Do you run or work for a family business? If so, we’d love to hear from you for our family business series. In this series, you’ll find insights, stories and a discussion of the pros and cons of family businesses.

Alton Blakely

Individuals taking advantage of polices and procedures of the business can be a pitfall due to the comfortability of love between the family. I would want my children to join the family business, because I created this legacy for the next generation. I would want my kids to be able to continue the business and create generational wealth. Watching my father accomplishments he desired to pass on to me and my sisters motivated me to do the same for my children. I guess you can say my father instilled the entrepreneur spirit into us. We are motivated by Psalms 37 & 25. Read more>>

Cassidy Thiesen

Small + family owned businesses are truly what lights me up. I grew up in a family of small business owners, so it only makes sense that my biggest drive for a career involved doing my own thing + building my own business. Read more>>

 Jason Schuler

Most families navigate through the quirks of dysfunction, but the challenge intensifies when running a family business. It can seem like a plot straight out of a horror movie. Read more>>

 Jackson Ramsey

**Beekeeping: Crafting a Legacy, Strengthening Family Bonds, and Inspiring the Next Generation**

In our family, beekeeping isn’t just a hobby or a business—it’s a shared legacy that has woven itself into the very fabric of our lives. Each time we gather around the hives, the hum of the bees becomes a backdrop to our conversations, laughter, and moments of reflection. This shared experience has enriched our family life in ways we could have never imagined. Read more>>

Venetia Lyons

Family business is my sweet spot. The reason this is for me is because I know that family business is the backbone of society. The ability for families to come together and create products or services to sustain their family and others is important. Working with members of your family can rewarding as you work together to build a company that will be in your family for generations to come. When working with family it can help build relationships within the family that can result in better relationships and stronger bonds. Read more>>

Kayla Ridder

When I hear Family Business, I have heard alot of things said. My husband works for his uncle and we own the laser engraving business with his uncle as an extension for his other business… (pet cremation so engraving goes hand in hand wiht engraving urns and jewelry) so we are very involved in family business. Starting out we were always told not to get involved in family business because it will strain the relationships within the family. But we have had a different experience. To be able to thrive as a family business you need to be able to communicate, to be able to separate work and personal thing, and take things that are said. You have to understand sometimes mistakes happen and the person to let you know that is going to be a family member, or in my case my husband. Within every business communication is huge. But within a Family Business it is even more important. You dont want things to turn into a he said, she said fight, you dont want the things you say to cause a strain in your relationship so knowing what ways they handle criticism, what ways they handle praise, what ways to bring up issues, and just having a healthy line of communication is huge. The my way no highway mindset can be very damaging. You need to be able to listen to the opinions of the other members involved in the decision making and decide as a family what is best for the business and family. One of the main reasons I want to own a family business is for my kids. I will not push them to join the business, but I want them to learn the business so they can make up their minds. But my kids are very busy and we love having them involved in sports and helping them find things they love and having a business to help support their dreams is part of what I want from our business. Even at a young age running a famiy business can have an effect on your kids. They can see your work ethic, the time and energy it takes to make a business grow, and they can get involved even from a young age to learn different sides of business that will hopefully benefit them in the future. A hard part about family business is that most of it falls on you. So when you arnt there the business can struggle or take a hit, especially in the beginning stages or until you have employees in place that can continue to help your business grow. Having a business (espeically starting out) is like having a newborn baby. It can require work at all hours of the day, going in to fix issues at the drop of a hat, even on vacation you can still have things you need to take care of. so having some boundaries in places to make sure your family is still getting attention outside of the business can be hard but something you should try and accomplish. and those boundaries and what works for your business and family will vary. For us currently this is what that looks like. We have the phone for the pet cremation at night. So I will handle those calls the best I can but my husband will take over when I need him to. The kids know when that phone rings they need to be quiet, but they are kids so sometimes they forget and need to be reminded. I go into work when the kids are at school, but on breaks they will come with me and I try to get them involved in making the projects, my 3 year old could probably run the equipment as good as I can at lazer focused. When we are working at home we try to explain to our kids we are working so they know and can see the work we are putting in, but we try to keep dinner very interactive and keep the communication flowing with limited phone use and they know they have our undivided attention. Having a business cell phone and social media is huge because we can work from the kids events, home, the car, the hospital, really most places we would need to. That can be hard to separate work and family, but also makes it easier to be at places when we need to. Being able to prioritize what needs to happen now and what can wait can help with that some. What can wait to be done when you are at the office, or not around your kids and what needs to be addressed on the spot. Read more>>

Cynthia Stringham

Navigating a family business is a bit like trying to sail a boat in unpredictable waters – especially when it’s manned by me, Thom (my life partner), and my energetic crew of four boys. A year into this adventure, it’s clear that love, loyalty, and a dash of spontaneity, while charming, aren’t the only ingredients needed for smooth sailing. The boys are great at pitching in with the grunt work, but let’s face it, they’re still kids. Their contributions, while valuable, are understandably limited. It’s fantastic they’re learning the value of hard work early on, but it’s a balancing act. I’m striving to instill work ethics without inadvertently scripting a childhood memoir titled “All Work and No Play.” And then there’s me and Thom, the spontaneous duo turned business partners, learning the hard art of time management. Spontaneity has its charms, but I’ve realized the hard way that if I don’t schedule family time like I do for work, it gets gobbled up by the insatiable appetite of business demands. So, I’m on this journey of setting boundaries, where ‘family time’ isn’t just a concept but a scheduled event, and where work doesn’t always get the lion’s share of my day. It’s tougher than anticipated, this balancing act between nurturing a business and nurturing a family, but perhaps the most important venture I’ve ever embarked upon. My goal this year, to really turn off the thoughts of work, while trying to be present with family. Right now, I have a lot of room for improvement. Read more>>