Family businesses will often face a defining moment: how to grow without losing the history, core values and principles that make them successful. When my parents founded SKG Services 50 years ago, it was a small company built with simple core principles – to provide high-quality cleaning services, treat people with respect and make our customers’ lives easier. It started without any ambition to become a national group, just a strong work ethic, clear values and a commitment to service.

As the business moved to the next generation, I was determined to build on those foundations and legacy. While scaling and succession have brought with them complexity, challenges and immense pressure, growth has ultimately come from listening closely to clients, empowering our people and making decisions guided by long-term value.

Over time, this approach has enabled SKG Services to evolve from a cleaning business into a national services group spanning security, maintenance and construction, and ensured that the company endures across multiple generations.

Growth by acquisition

Acquisition can be a powerful tool for growth when done with a strong strategy in mind. At SKG Services, we’ve completed a number of strategic acquisitions, each carefully identified, researched and selected to strengthen our ability to sustainably service clients nationally. Growth by acquisition is ultimately about capability, resilience and long-term value.

These acquisitions were purpose-driven and aligned by geography and service capability. This approach has enabled our company to diversify services and expand nationally. It has created a robust infrastructure capable of delivering services sustainably, compliantly and at scale. Each acquisition strengthened our operational systems, governance and ESG capabilities, ensuring consistent, reliable services for clients across all locations.

Cultural fit was equally important. Revenue can be bought, but values can’t. Every acquisition needed to align with our people-first mindset, our core values and our ‘service simplified’ philosophy.

For leaders considering acquisition, it’s important to first ask why you are growing – what is your end goal? Is it to diversify and expand your services? Move into new countries or cities? Determining the ‘why’ is as important as revenue potential, as well as considering the impact on your people, operations, compliance, ESG obligations and more.

Empowering people as the foundation of growth

People are the engine of growth. Without skilled, experienced teams, a business can’t scale successfully. At SKG Services, our growth has relied on importing expertise across every area, enabling us to deliver services sustainably, compliantly and in line with client and ESG expectations.

We hire and develop leaders based on three qualities: industry experience, people management skills and alignment with our core values of being helpful, reliable and respectful. Skills can be taught, but character, mindset and core-value alignment are more challenging to instil. Our purpose is to create environments where people enjoy coming to work, feel trusted and understand how their role contributes to the company’s success.

This approach also applies to the next generation of leaders. Future leaders are developed across different sectors, reporting to experienced department heads to gain autonomy while learning from seasoned professionals. This includes my own sons, who have joined the business and are learning from skilled leaders across marketing, operations and IT systems.

This ensures they acquire the skills and confidence to manage divisions independently and reinforces a merit-based culture across the organization – my sons are guided and supported by seasoned professionals rather than turning to me.

Ethics and building a lasting legacy

At SKG Services, our core values – being helpful, reliable and respectful – are non-negotiable. They shape every decision, guide our culture and underpin how we treat customers, suppliers, partners and colleagues. These principles are embedded in policies around fair pay, workload, recognition and ongoing support, creating an environment where teams are empowered to succeed.

Our purpose is to meet customer needs consistently while ensuring teams feel supported and empowered. This philosophy underpins our ‘service simplified’ approach, enabling staff to deliver reliably across locations, respond quickly to client needs, maintain high standards and uphold compliance and ethical obligations. Empowerment does not mean chaos; it requires clear expectations, support and trust in judgment.

Legacy is about long-term stewardship, not personal achievement. Each division operates with its own leadership, systems and accountability, allowing it to thrive independently. This autonomy ensures resilience and prevents the group from relying on a single individual.

Succession is focused on readiness, not entitlement. Future leaders gain real-world experience, learning from seasoned professionals and earning respect through competence. Building a lasting legacy also requires patience, discipline and trust –  qualities embedded across the business to ensure sustainability beyond the founder.

Leading with purpose

For founders and CEOs, legacy should be considered early. Sustainable growth and succession planning are deeply connected. A business built on ethics, empowered people and a clear purpose is far more likely to endure beyond its founder. Growth takes time, but when you prioritize people, lead with integrity and stay true to your values, you don’t just build a bigger business – you build one that lasts the test of time.

Opinions expressed by The CEO Magazine contributors are their own.