In This Episode

So do you work with family in your business?  Or maybe it’s friends who are like family.  Or both.  Are you good at leaving the personal stuff at the door when you come into work every day?  Not sure what that looks like?  Well today’s show is for you!

One of the biggest blessings but also challenges with working with family and friends is that you know each other pretty well.  As a result of your personal relationship you have experienced things together that you are unlikely to experience with other co-workers who aren’t family or friends.  While this can be comforting to you as the owner, it can also be uncomfortable or awkward for your team.

That old phrase of “it’s business it’s not personal” has likely never worked in a small family business before.  It’s OK to be “personal” if you keep a business mindset.  Put simply, just because your brother did something at your son’s birthday that upset everyone, doesn’t mean you bring those hurt feelings to work with you on Monday.  Or just because your the parent of your head of operations doesn’t mean you should treat them like a child while at work.

During the show today we shared some stories of family businesses doing well with keeping the personal stuff out of the business while others have tanked their businesses due to not being able to separate the personal from the business front.  It all starts with just being aware that there are unforeseen challenges with working with family and friends.  We find it’s best to have a lot of discussions about this up front and be aware that just because you don’t want things to harm your personal relationship doesn’t mean that won’t be the case.  We’ve seen too many relationships destroyed by going into business together.

People, Companies and Resources We Mentioned in the Show

The War of The Roses Film (https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0098621/)

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