For some, family businesses mean spending more quality time with their families, financial freedom and so much more while for others it feels like a prison sentence. There are so many pros and cons, positives and negatives and so we wanted to create a space for folks who have experiences with family businesses to discuss the pros and cons.

Kenny Sutherland

Family businesses can be a mixed bag. It can bind you in ways that a lot of other activities can’t. Overcoming hurdles on projects in real time teaches you a lot about real world problem solving. Seeing how your parents handle a job that went sideways or how they still treat an irrational customer with respect teaches integrity, honor, and grit in a way that just talking about can’t convey. Read more>>

Lauren Wurst Finkes

Oddly enough, my dad and his 3 siblings all have their own family businesses. My dad Eric, and his younger brother David run a film composing studio, Wurst Brothers Music in Southern California. His older brother Paul ran a business that served adults with developmental disabilities living in their own homes called Options in Supported Living in Sacramento. And his younger sister Anne and her husband Pete run Pete Mueller Performance Group in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Of these, only Anne and Pete have a child who has joined the family business! I think growing up close with all of my cousins it seemed far more normal to me to have parents who set their own work schedules and were their own bosses. Read more>>

Armon Moore

This isn’t a story about saving a marriage in crisis — it’s a story about fortifying one. After becoming parents, we were like many modern couples: stretched thin, drifting a bit, feeling the weight of responsibility more than the joy of partnership.
When my wife mentioned over brunch that the drinks were always disappointing to her and her friends — sugary mimosas, heavy Bloody Mary’s that were a meal in itself, Champagne headaches — I saw something simple, but powerful. An opportunity to create a solution for her. I listened, and I acted. I spent five years researching wines, learning about Lambrusco, and eventually, we built Saint Enzo together. Read more>>

Philana Aiken

In a family business there’s always positive and negative outcomes. Overall , having a mutual understanding of how you want your brand to be represented and what you would like to have your business look like in the future is a great start. I would want my children to join my business because it displays unity within the family and they can help create generational wealth. Every establishment goes through the hardships of setbacks and sometimes everyone is not able to have the same schedule. I feel it is important when working with family to keep it close. Read more>>