Using Family in Business

The Orlando Sentinel newspaper today had an opinion piece about children working for their parents.  As Robert Greene wrote in his book The 48 Laws of Power, Law #2 states: Never Put Too Much Trust in Friends, Learn How to Use Enemies, the word "Friends" can be replaced with "Family."  Many times when a small business owner starts a business, one of the best places to find employees, in the business owner's opinion, is in family.

However, this can be a absolutely great or absolutely terrible, with terrible usually winning in many cases.  The problem with this situation as Greene so painfully points out in his book is that you will give friends (family) more chances, more power, more everything than other employees.  Family only focuses this more because in essence you cannot fire a family member.  If you do, Thanksgiving and Christmas stop being such a joyous affair because not only does the family member resent the firing, but many family members take sides.  

This plays out many, many times on the show Kitchen Nightmares which stars Gordon Ramsay, chef extraordinaire.  Almost every week on this show throughout the years it is the family members that cause terrible food, service, or no management.  Family hates and refuses to fire these family members and therefore the profits start to dwindle.

It does not take too long to find small business owners in any town in the world that experience these horrible situations.  Therefore, before you hire friends or family, take a step back and ask yourself if you want to deal with these situations along with everything else a small business owner has to deal with in operating a business.