Author · Publisher · Editor-in-Chief
Ron Smith
Founder & Editorial Director, Cordis House · New York
Ron Smith, CM&AA, is the founder and editorial director of Cordis House, and the author of Hands Like Daddy’s (Cordis Studio, 2026) and Buyer-Ready (Cordis Press, 2026).
He grew up in his family’s HVAC business. For 15 years he has advised the owners of family-run businesses through growth, succession, and the handing down of craft and capital from one generation to the next.
He writes on family business for Forbes and Fast Company. He is a 2026 member of the Forbes Business Council, where his column on preparing a business before an offer arrives was named an Editor’s Choice, and a 2026 member of the Fast Company Executive Board. He is Editor-in-Chief of the Cordis Institute and the founder of Cordis Group, an advisory firm for founder-owned companies. He writes The Cordis Letters and at his Substack.
CM&AA is a registered mark, U.S. Reg. No. 3262984.
Keynote · on what a buyer sees that an owner does not
Published and on the record
Where the work appears.
Why founders should build a gap table before the letter of intent arrives.
By Ron Smith, CM&AA · Forbes Business Council
The preparation frontier: not every fix is worth making before you sell.
By Ron Smith, CM&AA · Forbes Business Council
The new players in middle market mergers and acquisitions.
By Ron Smith · What private equity takeover means for owner-operators
The research
Working papers from the Institute.
The Cordis Institute for Lower-Middle-Market Research is the research arm of Cordis Group. It publishes citable working papers on what happens in the 12 to 24 months before a founder begins a sale process. Ron Smith is its Editor-in-Chief. Every paper is pre-reviewed by four practitioners before it is posted.
Buy before you sell: when a pre-exit acquisition is worth it, and how to tell
WP-006 · Topical Series · September 2026
The real cost of waiting to sell
WP-005 · Topical Series · September 2026 · a concentration-adjusted framework for the hold, grow or sell decision
The preparation frontier
WP-004 · Track B · July 2026 · allocating a finite preparation budget
Working paper
The deal certainty discount
WP-003 · Track B · June 2026 · close-probability and post-LOI value compression
The buyer lane preparation map
WP-002 · Track B · May 2026 · underwriting model divergence and forecastable post-LOI compression
The preparation gap in early 2026
WP-001 · Track B · April 2026 · post-LOI adjustment patterns in lower-middle-market transactions
Two research tracks run in parallel: Track A, the False Summit series, and Track B, the Misalignment Tax series. Papers carry DOIs and are listed on SSRN.
The work
Books by Ron Smith.
Studio · 001Now
Hands Like Daddy’s
Ron Smith · The picture book
Cloth $25.99 · Paper $14.99
Press · 001Now
Buyer-Ready
Ron Smith, CM&AA · The Off-Market Method, Book One
Sep 2026 · Cloth $37.99 · Paper $24.99 · Kindle $12.99
Press · WorkbookNow
Buyer-Ready: The Official Workbook
Ron Smith, CM&AA · ISBN 979-8-9984782-3-9
Oct 2026 · Paper $34.99 · Coil $42
Cordis Studio · 2026 · Hands Like…, Book One
Dedicated to his four nephews, Easton, Hayden, Aiden and Liam
Cordis Press · September 30, 2026 · The Off-Market Method, Book One
Dedicated to his parents, Rhonda and Sean
Press photos
For press, ready to download.
For editorial use in coverage of Ron Smith, Cordis House and its books. Credit: Cordis House.
Writing
Letters & essays by Ron Smith.
Pre-orders are open for Hands Like Daddy's.
By Ron Smith
Why we started Cordis House.
By Ron Smith
On working hands and the books they're missing.
By Ron Smith
What a publishing house is for.
By Ron Smith
On succession and what gets passed down.
By Ron Smith
Elsewhere: Ron Smith on Substack ↗ · the Cordis Institute ↗, where he is Editor-in-Chief.
Speaking & advisory
On succession & family enterprise.
Ron Smith speaks on succession, family enterprise, and the transfer of craft and capital across generations, and works with owners of family-run businesses through Cordis Group. Inquiries for talks, panels and advisory work go through Work with us →. Press inquiries: press@cordishouse.com.
Other ventures
The wider Cordis work.
Research
Cordis Institute
Research and publishing on family enterprise and succession. Ron Smith is its Editor-in-Chief.
cordisinstitute.org ↗
Advisory
Cordis Group
The advisory practice he founded, for owners of family-run and founder-led businesses.
Inquire →
Parent company
Cordis Global LLC
The company Cordis House publishes under.
cordisglobal.com ↗
The book’s home
Hands Like Daddy’s
The home of the picture book. The Founding Readers, an opt-in tier capped at one hundred, are named inside the first edition.
handslikedaddy.com ↗
Writing
Ron Smith on Substack
Notes on family business, succession, and building things that last.
ronsmithcg.substack.com ↗