Guiding 2nd, 3rd, and 4th generation businesses through leadership, growth, and transition

10,000

Boomers retire
every day

According to recent Forbes research

19%

of them own
small businesses

That's 2,000 businesses a day looking for new owners.

90+%

are without
successors

The vast majority of the next generation do not want to run the business…

Our Mission

LEAP embeds shoulder-to-shoulder with leadership teams to create strategy, execute with discipline, and ensure leadership continuity through transition.

The Reality Leaders Face TodayOwners and leadership teams are navigating growth, transition, and succession in an environment where execution matters more than ever. Vision alone is not enough. Sustainable performance depends on a leadership team that is aligned, accountable, and capable of carrying the business forward.The organizations that succeed through transition focus on three critical outcomes:Building and retaining a capable, aligned leadership teamPreserving key customer and stakeholder relationshipsExecuting with discipline to protect and grow profitabilityToo often, these priorities are placed at risk during periods of change - when roles evolve, decision rights blur, and operating cadence breaks down.

"LEAP has had a profoundly positive impact on my leadership journey! Their encouragement of frequent open conversations with my employees, has built a foundation of trust and understanding that can hopefully prevent more difficult crucial conversations down the road. This shift has been helpful in cultivating a supportive and communicative work environment".

– Ann Schipper,
Principal, Data Power Technology Group

"Since our initial owner’s meeting that LEAP conducted with us about a year and half ago, we have had a 19% increase in sales YoY. Their meetings with our leadership team have allowed us to streamline and sharpen roles so that we could focus on driving continued growth across and into our organization.More importantly, their support and coaching helped us continue to grow through what could have been a perilous time with two key members (President and Vice President) of the leadership team retiring within a 15-month period".

– Owner,
Multi-Generational Industrial Sales Firm

About the Team

Kurt Zelch, Founder

Kurt founded LEAP Business Advisors to solve a problem he saw repeatedly over 18 years of business transition work: owners of closely held companies don't fail at succession for lack of intent - they fail for lack of alignment and execution.His background spans insurance brokerage in the Boston area and years guiding private physician groups through succession planning, giving him a rare vantage point on both the financial and the human sides of transition. That shapes his approach today: humanistic and psychology-based, built on understanding what actually drives the people in the room — owners, successors, and the leadership teams caught between them.In practice, that means mastering communication across four generations in the workforce, building organizational capability, and facilitating mutual-gains negotiations when interests diverge. Clients work with Kurt through 1-on-1 advising and leadership accountability meetings - the operating rhythm that turns plans into results.Kurt holds a BS in Marketing from Bryant University and professional certificates in Executive Leadership Principles and The Trinity of Management (TOM)™ from MIT Sloan School of Management and the Sirolli Institute.

• Contact

LEAP engagements draw on a bench of seasoned operators who've led the kinds of businesses we serve.

Jim Henderson

Jim's work strategy encompasses combining proven industrial/systems engineering techniques with innovative practices and tools to uncover and address profitability. Killing profit vampires; engineering programs and business 'engines' so they are profitable; and ensuring the capital needed is there.Read More

Nick Lupoli

Nick Lupoli is a seasoned manufacturing and operations executive who drives performance, operational excellence, and strategic growth across complex industrial businesses.With extensive multi-site P&L leadership and a history of transforming manufacturing operations, improving profitability, and scaling capabilities, he brings a pragmatic, results-oriented perspective to leadership teams.Nick partners closely with founders and executives to sharpen execution, unlock operational leverage, and build resilient, high-performing organizations. His experience in operational strategy, cross-functional execution, and large-scale transformation helps companies grow with clarity and confidence.

Let's
Connect

Prefer to send your message via email? You can reach us at [email protected]

Did you know that we've already helped over 75 companies to transitional success and increased profitability?Join them and benefit from our expertise working with them.

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