Frequently Asked Questions
Running a family business means carrying two jobs at once: running the business and managing the family. Most of the questions I get from owners sit right at that intersection. These are the ones I hear most often, answered as directly as I can.
How can I get other family members to work as hard as I do?
You probably can't make anyone work harder than they want to. What you can do is set clear expectations, define roles with real accountability, and have a direct conversation about whether everyone is in the right seat. When family members understand what's expected of them and what happens when those expectations aren't met, the dynamic usually shifts. If it doesn't, that's important information too.
How do I prepare our children to take over our family business?
Succession doesn't start the year before you retire. It starts the day you decide you want your business to outlast you. Give your children real responsibility early, let them make mistakes while the stakes are manageable, and build a succession plan before anyone is ready to step away. The plan needs to address the business transition and the family transition. They're not the same thing.
How do I find my voice in the family business?
You find your voice by earning credibility in your area of responsibility, being willing to disagree respectfully, and not waiting for permission to lead. It helps to have a clear role with clear ownership. When your job description overlaps with someone else's, it's hard for anyone to know whose voice should carry the day.
How can our family improve communication in the family business?
Poor communication in a family business is usually a structure problem, not a personality problem. When roles are unclear and decisions can be made by anyone, communication breaks down. The fix is rarely a family meeting. It's a clear org chart, defined decision rights, and a regular cadence of short business meetings where issues get aired and resolved. I go deeper on this in Family First: A Guide to Managing Family Dynamics in Your Business.
How do I tell a family member they're hurting our family business?
Do it privately, with specific examples, and without an audience. Lead with the impact on the business, not your personal frustration. "When this happens, here's the effect I'm seeing on our team and our customers" is a more productive frame than "you're not doing your job." It's also worth asking what they're experiencing. If the conversation doesn't change anything, it may need to go from informal to formal.
What can I do when my spouse and I don't see eye-to-eye in our family business?
Separate roles so each person has clear ownership, agree in advance on how major decisions get made, and bring in an outside perspective before the tension gets unmanageable. A coach or trusted advisor with no stake in the outcome can help you and your spouse get to the same page faster than most internal conversations will.
How do I tell mom and dad to go home and let us run the business?
Carefully, and with respect for what they built. The goal isn't to push them out. It's to get clarity on who's leading now. That usually means a direct conversation about roles, a defined timeline, and a plan for how they stay connected without being in the operational chain of command. The succession planning resources on this site can help you frame that conversation.
Which of my children should I put in charge of our family business?
It's not always the oldest, the most available, or the one who's been there the longest. It's the one who has the skills, the leadership capacity, and the genuine interest to run the business well. If none of your children are ready yet, your job is to develop them or find an interim leader to bridge the gap. Choosing the wrong person because of family politics is one of the most costly mistakes I see in succession.
How do I work with difficult family members in the business?
The same way you work with difficult employees, except the stakes are higher and the relationship doesn't end when the workday does. Set clear expectations for professional behavior. Address problems when they happen, not three months later. Some of the difficulty comes from role ambiguity. When someone isn't sure where their authority begins and ends, they overreach or disengage. Clarity is usually more useful than confrontation.