Then there are times when company culture shows up as a quick moment in a busy day.
“Sometimes I am in a meeting, and Mike will walk by and make a funny face,” Kiffie Hester laughs.
The two have a very similar sense of humor, and they’re not afraid to show they’re having fun. It keeps the workday light and happy, and is a reminder of everything they share.
Disadvantages Become Advantages
Of course, there are challenges to running a family business.
Kiffie Hester says that other employees often assume she knows everything her husband Michael knows. Over the years, people have accused Aaron McArdle of defending Jay over some issue because they are brothers, when in reality it is actually because he thinks Jay is right.
Every business partnership experiences stressful moments, whether they are family or not. But as it turns out, knowing the people you work with on such a deep level can help solve some of these trials and tribulations.
Kiffie says she has to be clear to her coworkers that she is not a manager just because her last name is Hester. But over time she learned that her closeness to Michael enables her to be an influencer in the company. If something calls for her opinion, she says, “instead of thinking to myself, ‘Oh, I’m not a manager,’ I think, ‘Wait, I can influence.'”
It can also be hard to treat your family the same as other employees. Aaron McArdle reflects on the early days of Zdi: “Initially with Jay, I asked a lot of him. With startups you’re often asking people to do too much with too little. I said ‘Jay, just keep working hard,’ but I was giving employees things he wasn’t getting. I told him to be patient, but he said, ‘It’s hard to be patient when you don’t know what you’re being patient for.’ I will never forget that.”
Aaron, as well as Buffy and Bruce MacLelland, explain that the close family connection allows for comfortable constructive criticism within their businesses. Because Jay and Aaron are close, they have no problem bringing up sensitive topics or being honest with each other.
Buffy and Bruce find that their children have become the voice of other employees in bringing constructive criticism to their attention. Even amidst challenges, close family dynamics can work to ease otherwise uncomfortable office situations.
“The disadvantages can be advantages,” says Aaron. “You’re dealing with people you’ve known your whole life. You know their strengths and weaknesses; you also know what pushes their buttons. I know what Jay is going to say when I come to him with a question or a problem.”
But if you respect the other person’s strengths and weaknesses and not exploit them, this can be beneficial for your business.
“When it’s family, it’s easy to know if you’ve got the right person for the job,” Aaron adds.
It comes down to the biggies: different jobs, rules for discussing work at home, company culture, respect, and knowing there will be bumps in the road. But these families in business all share one common insight: they say they feel very blessed. Grateful to see their spouses, children, parents and siblings every day and excited to see their loved ones succeed and be a part of that success, they understand that their families don’t have to be in business with them. They are choosing to, every day, and feel so fortunate for that.
“If Jay wanted to leave, what could I do? I could tell Mom, I guess,” Aaron says with a laugh, sharing something he learned through the years, not necessarily about business, but about family.
“Don’t ever take family for granted.”
