charge but [he] is not here as much in a day-to-day this is by going against today’s norm by closing our IN HIS BOOK Keep the
capacity. In concert with the management team he store on Sunday. We guard this time as a restful fam- Family Baggage Out of the
is still very much the driving force of the business ily church day. Above all, we keep in mind that peo-and makes my growth here a priority. ple are always more important than money. Family Business: Avoiding
Another challenge is to ensure I’m getting as Stacie Varner the Seven Deadly Sins That
much advice and direction as I can from my father Glacier Smoothie LLC
before he turns this baby over to the next genera- Juneau, Alaska Destroy Family Businesses,
tion. A family-succession consultant has been hired Costco member Quentin
to assist us in identifying each family member’s role Two things I said I would never do: work for J. Fleming identifies the
and to provide for a smooth transition of control. my father and move back to Kansas City!!! Never say
Rebecca Kaplan never. I also said I would never own a minivan. most common problems
Glazer’s Camera Steve Black associated with running a
Seattle, Washington Larson Financial Services Inc.
Leawood, Kansas family business and sug-
The love of good-quality food and the gests ways to avoid them.
smiles on the faces of our patrons is something that My family partners were very traditional in For more information
runs in our veins. It was our grandfather and his their approach to the business, but if I thought I had
father before him that brought cooking to the fore- a better or different idea, they never said no or that about Fleming and his
front of our family life. Working together with my it was a dumb idea. My grandmother and mother book, visit his Web site,
sister and, on occasion, my father, is certainly chal- were always supportive. That support was also a
lenging. Restaurant life is hectic. No one really sees respect for each other and what each person www.familybaggage.com.
what it takes to bring that beautiful meal to the brought to the business.
table, and that’s the way it should be. Gail Lindley
Under pressure words will fly, attitudes emerge Denver Bookbinding Company
and dirty looks leap across the room ... all to be for- Denver, Colorado
gotten when the night is over and we kick back with
a glass of wine! The benefits I find from working with family
Lil Carciofo are numerous. I look up to my father and mother a
Caffe Carciofo great deal. To start a company from scratch and
Brooklyn, New York build it up to what it is today takes courage, energy
and, most of all, time. My father is teaching me
The challenge of owning your own busi- things every day, all day long.
ness is complex in and of itself, but throw in three Erin Wasserman
generations with strong ideas and stronger person- Allied Lighting Services
alities and you have quite a mixture of good people Cleveland, Ohio
and great minds all striving to achieve one goal: to
help families through the most difficult
time in their lives, and grow a financial
base.
Barbara Guarino Kruk n s
Roma Funeral Home Shirley, New York that destroy family business
Now that my father and I are
older, we have very few problems or
disagreements regarding the business.
It has been very easy for me to take his
advice and direction because he has
so much integrity and good judgment; he is very young and active, and
we see each other and work very
closely together on a daily basis, yet he
allows me so much freedom and
experimentation within the business
so that I am never bored or complacent. I love my job and my “boss,” so I
feel extremely fortunate.
Cecelia Moreno
Crest Café
San Diego, California
Family business is tricky at
times because the line between work and
home gets blurry in the rush of things.
We each have assigned duties, which
helps, but we all realized early on that
business had to stay separate from our
“family” feelings. One of the ways we do
SYNDROME
“It’s the same old song.”
CONSEQUENCE
People’s behaviors, roles and beliefs from
childhood are perpetuated in the business.
“We’re one big happy family.”
Failure to acknowledge that the business
system requires different practices than
the family system.
“They may have become adults, Parents are unable to accept their
but they’ll always be my children.” children as grown adults.
“You’re not loyal to this family
if you insist on being selfish.”
“Father knows best?”
“Maybe it will go away
if we ignore it.”
“Tell me about your childhood.”
Failure to acknowledge family members
as individuals.
Business founders usually possess
dominating personalities and/or are
consumed with the business.
Failing to address problems that will
inevitably emerge with increasing
intensity and destructive potential.
Children enter the family’s business before
experiencing sufficient distance to resolve
critical issues from their childhood.
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