Tee Gwena: Leading Through the Small Business Succession Crisis

When Tee Gwena reflects on his career, he does not see a straight line. He sees a series of transitions—each one preparing him for the next challenge. He began as a young entrepreneur, launching ventures in the automotive sector while still at university. He learned what it meant to build something from the ground up and the emotions tied to letting it go when it was time to exit. Later, he stepped into the world of mergers and acquisitions advisory, where he guided business owners through sales, restructurings, and negotiations. Eventually, he moved into private equity, bringing his experience to the buy side.

Now, as Managing Partner of Transora Partners, Gwena has brought those chapters together to tackle one of the most pressing issues facing the U.S. economy: the small business succession crisis. His leadership is rooted in personal experience, and it is precisely this unconventional path that has given him the credibility to speak on behalf of a problem that threatens millions of companies.

The Making of a Leader 

Unlike executives who have followed traditional finance careers, Gwena’s background is grounded in entrepreneurship. He knows the late nights, the payroll stress, the family sacrifices, and the pride that comes with seeing a business thrive. That perspective shaped how he approached his work as an M&A advisor. Owners trusted him because he understood both the financial intricacies and the human emotions of transitioning a business.

When he entered private equity, those lessons proved just as valuable. Sellers saw him not as a distant financier but as someone who had been in their shoes. For Gwena, the numbers always had faces behind them—employees, families, and communities who depended on the businesses at stake. This people-centered approach is now the foundation of Transora Partners.

A Crisis Hiding in Plain Sight 

The challenge Gwena and his team are addressing is immense. Across the United States, small businesses employ more than 62 million people and generate trillions in revenue. More than half of these companies are owned by baby boomers, many of whom are nearing retirement. That translates to roughly 3 million businesses and 31 million jobs in transition within the next decade.

The combined enterprise value of these businesses is estimated at $4 to $6 trillion, with annual revenues as high as $6.5 trillion. Yet the reality is sobering: nearly 80 percent of small businesses brought to market never sell. Many owners delay planning until health, family, or financial pressures force them into rushed decisions. Others lack the tools to prepare their companies for sale, leading to closures that erode local economies and erase years of work.

This is the crisis Gwena has chosen to confront. “The scale is staggering,” he has remarked in conversations with peers. “If we don’t address it, we risk losing not just businesses but the stability of entire communities.”

The Transora Approach 

Transora Partners operates at the intersection of advisory and capital. On one side, the firm works closely with owners to strengthen governance, streamline operations, and align financial reporting with buyer expectations. On the other, it provides what Gwena calls Transition Capital—direct investment into businesses that need restructuring before they can be successfully sold.

This model reflects Gwena’s belief that owners deserve more than transactional services. Brokers typically list businesses and wait for buyers. Institutional investors often overlook companies that are too small for their portfolios. Transora fills this gap by engaging earlier and more holistically, offering both the expertise and the resources needed to make a business transition-ready.

It is an approach designed to reduce the failure rate of small business sales and ensure that owners, employees, and communities benefit from continuity.

Leadership by Example 

What makes Gwena’s leadership distinctive is not only his strategy but his empathy. Having started, grown, and sold companies himself, he is able to connect with retiring entrepreneurs on a human level. He understands that a business is often more than an asset—it is an identity, a legacy, and a life’s work.

This sensitivity allows him to balance hard financial realities with personal concerns. Owners facing retirement want to see their companies thrive long after they step away. Gwena’s career has equipped him to bridge that emotional gap, turning uncertainty into structured opportunity.

Preparing for the Future 

The next decade will test the resilience of America’s small business economy. Whether communities thrive or struggle may depend on how effectively the succession crisis is managed. For Gwena, the mission is clear: to build a framework that supports owners through transition, preserves jobs, and protects the legacies of businesses that form the backbone of the economy.

His career demonstrates that unconventional paths can create extraordinary leaders. By drawing on his own entrepreneurial past, his advisory expertise, and his private equity experience, he has positioned himself as a key voice in solving a national challenge.

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