Meet Abby Donnelly:

CEO Coach | Succession & Exit Strategist | Best-Selling Author | Trusted Board Advisor

You’ve built something great—something that’s more than just a business. It’s your legacy.

But here’s the hard truth: when it comes to succession or stepping out, most owners are unprepared. Successors struggle to lead. Transitions stall. And owners? They’re left asking, “Now what?”

Will your successor truly be ready? Will the company thrive without you? And maybe the hardest question of all — what will you do when you’re no longer running the show?

That’s where I come in. I’m Abby Donnelly

I’ve spent decades helping business owners navigate the high-stakes, high-emotion journey of succession and exit—with clarity, confidence, and results.

What I Do (and Why It Works)

Whether you’re thinking about transitioning in the next few years or already knee-deep in planning, I’ll help you:

Determine what you want to do with your business.
Develop ready-now successors who can lead with vision, courage, and profitability, or get you to a resource to help you sell your business on your terms
Navigate difficult family dynamics, ownership shifts, and boardroom politics
Design your “next chapter” so it’s not a void — it’s an opportunity
Protect your legacy by ensuring your values and vision carry forward

This isn’t theory. It’s tested, proven, and deeply personal work that changes businesses — and lives.

I Get It —

After 14 years at Procter & Gamble, leading strategic planning and global process improvement, I left the corporate world. For the past two decades, I’ve coached hundreds of business owners and successors through the messy, high-stakes, deeply personal work of succession and exit. I understand both the thrill and the emotional weight of transition.

Whether you’re staying involved, stepping back, or stepping away — I’m in your corner.

Here’s What You Should Know About Me:

Proven Success

My clients, from founders and multi-generational family businesses to CEOs of small and medium-sized companies, say I’m an excellent listener with a keen understanding of complex dynamics, and the ability to clarify key themes and nuances. I’ve got a talent for asking tough questions, which leads to deeper clarity, greater insight, and more robust action plans.

Remarkably, over 75% of the leaders I’ve worked with:

Successfully take on significantly more responsibility.
Earn recognition and respect both within and outside their companies for their impactful contributions.
Substantially enhance their earning potential.

For my ‘What’s Next?’ clients, they consistently feel more relevant, happier, more confident about their future, and assured of their meaningful contributions.

I started my career at Procter & Gamble, then launched my own firm and several years later, became partner at a Sandler Training franchise before exiting in 2012 to launch this firm.

I’ve worked with hundreds of owners, successors, and leadership teams across North America to build successor readiness and owner peace of mind.

My clients are business owners like you— who own small to mid-sized and multi-generational companies.

I’ve facilitated an extensive slate of board retreats, strategic planning sessions, and Executive Peer groups.
I serve on several boards including First Bank, ABCO Automation, and Cone Health, and I bring that stakeholder mindset to every client engagement.
I love our community: I’ve been active in leadership in Rotary at the club and district level and in leadership roles with Leadership Greensboro, Women Presidents Organization.
And yes, I’ve been recognized with multiple leadership and community awards. Most recently I was honored with the Moyer-Schaaf Distinguished Service Award for her many contributions to the Society of Financial Service Professionals, Greensboro Chapter.
I’m a Sought-After Speaker: on leadership, succession and exit, and improving performance, presenting at the Exit Planning Summit, Gobundance, Penn State Behrends’ Family Business Conference and many prestigious local and global groups such as Vistage International, Mackay CEO Forums, YPO, and The Women Presidents’ Organization.
But what matters most?
I’m known for making the complex simple, the emotional manageable, and the path forward clear.

Trusted by Owners, Boards, and Advisors

I’ve been described as perceptive, intuitive, direct, and grounded.

I’ll help you face what’s hard, make sense of what’s next, and act on what matters most.

Beyond the Bio...

Originally from Poughkeepsie, NY, I’ve lived in Greensboro, NC with my husband Jim for nearly 30 years. I’m analytical with a master’s degree in Statistics from University of Florida. I love connecting people and nothing lights me up more than helping leaders succeed — in business and beyond – well, except maybe dancing to Motown (seriously—it’s my favorite stress reliever).

If you're a business owner wondering “How do I make this transition work—for my company, my team, and myself?”