What if the hardest part of succession isn’t the business strategy—it’s the conversation?

In this episode, Andrea talks with Aviva Kosansky, a second-generation leader at ProfitPoint, about what it looks like to step toward ownership when you’re not even sure you want it yet. Aviva shares her early-career detour into fintech, the decision to build real credibility (including earning her Master’s in Supply Chain Management at MIT), and the emotional complexity of working day-to-day with a parent—while also planning for leadership transition with a non-family business partner at the table.

If you’ve ever felt stuck between “everyone expects this from me” and “I’m not ready to commit,” Aviva offers something rare: language, structure, and a path to clarity that doesn’t require doing it alone.

What You’ll Hear in This Episode:

1. Why “working in the business” and “owning the business” are two completely different decisions
2. The simple question Aviva and her dad use to protect their relationship: work talk or personal talk?
3. How a third-party guide changes the entire tone of transition conversations
4. The tool that grounded Aviva’s decision-making: the Objectives Matrix
5. Why clarity creates calm—and how a roadmap beats a rigid plan every time
6. The reminder that keeps succession from becoming overwhelming: none of us are essential

Connect with Aviva Kosansky:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/avivakosansky/

Company: ProfitPoint – https://profitpt.com/

Connect with Andrea Carpenter and Your Next Gen Friend:

Website: https://yournextgenfriend.com/

Your Next Gen Friend on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/yournextgenfriend/

Your Next Gen Friend on Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@yournextgenfriend

Andrea on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/andreashaver/

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Podcast theme music by Transistor.fm.

Chapters in this Episode (Audio)

00:00 Introduction: A succession story unfolding in real time

02:31 Aviva’s early career: fintech startup life + the search for flexibility

05:31 The “impromptu job interview” and joining the family business

08:17 The credibility gap: realizing she needed supply chain depth

09:26 MIT during the pandemic + returning with new clarity

10:19 Working with her dad day-to-day (and managing blurred lines)

12:21 “Work conversation or personal conversation?” (a practical boundary tool)

14:05 Expectations vs. desire: “Is this even what I want?”

17:21 The turning point: “We don’t need to struggle through this alone”

20:16 Making the case for a third-party guide (even with a good relationship)

26:03 The Objectives Matrix: grounding priorities + revealing alignment

29:21 When the timeline shifts—and still feels right

32:11 Roadmap vs. plan: preparing for pivots

34:16 What changed after the work: confidence, calm, and clarity

37:53 “None of us are essential”: perspective that reduces overwhelm

40:16 Closing questions: not inheriting everything + honoring being first