Family Office
How to Start a Family Office: A Complete Setup Guide
What it actually takes to start a family office: the asset threshold, the structure choice, real running costs, and the mistakes that cost years.
Vancouver · North America · Asia-Pacific
Independent strategy, governance, and financial clarity.
Zephyr helps family offices and owner-led businesses organize complex decisions, strengthen governance, and turn strategy into practical execution: across Canada, the United States, Taiwan, and Asia-Pacific. A bilingual practice in English and Mandarin.
Two Practices, One Standard
Tailored to your situation.
Family Office Consulting
For multi-generational families with significant wealth.
Governance frameworks, advisor oversight, investment policy support, consolidated reporting, succession, and legacy strategy. Designed for families with significant wealth, often spanning multiple jurisdictions and generations.
Explore Family Office Consulting →Business Consulting
For owner-led businesses navigating growth or transition.
Strategic operating plans, budgeting, forecasting, KPI dashboards, process improvement, and execution support. Designed for owner-led companies, navigating growth, succession, financing, or cross-border expansion.
Explore Business Consulting →Why Zephyr
Built for clients who need more than advice.
01
Independent Judgment
No product sales, no conflicts of interest. Advice aligned solely with your priorities.
02
Financial Services Depth
20+ years at HSBC and RBC across wealth management, regulatory transformation, M&A communications, and operational delivery.
03
Governance Discipline
Structured decision-making, reporting clarity, and accountability frameworks.
04
Practical Execution
Not just strategy. We help design, implement, and monitor outcomes.
05
Bilingual & Cross-Border
English and Mandarin. Two decades of cross-border advisory across Canada, the United States, Taiwan, and Asia-Pacific.
Scope of Work
What engagements look like.
Family Office
Business
Family governance framework (multi-generational)
Annual strategic operating plan with execution cadence
Independent advisor oversight and coordination review
Budget, rolling forecast, and KPI dashboard
Investment policy statement and consolidated reporting review
Workflow and process improvement roadmap
Cross-border wealth coordination & decision-rights framework
Risk, internal controls, and governance review
Our Approach
A disciplined approach to complex decisions.
01
Understand
Assess your current situation, stakeholders, and key decision points.
02
Clarify
Define priorities, scope, and success criteria together.
03
Design & Execute
Build the framework, model, or roadmap. Support implementation.
04
Review
Monitor outcomes. Refine. Ensure governance holds.
Zephyr Perspectives
Published thinking on governance, wealth, and execution.
Business
Business Strategy Consulting for Small Business: A Guide
What business strategy consulting actually covers for a small business, what it costs, when it pays for itself, and how to tell good from bad.
Family Office
Family Office Governance: Structure, Policies, Succession
The family office governance framework in full: board and council design, decision rights, the policies with teeth, and succession that holds.
Business
Strategic Planning for Small Business: Roadmap to Growth
A five-phase strategic planning roadmap for small business, plus an honest read on when the work is worth doing yourself and when it is not.
Family Office
Cost of Running a Family Office: The Honest Math
The real cost of running a family office across wealth tiers: personnel, technology, and the math that kills sub-scale single family offices below $100M.
Business
Do I Need a Business Consultant? A Diagnostic Guide
The ten growth triggers that signal it is time to hire a consultant, with ROI benchmarks, cost comparisons, and the red flags worth walking from.
Family Office
US Estate Tax for Canadians: The Cross-Border Blind Spot
US estate tax reaches Canadian and Asia-Pacific families holding US assets above US$60,000. The questions to raise before probate raises them.
Business
Small Business Succession Planning Canada: Exit Options
The four exit paths open to Canadian owners, and the readiness work that raises your price under all of them.
Family Office
Single Family Office vs MFO: Which Model Fits Your Wealth?
AUM thresholds, real running costs, and the prestige trap that emerging UHNW families routinely fall into.
Business
Fractional Executives vs Full-Time Hires for Small Business
Fractional executives cost 60 to 75% less than full-time C-suite hires. When part-time leadership wins for a small business, and when it does not.
Start with a confidential conversation about your current priorities.
Discuss your decision points and whether Zephyr is the right advisory partner. Available in English and Mandarin.
Book a Confidential Consultation