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It adds more complexity to relationships, but it can also keep families/friends closer because they have more shared goals. There are some cultures where famil

by blunte 5y ago

It adds more complexity to relationships, but it can also keep families/friends closer because they have more shared goals. There are some cultures where family businesses, where most members of the family work and participate, are the norm. Quite a huge population of people operate that way.

AussieWog93 5y ago
I would be interested to hear other founders' first-hand experience with this. In my experience, hiring my younger cousin for occasional work during school/uni breaks has been great, but involving close friends looking for work has been disastrous 3 out of 3 times.
- WastingMyTime89 5y ago
  My parents worked with my grand parents before taking over the business and I have occasionally worked with them through the years. You don’t really hire family members. They join you in the family business. It’s a different dynamic but I t doesn’t really cause issue because the family business has always been a part of our family life. The frontier between personal life and work is very blurry but that’s nothing unusual for SME owners.
  - astura 5y ago
    There's a huge difference between bringing your children into the family business (presumably also preparing them to inherit it) and employing your sister to work for you at your business.
  - vram22 5y ago
    Yes. And I have read a few pretty interesting novels in English about such business families, from the time I was a kid.
- gambiting 5y ago
  In my parents business it has been a disaster 100/100 times. All friendships all family relations have been completely destroyed by them trying to run a business together. I know it's just an anecdote, but yeah, I'd be careful.
vram22 5y ago
>There are some cultures where family businesses, where most members of the family work and participate, are the norm. Quite a huge population of people operate that way. Yes. Among Indian comunities, Gujaratis (particularly the Patel sub-community who own the majority of US motels, the Ambanis - Reliance group, big) and the Marwaris (some big Indian businessmen among them, like the Birlas, Ruias, Goenkas), are examples of this. Possibly Kashmiris (handicrafts shops), Punjabis and Sikhs (auto parts shops, dhabas, etc.), Bunts (a Karnataka sub-community, Udupi restaurants), and Chettiars (gold and jewelry shops, money-lending, trading abroad) too. And I am only writing about those I know about. There could be others too.

by blunte 5y ago

AussieWog93 5y ago

I would be interested to hear other founders' first-hand experience with this. In my experience, hiring my younger cousin for occasional work during school/uni breaks has been great, but involving close friends looking for work has been disastrous 3 out of 3 times.

WastingMyTime89 5y ago
My parents worked with my grand parents before taking over the business and I have occasionally worked with them through the years. You don’t really hire family members. They join you in the family business. It’s a different dynamic but I t doesn’t really cause issue because the family business has always been a part of our family life. The frontier between personal life and work is very blurry but that’s nothing unusual for SME owners.
- astura 5y ago
  There's a huge difference between bringing your children into the family business (presumably also preparing them to inherit it) and employing your sister to work for you at your business.
- vram22 5y ago
  Yes. And I have read a few pretty interesting novels in English about such business families, from the time I was a kid.
gambiting 5y ago
In my parents business it has been a disaster 100/100 times. All friendships all family relations have been completely destroyed by them trying to run a business together. I know it's just an anecdote, but yeah, I'd be careful.

vram22 5y ago

>There are some cultures where family businesses, where most members of the family work and participate, are the norm. Quite a huge population of people operate that way. Yes. Among Indian comunities, Gujaratis (particularly the Patel sub-community who own the majority of US motels, the Ambanis - Reliance group, big) and the Marwaris (some big Indian businessmen among them, like the Birlas, Ruias, Goenkas), are examples of this. Possibly Kashmiris (handicrafts shops), Punjabis and Sikhs (auto parts shops, dhabas, etc.), Bunts (a Karnataka sub-community, Udupi restaurants), and Chettiars (gold and jewelry shops, money-lending, trading abroad) too. And I am only writing about those I know about. There could be others too.