{"id":562,"date":"2017-07-18T11:59:59","date_gmt":"2017-07-18T09:59:59","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sage-new-clone.local\/en-za\/blog\/?p=446"},"modified":"2024-02-27T15:05:43","modified_gmt":"2024-02-27T13:05:43","slug":"secrets-to-growing-successful-family-business","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-za\/blog\/secrets-to-growing-successful-family-business\/","title":{"rendered":"8 secrets of successful family businesses"},"content":{"rendered":"
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\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\tBusiness planning<\/a>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t
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\n\t\t\t\t\t\t8 secrets of successful family businesses\t\t\t\t\t<\/h1>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t

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\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\"Keir\t\t\t\tKeir Thomas-Bryant<\/span>\n\t\t\t<\/a>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

Today, the United Nations commemorates International Day of Families. It aims to promote the role of family in education and care-giving, and also promotes good practices for a healthy work-family balance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In the spirit of the day, we\u2019re sharing personal advice from successful family business owners from around the world that have managed to strike the right balance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Check out the top 8 secrets to growing a successful family business (and keeping a happy home).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

1.  Make sure you complement each other<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

They say that opposites attract; this is also true to business partnerships. We talked to husband and wife team Aisha Pandor and Alen Ribic, co-founders of the award-winning South African start-up, \u2018SweepSouth\u2019. They attribute their success to a complementary skillset and a good personality match.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Don\u2019t go into business \u2018just because\u2019. Ask if you have complementary skillsets and personality for the type of business you want to start. We started SweepSouth together because we were jointly passionate about tackling the issue it solves (inefficiency in getting home services, lack of technology used to improve the industry, and high unemployment rates). More importantly, we had a great complementary set of skills between us, with Alen being able to build and scale our tech, and my understanding of operational and people management.<\/em><\/p>\nAisha Pandor, co-founder & CEO,\u00a0SweepSouth.com<\/a><\/cite><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

Aisha Pandor & Alen Ribic, co-founders and husband-and-wife team behind SweepSouth.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

2.  Agree on what \u201csuccess\u201d looks like<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Sit down and ask yourselves honestly, what do you want to achieve with the business? This is an important question for any entrepreneur, but when you\u2019re starting a business with a family member, this is vital to protecting your personal relationships. If one of you has a dream to be a multi-billionaire global business mogul, and the other is quite happy to grow a sustainable lifestyle business, you may have a mismatched approach to how hard you want to work.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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It\u2019s very important to know how the other person will judge progress. It\u2019s frustrating to feel like things are going well, only to find out that your business partner and significant other doesn\u2019t agree. Defining clear expectations and goals not only helps your business grow, but also helps keep your relationship healthy and happy.<\/em><\/p>\nJennifer Whittington-Bookhout, owner & creative director,\u00a0CreativeWhitt.com<\/a><\/cite><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

3.  Allocate \u2013 and stick to \u2013 specific job roles<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Married entrepreneurs, Monique and Derek Alvarez, have built their own web design and marketing consultancy together. Their secret to success: leave micromanagement at the door.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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My husband and I joked that I was the boss of myself and he was the boss of himself. In other words, we figured out what we were each in charge of and we stayed out of the rest. We trust each other and don\u2019t micromanage each other.<\/em><\/p>\nMonique Alvarez, business consultant<\/cite><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

4.  Love is a powerful thing \u2013 Keep it present in your business<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

In a family business, you don\u2019t need to be concerned with appearing \u2018professional\u2019, or keeping a \u2018professional distance\u2019. Although the level of emotional support in the workforce will vary from industry to industry, remember that you are family. Mother-daughter-owned e-commerce business, Toucan.ro, reminds us that although building a family business is stressful, you also love each other. Lean on that love to create a foundation of support and motivation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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I think both me and mum knew from the beginning that we were expecting to spend a lot of money and time building the Toucan brand. And there will come times when you want to give up and say it\u2019s too hard. This is when my mother comes in and says: \u201cDon\u2019t lose your passion! You can do it! I trust in you!\u201d This helps a lot<\/em><\/p>\nIoana Mirea, Co-Founder,\u00a0Toucan.ro<\/a><\/cite><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

5.  Find the right work space \u2013 even if it means working in different places<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

In a family business, it can be easy to fall into a rut of working from the family home. Though this may work for some, others need to separate themselves from family distractions. Co-founders of travel video platform, Shootip, Nathalie Matellini and her husband, have both found their productivity in different places.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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My husband is happy working from home as it allows him to work at his pace, taking sometimes just 5 mins, other times a three-hour break and then coming right back to the issue he was tackling. As a mother to a baby, I learnt I could not concentrate with my baby in the house. It was too distracting and too conflicting to know which \u2018hat\u2019 I should have on. I have to completely separate my roles as wife, mother, and CEO. For this, I physically need to separate them.<\/em><\/p>\nNathalie Matellini, Co-Founder,\u00a0Shootip<\/a><\/cite><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

6.  Agree on how much risk you\u2019re willing to take<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Risks include the level of personal investment you\u2019re both willing to take away from your family income and savings. With a family-owned business, financial risk isn\u2019t spread, so this can be an intense decision process. Have these discussions at the beginning, and know your limits.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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It came down to a lot of talking and strategising, plus compromise. We had to sit down and take a hard look at money, where it was going, what was needed, and then adjust our priorities and plan accordingly.<\/em><\/p>\nAmanda Ponzio-Mouttaki and Youssef Mouttaki, co-owners,\u00a0Marrakech Food Tours<\/a>\u00a0&\u00a0MarocMama<\/a><\/cite><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

7.  Remember to stop working<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Every business needs time and attention to grow, but the same is true for relationships. Depending on the demands of your business, set clear boundaries for when business is officially \u2018off the table\u2019, whether this is an hour a day, or a whole day each week, if you can. And don\u2019t forget what you need as an individual to stay motivated.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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We\u2019re still finding a way not to get home and immediately open up the laptop. We\u2019re aware of the issue (and that it IS an issue) and try to get out of the house for a few hours when we can. This means we\u2019re physically not able to open the laptop and work. We also try to spend concrete time to refocus on other activities, like photography (for Alen) and yoga (for me) that we enjoy, and that gives us something else to think about.<\/em><\/p>\nAisha Pandor, co-founder & CEO, SweepSouth.com<\/cite><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

8.  Have a sound contract in place<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Unfortunately, not all businesses work out. Approach your business relationship with loved ones wearing your professional hat, taking steps to protect your rights as an individual. Consult a lawyer, and make sure that you have all your paperwork in order. You\u2019ll be grateful for it if the worst happens. Husband and wife team, Isabel and Ricardo Dominguez, operate a successful dive business together in Indonesia. They warn:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Be sure your relationship is strong enough to weather one of the biggest storms of your life. Honestly, we\u2019ve been through screaming disputes, but there is also a lot of love and joint determination to make it work. It\u2019s our dream<\/em><\/p>\nIsabel Dominguez, general manager,\u00a0Legend Diving Lembongan<\/a><\/cite><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

In business and in life, with big risk and a lot of hard work come big rewards. If you\u2019re considering launching a family business, or are already in a business partnership with a loved one, we hope this advice helps you receive those big rewards. Draw inspiration from these success stories, and know that you can also find your balance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\u201cFailures are lessons. The people you keep are the seeds to the success you grow. They just grow different plants<\/em><\/p>\nMaliza Booysen, founder, Female Entrepreneurs South Africa<\/cite><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

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\t\t\t\tWe asked successful family business owners: What\u2019s your secret to keeping a happy home and growing a business? It\u2019s a tricky balancing act! Here\u2019s how they did it\u2026\t\t<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":280,"featured_media":71211,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_sage_video":false,"post_featured_image_hide":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[33],"tags":[166,316],"business_type":[2],"lilypad":[],"context":[],"industry":[],"persona":[16],"imagine_tag":[85,86],"coauthors":[405],"class_list":["post-562","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-business-planning","tag-business-management","tag-business-strategy","business_type-small-business"],"sage_meta":{"region":"en-za","author_name":"Keir Thomas-Bryant","featured_image":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-za\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2023\/09\/GettyImages-1414263386.jpg","imagine_tags":{"85":"Small business","86":"Start up business"}},"distributor_meta":false,"distributor_terms":false,"distributor_media":false,"distributor_original_site_name":"Sage Advice South Africa","distributor_original_site_url":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-za\/blog","push-errors":false,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-za\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/posts\/562","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-za\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-za\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-za\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/users\/280"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-za\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=562"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-za\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/posts\/562\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-za\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/media\/71211"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-za\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=562"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-za\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=562"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-za\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=562"},{"taxonomy":"business_type","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-za\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/business_type?post=562"},{"taxonomy":"lilypad","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-za\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/lilypad?post=562"},{"taxonomy":"context","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-za\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/context?post=562"},{"taxonomy":"industry","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-za\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/industry?post=562"},{"taxonomy":"persona","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-za\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/persona?post=562"},{"taxonomy":"imagine_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-za\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/imagine_tag?post=562"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-za\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/coauthors?post=562"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}