Legacy Onward
Legacy Onward is a San Antonio-based solo coaching consultancy that provides leadership coaching, ICF-accredited training courses, and family business content built on the Polarity Thinking methodology, serving family business leaders and coaches seeking specialization.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2013
- HeadquartersSan Antonio, United States
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What Legacy Onward does
Legacy Onward, Inc. is a privately held, solo-practitioner leadership coaching consultancy founded by Cathy Carroll in 2013 and based in San Antonio, Texas. The firm specializes in coaching family business leaders across three personas — leading generation, rising generation, and non-family executives — using the Polarity Thinking (Polarity Management) methodology developed by Barry Johnson and delivered in collaboration with Polarity Partnerships (Cliff Kayser). The company's core product is direct leadership coaching addressing topics such as succession, family-member management, emotional intelligence, delegation, and family-business tensions; this is supplemented by the proprietary Family Business Polarity Assessment and the published book 'Hug of War: How to Lead a Family Business With both Love and Logic' (July 2024).
Beyond 1-on-1 coaching, Legacy Onward sells two ICF-accredited cohort-based training courses: the Family Business Coaching Course (FBCC) for coaches seeking the family business specialty, and an ICF Core Competency Training that grants CCEs toward credential maintenance. Course pricing is published (early-bird and regular tiers ranging from $1,550 to $2,400), and enrollment is self-serve via FreshBooks checkout. Distribution relies on a long-running blog (since 2016), a podcast guesting strategy, the Hug of War book on Amazon/B&N/IndieBound/Audiobooks.com, and a MailChimp newsletter funnel anchored on the free polarity assessment. The company is entirely founder-owned, has no external funding or institutional investors, and operates as a single-expert practice with Carroll's MCC credential serving as the primary credibility asset.
Legacy Onward firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Legacy Onward
- Legal name
- Legacy Onward, Inc.
- Website
- https://legacyonward.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2013
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- Legacy Onward is a San Antonio-based solo coaching consultancy that provides leadership coaching, ICF-accredited training courses, and family business content built on the Polarity Thinking methodology, serving family business leaders and coaches seeking specialization.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Legacy Onward industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Executive Coaching Services
- NAICS
- Professional and Management Development Training (611430), Professional and Management Development Training (61143), Educational Support Services (61171)
- SIC
- Services-Management Consulting Services (8742), Services-Educational Services (8200)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Founder/Entrepreneur & Family Business Executive Coaching (EDABANAM)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Family Business & Succession Advisory (FSAAADAL)
Keywords
Where Legacy Onward is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- San Antonio
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
Legacy Onward business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Operations
Revenue model
- Leadership Coaching Services: One-on-one or small group coaching engagements for family business leaders (Leading Generation, Rising Generation, and Non-Family Executives). Pricing not publicly disclosed; inquiries directed to [email protected].
- Family Business Coaching Course (FBCC): An eight-class virtual course for coaches seeking to specialize in family businesses. Earns 30 CCEs (15 Core Competency, 15 Resource Development plus Ethics CCEs) from ICF. Cohort-based with Fall 2026 cohort beginning September 14, 2026. Classes on Tuesdays 11a-1p Central Time.
- ICF Core Competency Training: An eight-class virtual course strengthening ICF Core Competencies for coaches maintaining ICF credentials. Earns 22 Core Competency CCEs (including 3 Ethics Training Hours) and 0.5 Resource Development CCEs. Classes offered twice daily (11:30am-1:00pm ET and 7:00-8:30pm ET) on select Mondays from March 9, 2026 through August 3, 2026.
- Book Sales - Hug of War: Cathy Carroll's book 'Hug of War: How to Lead a Family Business With both Love and Logic' published July 12, 2024. Sold through Amazon, Barnes & Noble, IndieBound, and audiobook format through Audiobooks.com.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| One time/ perpetual license | Multi-year contract | ICF Core Competency Training - Early Bird |
| One time/ perpetual license | Multi-year contract | ICF Core Competency Training - Regular Rate |
| One time/ perpetual license | Multi-year contract | Family Business Coaching Course - Early Bird |
| One time/ perpetual license | Multi-year contract | Family Business Coaching Course - Regular Rate |
| Other | Pay-as-you-go | Refund Policy |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels4 records
Marketing channels6 records
Legacy Onward product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Legacy Onward provides one-on-one and small-group leadership coaching engagements for family business leaders across all generations, grounded in the Polarity Thinking methodology. It also delivers two ICF-accredited virtual training courses for professional coaches (the Family Business Coaching Course and the ICF Core Competency Training) and distributes the book "Hug of War" through major retail channels. A free Family Business Polarity Assessment tool is offered as a lead-generation and diagnostic resource for family business leaders.
Product overview
Legacy Onward is a coaching and training company specializing in family business leadership development. The core offering is leadership coaching for family business leaders (leading generation, rising generation, and non-family executives). Supporting products include the Family Business Coaching Course (FBCC) for coaches seeking specialization, ICF Core Competency Training for credential maintenance, and the Family Business Polarity Assessment tool developed with Polarity Partnerships. The company also published the book 'Hug of War' and maintains an educational blog. The company is led by Cathy Carroll, MCC (Master Certified Coach).
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- Family Business Coaching Course (FBCC): An eight-class course that supports coaches who seek to enhance their coaching services for family businesses.
- ICF Core Competencies Training
- Family Business Polarity Assessment
Products and services
- Leadership Coaching for Family Business One-on-one and small-group coaching services for family business leaders, including those in the leading generation, rising generation, and non-family executives. Addresses topics such as leadership transition, managing family members, setting boundaries, emotional intelligence, delegation and accountability, and effective communication.
- Family Business Coaching Course (FBCC) Eight-class virtual course that supports coaches seeking to enhance their coaching services for family businesses. Covers family business as a system, power dynamics, conflict, polarities, succession, and governance. Cohort-based with early-bird ($1,800) and regular ($2,400) pricing.
- ICF Core Competency Training Eight-class virtual course strengthening ICF Core Competencies (as redefined in 2021 and revised September 2025) for coaches maintaining ICF credentials. Classes offered twice daily (11:30am-1:00pm ET and 7:00-8:30pm ET). Early-bird $1,550; regular rate $1,750 after February 13, 2026.
- Hug of War: How to Lead a Family Business With both Love and Logic Book about family business leadership that offers a framework for understanding the tension between family mindset and business mindset through polarity thinking. Includes stories, practical tools, and guidance for achieving harmony in family businesses.
- Family Business Polarity Assessment Free assessment tool for family business leaders to evaluate how well they manage common polarities (Invest::Harvest, Tradition::Innovation, Include::Exclude) in their business. Developed in partnership with Polarity Partnerships and includes an interpretation manual.
Quantifiable outcome
- Family businesses make up 80-90% of all businesses in North America (University of Michigan)
- +1 more outcomes
Companies that use Legacy Onward
Customer profileNamed customers3 records
Segments1 record
Ideal customer profiles2 records
Legacy Onward technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration3 records
Feature1 record
Legacy Onward partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Five partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- Polarity Partnerships (Cliff Kayser)coreStrategic collaboration with Polarity Partnerships, led by Cliff Kayser, for development and delivery of the Family Business Polarity Assessment. The assessment is crafted in close collaboration with Cliff Kayser at www.polaritypartnerships.com and enables family business leaders to measure how well they manage common tensions.
- Barry JohnsoncoreBarry Johnson is the inventor/creator of Polarity Thinking (50-year anniversary celebrated in 2025). Cathy Carroll participated in a week of group training with Barry Johnson and Cliff Kayser at Polarity Partnerships. Barry Johnson's work on polarity management provides foundational methodology for Legacy Onward's coaching approach and Hug of War book.
- Wix.comminorWebsite hosting platform provider. Legacy Onward's website is hosted on Wix.com. Wix.com handles data storage, databases, and general applications on secure servers behind firewalls. Payment gateways through Wix.com adhere to PCI-DSS standards.
- MailChimp (Intuit)minorEmail marketing platform used for newsletter distribution. MailChimp's privacy policy governs email communications. Legacy Onward uses MailChimp to send newsletters and blog post announcements to subscribers.
- ICF San Antonio ChapterminorHost organization for 90-minute webinar 'Leveraging both the Scrappy and the Skilled Use of Polarities in Coaching' on November 18, 2025. ICF chapter provides venue and registration platform for Cathy Carroll's educational content.
Scale indicators3 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights4 records
Legacy Onward competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- Marshall Goldsmith Partners: Marshall Goldsmith Partners is an executive coaching firm focused on leadership development for senior executives globally. It is comparable to Legacy Onward on executive coaching delivery and credibility-driven positioning, though broader in scope and less specialized in family business.
- Vistage Worldwide: Vistage is a large executive coaching and peer advisory organization serving CEOs and business leaders, including many family business leaders. It is a broad incumbent comparable to Legacy Onward on executive coaching delivery but operates at significantly larger scale and with broader (non-family-specialized) coverage.
- Gazelles International: Gazelles is a global executive coaching and business growth firm working with leadership teams across industries. It is a broad incumbent peer to Legacy Onward on executive coaching methodology and scaling frameworks, though it serves a wider (non-family-business-specialized) buyer base.
- Strategic Coach: Strategic Coach is an established coaching firm serving entrepreneurs and business owners with structured coaching programs and tools. It is comparable to Legacy Onward on coaching-for-business-owners delivery and productized coaching offerings, but with much broader scope (not family-business specialized).
Direct peers
- Coxe Associates: Coxe Associates is a consulting firm focused exclusively on family business advisory, working with owners on strategy, succession, and family dynamics. It is directly comparable to Legacy Onward in target customer (family business owners and leaders), service type (advisory/coaching), and family-business specialization.
- The Williams Group: The Williams Group is a long-established family business consulting and coaching firm serving business-owning families across generations on succession, governance, and next-generation leadership. It is a direct peer to Legacy Onward given overlapping family business coaching, succession advisory, and multi-generational leadership development offerings.
- Lansberg Gersick & Associates: Lansberg Gersick & Associates is a consulting firm specializing in family-owned businesses, advising on succession planning, governance, and family-business dynamics. It is a direct peer given its specialist focus on family enterprise coaching and advisory, with a similar buyer (family business leaders across generations) to Legacy Onward.
Others
- International Coaching Federation (ICF): ICF is the global credentialing body for professional coaches, including the MCC credential held by Cathy Carroll. It is an ecosystem peer because Legacy Onward's training products are ICF-accredited (CCE-bearing) and its marketing emphasizes ICF credentialing — making ICF both a quality backbone and a distribution channel.
- Family Firm Institute (FFI): FFI is the global professional organization for the family enterprise field, providing education, certification, and a network of family business advisors. It is an ecosystem/industry-body peer to Legacy Onward given the firm's engagement with the family business advisor community, Cathy Carroll's board-level affiliations, and shared audience.
- Purposeful Planning Institute: Purposeful Planning Institute is an organization focused on holistic, values-based planning for family enterprises and advisors. It is an ecosystem peer given Cathy Carroll's role as Vice-Chair of its board and the overlapping audience of family business advisors and owners served by both organizations.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat3 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Legacy Onward social profiles
Digital presenceLegacy Onward compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance1 record
Legacy Onward financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Legacy Onward leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles1 record
Legacy Onward funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Legacy Onward M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Legacy Onward
What does Legacy Onward do?
Legacy Onward provides one-on-one and small-group leadership coaching engagements for family business leaders across all generations, grounded in the Polarity Thinking methodology. It also delivers two ICF-accredited virtual training courses for professional coaches (the Family Business Coaching Course and the ICF Core Competency Training) and distributes the book "Hug of War" through major retail channels. A free Family Business Polarity Assessment tool is offered as a lead-generation and diagnostic resource for family business leaders.
Is Legacy Onward a public or private company?
Legacy Onward is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was Legacy Onward founded?
Legacy Onward was founded in 2013. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is Legacy Onward based?
Legacy Onward is headquartered in San Antonio, United States, in the North America region.
How does Legacy Onward make money?
Four revenue lines are on record. Leadership Coaching Services are the primary driver. The others are family Business Coaching Course (FBCC), ICF Core Competency Training and book Sales - Hug of War.
Who are Legacy Onward's main competitors?
Broad incumbents on record are Marshall Goldsmith Partners, Vistage Worldwide, Gazelles International and Strategic Coach. Direct peers are Coxe Associates, The Williams Group and Lansberg Gersick & Associates. Others are International Coaching Federation (ICF), Family Firm Institute (FFI) and Purposeful Planning Institute.
Does Legacy Onward have an API?
No public API is recorded for Legacy Onward.
What industry is Legacy Onward in?
Legacy Onward's product category is Executive Coaching Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is EDABANAM, Founder/Entrepreneur & Family Business Executive Coaching, with a secondary code of FSAAADAL, Family Business & Succession Advisory. Its NAICS code is 611430 and its SIC code is 8742.