors have built internal and external structures that have kept our families and family businesses strong and resilient for centuries.

We, rightfully, take great pride in our heritage and work to preserve and honor our families’ contributions to the world. As such, SMP members and clients understand what it means to be good stewards of the gift that is inheritance.

Gatekeeping certain information preserves the tactical advantages our ancestors gave us. Maintaining privacy surrounding access to familial resources isn’t just good business - it’s common sense.

Accountability

SMP members and clients are self-starters who are passionate about playing an active role in their families’ longevity and succession plans. They remain self-aware of their areas for growth and work to develop the skills and traits that will make them productive, consistent, and reliable “family citizens.” They understand that, when it comes to matters of legacy, there is no passing of the buck.

Tradition Meets Progress

In tandem with our commitment to preserving and celebrating our heritage, we are committed to seeing and building the future. SMP members and clients envision and create the world of tomorrow, relying upon their core values as their North Star. Informed by our respective pasts, we fix our eyes on the horizon.

Authenticity

The courage to stand on one’s own, in full ownership of and respect for one’s sense of self, is paramount - especially against the backdrop of generations of legacy and expectation.

SMP members and clients know who they are and how their unique talents can best serve the traditions and values of their families and family businesses.

Honor and Integrity

Several SMP members and clients attended the same prep school and played sports together. Those members spent countless hours in the school’s field house learning how to be a relentless competitor on the field, as well as in every other aspect of life.

On a wall of that field house hangs a metal placard that reads “Not Without Honor.” Generations of student-athletes - their parents and grandparents included - tapped that placard before heading to practice and games, reminding themselves and each other that one’s honor and reputation should always remain above reproach. At the end of the day, one’s integrity is all they have.

In this new world where a man’s or a woman’s word has become cheap and unreliable, SMP views personal and familial honor as priceless. Our members are not interested in compromising their honor (or others’ perception thereof) by associating with individuals who have none.

Philanthropy

SMP, as well as our members and clients, believe in personal, action-oriented contributions to the communities in which we live and conduct business. All of our members and clients have philanthropic vehicles or make charitable contributions alongside friends or family members.

We pride ourselves on direct donation of our time and talents as individuals to the world around us. No SMP member, client, or employee views themselves as too busy or too important to make a true impact-based contribution to their community.

At least once per month, every individual affiliated with SMP is expected to prepare and present substantive content to members of their community on the topic of: business management and administration, finance, compensation strategy, entrepreneurship, law, real estate, investment vehicles, or personal development.