All in the Family

Many of you may remember a comedy series by the name of our blog title . It had love, laughter, exasperation, frustration, surprise, and disappointment. Perhaps your own family can be described with these words. Yet, more often than not, small businesses are family businesses.

Recently, on a job site, the client mentioned he now had on-site maintenance in the form of his retired father. We laughed and then realized that our consultant was made up of a third generation business with brothers working on our job. And, of course, my sister had hired me for business management on the job. We took a moment and toasted to family with our water bottles. They say it takes a village but it really may take a family.

A majority of the companies I have worked with over the last twenty-five (25) years had ownership that was related. You would find siblings, husband and wife, parents and children’s, in laws, through the office or plant. And this was a successful model for most of them. Relatives permeated the front office, the manufacturing floor, the logistics department, the sales team, and more. For many firms of various sizes, this formula works, should you try it?

The advantages of working with family members include instant trust, knowing what they bring and do not bring to the proverbial table, and knowing you can be yourself as they already know you. Disadvantages may include taking liberties because they are family, bringing family issues from the home to the office, and a confusing line between your personal life and your career. All of these should be considered when moving forward in a family run business. But, my experience shows it seems to work more than it doesn’t work.

Remember, for the most part, your family should have the best interest of the company at heart. Trust in one another, Treat each other with the same respect you would an unrelated colleague, and Throw a party when you have successes to celebrate.

Be like the four (4) generations of Dutch Barbet in our Blog Photo - Aubey, Babaloo, Maj, and Lizzie - protect your pack and have each other’s back. Your synergy as a family team will give you the foundation to launch more achievements on the corporate side.

Be well.