Families find working together pays off
By Samatha Critchell
Associated Press
NEW YORK — A family that plays together is supposed to stay together, but what about the family that gets paid together?
Associated Press
Sharper tongues and deeper rifts are probably more common in family businesses, said Paula Deen, a restaurateur who works alongside her two 30-something sons. But the positives far outweigh the negatives.
The Deen family, from left, Bobby, Paula and Jamie, work together at The Lady & Sons restaurant in Savannah, Ga., and found that the positives of a family business far outweigh the negatives.
"There are scars from the heat of the battles. You say things to family members you wouldn't say to an employee or colleague, and we all know which buttons to push," said Deen, owner of The Lady & Sons in Savannah, Ga. "But there is such pride we all feel about the success of our business."
She added: "I'm also so lucky that I get to see these precious young men every day of my life."
The winning recipe for working together gelled once they each took on a designated role at the restaurant that overlaps but doesn't interfere with the others: Bobby greets guests, Jamie watches over the kitchen and catering business, Paula's brother Earl "Bubba" Hiers Jr. handles money matters and Paula has her hand in every pot.
"We're not treated as insubordinates, but Mom's word is the final word, and we know that," said Jamie Deen.
But they all know they are part of a team, said Bobby Deen, that is working toward a common goal with no hidden agendas.
Even after working together everyday, Paula, Bobby and Jamie and sometimes Uncle Bubba eat dinner as a family on Sunday nights. The two sons live in the same apartment building and go on scuba diving vacations together.
They try not to talk business, but the subject inevitably comes up, said Bobby — mostly when they say how fortunate they are.
Paula said she never forced her sons to join the restaurant, but they didn't have a lot of options, because she couldn't afford to send them to college. She said she sometimes feels guilty, because building up the business — which includes cookbooks and a Food Network TV show — was her dream, not theirs.
"This has done some damage to my relationship with my children," she said during a phone interview. "When they'd say, 'Hey, boss!' it cut me, because I sensed an edge of anger."
Donald Phelan, who handed over the keys to his successful Colorado Springs, Colo., greenhouse to his children, now advises other family businesses through the SCORE Association, or Service Corps of Retired Executives. Phelan also is a resource partner with the Small Business Administration.
The first thing he learned when he went into business with his wife, Sue, and later with their children was that they weren't just taking on new jobs, but adopting an entire lifestyle.
"Owning a business, if you do it right, is a way of life. ... You take your work home with you every day, so everyone in the family has to really want it," Phelan said.
David Blumenthal's 93-year-old father, Isidor, is still president of New York-based Lion Brand Yarn Co., and comes to the office at least once a week. The most valuable lesson David says he learned watching his father and grandfather run his business is one of ethics.
"I learned in life from them that your word is more important than any piece of paper. My father and grandfather gave me the basic ethics that I use in business, and I still use them — and it's working!
"I grew up understanding the company and the product," he said. "I know it's not all about numbers."
Blumenthal said he felt no pressure to sign on to the family business, and still feels no pressure to succeed in it, but Lion's Brand is definitely close to his heart because of what it means to the Blumenthals — including cousins Dean, Alan and Jack, who also work there — and the company's "family" of 50 employees.
