FBX May Workshop Lunch

Your Brand Is a Business Asset: Protecting and Leveraging IP to Grow a Family Enterprise

Following April’s candid Family Business Exchange  conversation with Jean Thompson and Ellie Thompson of Seattle Chocolate Company on leadership transition, bold decision-making, and the rebrand to Maeve, this workshop continues the conversation by exploring one of the most overlooked drivers of enterprise value in family business: your brand.

Family businesses often have their most valuable assets hiding in plain sight—their name, reputation, story, customer loyalty, proprietary processes, and the goodwill built over generations. Yet many leaders underestimate how much of their business value is tied to these intangible assets—or fail to protect and intentionally leverage them as the company grows, transitions, or prepares for future succession.

In this interactive workshop, Michelle Hayden Bomberger will help family business leaders reframe branding as far more than a marketing exercise. A strong, intentional brand creates trust, continuity, and clarity—while also increasing enterprise value, scalability, and long-term optionality.

Participants will explore the intellectual property embedded within family enterprises, including:

• Trademarks and trade names
• Goodwill and reputation
• Proprietary systems and processes
• Creative assets and messaging
• Institutional know-how developed over time

Michelle will guide attendees through how to identify the IP they already own, understand the legal and business risks of leaving it unprotected, and align brand strategy with formal IP protection to support growth, succession planning, licensing opportunities, and exit readiness.

Drawing from her perspective as both an attorney advising founder-led and family-owned businesses—and as an entrepreneur who has built and scaled her own firm—Michelle will share practical insights on what gets missed, what creates value, and how family leaders can move from accidental brands to intentional ones.

Key Takeaways

• Why brand is often one of the most valuable assets in a family business
• How to identify hidden IP already existing inside your company
• Common risks of under-protecting names, goodwill, and proprietary assets
• How branding and IP strategy support succession, growth, and enterprise value
• Practical next steps to protect what you’ve built and grow what comes next

Participants will leave with a clearer understanding of how legacy and innovation can work together—and how to protect the business story they are building for the next generation.

About the Family Business Exchange

Seattle University’s Family Business Exchange (FBX) is a community of Pacific Northwest family business owners who gather to engage in education, networking, and professional development tailored specifically to their needs.

FBX provides opportunities for families to address their unique challenges through relevant programming. It serves as a forum for information exchange with the goal of helping each member thrive through future generations. Areas of best practice that we cover include family business succession planning, governance, leadership development and growth, among others.

About Equinox Business Law Group

Equinox Business Law Group provides strategic legal counsel for entrepreneurs at a fixed monthly cost. Founded by Michelle Bomberger, Equinox brings two decades of legal expertise to entrepreneurs. As business owners themselves, they combine legal knowledge with a powerful network of industry experts to support your business growth. Equinox is a proud Corporate Member of Seattle University’s Family Business Exchange.