Stop running your business
on handshakes.
Family business governance documents that put everything in writing — professionally drafted frameworks, designed to be adapted by your local attorney.
- In practice since 1985
- Family & closely-held business advisory
- Published Simon & Schuster
- Clients EY · PwC · NYU
Path 1 — The Playbook
Nine family business governance documents. Everything that should be written down.
These family business governance documents are professionally drafted starting-point frameworks, built from decades of real work with family and closely-held businesses. Each one is tailored to your industry, ownership structure, and situation before you download — you answer a few quick questions first, so what you get fits your business, not a generic template. Every family business governance document is instantly editable in Word and PDF, and designed to be finalized with your local attorney.
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Roles & Decisions
Governance Charter
Who's in charge of what — and what happens when you can't agree.
Buy nowFor informational use only. Not legal advice. Attorney review required before use. No attorney-client relationship is created.
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Succession
Succession Plan Framework
What happens to everything you've built — when you can't be there.
Buy nowFor informational use only. Not legal advice. Attorney review required before use. No attorney-client relationship is created.
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HR & Employment
Family Member Employment Agreement
The contract you wish you'd had before things got complicated.
Buy nowFor informational use only. Not legal advice. Attorney review required before use. No attorney-client relationship is created.
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Conflict
Conflict Resolution Policy
The rules for when family and business collide — agreed before they need to be used.
Buy nowFor informational use only. Not legal advice. Attorney review required before use. No attorney-client relationship is created.
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Strategy
Mission, Vision & Values Statement
Why you're all doing this — written down so everyone remembers.
Buy nowFor informational use only. Not legal advice. Attorney review required before use. No attorney-client relationship is created.
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Roles & Decisions New
Family Council Meeting Pack
Run family meetings like a business — not like a difficult dinner.
Buy nowFor informational use only. Not legal advice. Attorney review required before use. No attorney-client relationship is created.
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HR & Employment
Compensation & Roles Policy
What everyone gets paid — and why — so it's never a secret or a surprise.
Buy nowFor informational use only. Not legal advice. Attorney review required before use. No attorney-client relationship is created.
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Succession New
Next-Generation Readiness Assessment
Is the next generation actually ready — the honest answer, not the hopeful one.
Buy nowFor informational use only. Not legal advice. Attorney review required before use. No attorney-client relationship is created.
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Roles & Decisions
Shareholder & Ownership Agreement
What happens to the ownership if someone wants out, gets sick, or dies.
Buy nowFor informational use only. Not legal advice. Attorney review required before use. No attorney-client relationship is created.
Before you buy
Common questions, answered honestly.
Will these documents work in my state?
Yes — they're written as state-agnostic frameworks covering the issues every US family and closely-held business needs to address. Your local business attorney handles the final state-specific adaptation (community-property rules, at-will employment carve-outs, succession statutes, and similar). Because you arrive with a near-complete draft, this is typically one short attorney review instead of a full drafting engagement — saving thousands in legal fees.
Why do I still need an attorney?
Because state laws change, and only a licensed attorney in your jurisdiction can finalize documents that will hold up legally. The Playbook gets you about 90% of the way there — your attorney isn't billing hours for the boilerplate they'd otherwise draft from scratch, only the state-specific finishing.
Are the documents customized to my business?
Yes. Before checkout you answer a few quick questions — your industry, ownership structure, generations involved, how the business is run, and the issues you're facing. Your family business governance document is built around those answers rather than handed to you as a one-size-fits-all template, so you spend your time reviewing and adjusting, not writing from scratch.
Is this a subscription? What exactly do I get?
No subscription, and no hidden fees. Every purchase is one-time — buy a single document or the full library once, and it's yours to keep in Word and PDF. The bundle includes all nine documents plus a 30-minute call with Jocelyn; buying individually gets you exactly the document you choose, nothing withheld.
What format do I receive, and can I edit it?
You receive instant downloads in both Word (.docx) and PDF. The Word version is fully editable, with built-in editor notes flagging the clauses most likely to need state-specific or family-specific adjustment. Most owners complete their first document in under 90 minutes.
- Attorney-reviewed family business governance documents, built on decades of practice
- Tailored to your industry & ownership structure
- One-time purchase · no subscription, no hidden fees
- Instant download after payment · Word + PDF
- Attorney review required before use
- Secure checkout · All sales final
Coming soon to the Playbook
Two more frameworks small & family-run businesses keep asking for.
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HR & Employment Coming soon
HR Policy Framework
The HR foundation most small, medium, and family-run businesses never built — an attorney-reviewed handbook, core workplace policies, and offer-letter templates, ready to adapt to your state.
Join the waitlistFor informational use only. Not legal advice. Attorney review required before use. No attorney-client relationship is created.
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Operations Coming soon
SOP Builder
Document how the business actually runs — the repeatable standard operating procedures your team can follow without you in the room. Build it once, and delegate with confidence.
Join the waitlistFor informational use only. Not legal advice. Attorney review required before use. No attorney-client relationship is created.
How it works
From nothing written down to fully documented.
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Choose your starting point
One family business governance document for the most urgent gap. The full library for a complete foundation. Or a direct engagement when the situation needs more than a framework.
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Answer a few questions — get a tailored draft
Tell us your industry, ownership structure, and how the business is run. Each family business governance document arrives tailored to your answers and ready to edit in Word — so you review and adjust, rather than start from a blank page. Most owners finish their first document in under 90 minutes.
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Bring it to the family
The document becomes the agenda for a structured conversation — without anyone being the one who "started it."
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Finalize with your attorney
Bring the near-complete draft to a local business attorney for final review and adaptation to your state. Arriving pre-drafted typically cuts legal fees significantly.
Path 2 — Work with Jocelyn directly
When you need more than a framework.
Real engagements built entirely around your situation, with the directness that comes from being in this work since 1985 — for the moments when family business governance documents aren't enough on their own, and the complexity needs someone in the room.
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The Strategy Hour
$450One hour · Private sessionOne focused hour with Jocelyn. You bring the situation — she brings decades of pattern recognition and zero hesitation about telling you what she actually sees.
- 60-minute private video or phone session
- Written summary delivered within 24 hours
- Priority email support for 7 days
- One Playbook document of your choice included
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Most requested
Governance Foundations
$4,500Full engagement · 2–3 weeksThe complete governance setup for a family or closely-held business. Jocelyn works through your specific situation — the relationships, the history, the things nobody says out loud.
- 2 × 90-minute working sessions
- Custom family rules document
- Family member employment agreement template (for attorney review)
- Conflict resolution framework
- 30 days follow-up support
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The Succession Blueprint
$12,000Full engagement · 4–6 weeksFor businesses with an active leadership transition ahead. A complete transition framework — the conversations, the plan, and the handover structure — ready to bring to your attorney for final adaptation.
- 4 × structured working sessions
- Full written handover plan
- Ownership transition framework
- Next-gen readiness check
- Shareholder agreement first draft (for attorney review)
- 60 days follow-up support
All engagements begin with a free 20-minute private call. No commitment. · For on-site work see the Family Business Intensive
What clients say
What clients say afterward.
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"Jocelyn approached the delicate situation with a unique perspective and a calm demeanor. She solved the matter with aplomb — and left the family stronger than she found it."
Samantha Reiss · Family Business Client -
"I've been working with Jocelyn for almost 20 years. Her ability to understand the issues and implement a roadmap to move forward have been instrumental in achieving success."
Stuart Brownstein · President, Colin Cowie -
"We can't thank Jocelyn and her team enough. She worked tirelessly and went over and above every request at every turn."
Nancy D'Agostino · Co-CEO, D'Agostino's Supermarket
Important — please read before purchasing any Playbook document
All family business governance documents in The Sider Road Playbook are attorney-reviewed governance frameworks built on Jocelyn Greenky's professional experience working with family businesses. They are a starting point provided strictly for informational and educational purposes and do not constitute legal, financial, or professional advice of any kind.
No attorney-client relationship is created by your purchase, download, or use of any document. Sider Road is not a law firm. No communication through this website — including email — constitutes legal advice or creates a professional relationship of any kind.
You must have your own licensed attorney in your state or jurisdiction review and adapt any document before implementing, signing, or relying on it in any legal or governance context. Laws governing businesses, employment agreements, succession, and ownership vary significantly by state and change frequently.
All documents are provided "as is," without warranty of any kind. To the fullest extent permitted by law, Sider Road LLC and Jocelyn Greenky expressly disclaim any liability arising from the use of these documents, and you agree to hold them harmless from any claim arising out of that use. Total liability for any claim shall not exceed the purchase price paid for the specific document. By purchasing or downloading any document from this page, you acknowledge that you have read and understood this notice and assume full responsibility for how the documents are used.
Read the full disclaimer & terms of use