Family Business


Recent Family Business Articles

Love in Start-up Land

What are the secrets to happy copreneurship? Plus, cracking the code of innovation, and the rest of the day's news for entrepreneurs.  Read more

How to Hire Family Members

Doing business with family members is a time-honored tradition. Merit-based employment offers long-lasting rewards while entitlement presents greater risks.  Read more

The Hills Are Alive With Social Chatter

When luxury travel took a hit in the midst of the recession, Vermont's Trapp Family Lodge rethought their digital and social marketing strategy, capitalized ...  Read more

Columbia Sportswear's 'Tough Mother' Outsmarts Attacker

Gert Boyle, the company's 86-year-old chairwoman, was held briefly at gunpoint, but kept her wits about her.  Read more

My Husband's Next Business

The four words an entrepreneur’s spouse dreads hearing: “I have an idea.”  Read more

Building a Family-focused Brand

gDiapers doesn't stop thinking about kids once they're toilet trained. The company's daycare and flex-friendly policies place family time at the brand's center.  Read more

To Love, Honor, and Report To

Working in your spouse's company may be the toughest job you will ever have.  Read more

How to Teach Your Kids to Take Over the Family Business

If you'd like to be a multi-generation business, start early and set a clear succession plan.  Read more

Inc. 5000 Applicant of the Week: Elf on the Shelf

How a holiday tradition turned into a multi-million dollar toy and book business.  Read more

Tarlton: Tracy Hart

Run by a brother and sister whose grandfather started the business 65 years ago, Tarlton has a family mentality that extends to the entire company.  Read more

Lessons From a Pawn Star

Rick Harrison of The History Channel show Pawn Stars , doles out advice on keeping the customer satisfied and keeping the peace in a family-run busin...  Read more

The Booksource: Sandy Jaffe

Employees describe this 36-year old family-run business as exactly that—a family.  Read more

A Way to Revive Waterlogged Gadgets

The story behind the invention of the Bheestie bag starts, predictably enough, at the bottom of a pond.  Read more

Inc. 5000 Applicant of the Week: Alex and Ani

How a jewelry entrepreneur's clever idea and sustainable focus allowed her to turn the family business into a line of popular fashion accessories.  Read more

Inc. 5000 Applicant of the Week: Nerds On Call

How a small computer repair company stole market share from Best Buy and embarked on a national expansion.  Read more

Inc. 5000 Applicant of the Week: Lexicon Consulting

How one California company prepares members of the armed forces for the linguistic and cultural hurdles of overseas combat.  Read more

How I Did It: Jerry Murrell, Five Guys Burgers and Fries

Along with his sons, Jerry Murrell of Five Guys Burgers and Fries built a 570-store chain that enjoys a cult following.  Read more

Searching for the Great American Craftsman

Photographer Tadd Myers spent a year training his lens on entrepreneurs who do things the way they've always been done.  View slideshow

Inc. 5000 Applicant of the Week: Turbie Twist

How two college-age sisters bought the rights to an absorbent hair towel and turned it into a QVC phenomenon.  Read more

How to Run a Family Business

Whether you're a third-generation CEO or starting a company with a sibling or spouse, running a family business presents particular challenges and rewards. H...  Read more

Minding the Kids

For better or worse, your children are deeply involved in your business. Stop feeling guilty about it, and start inviting your kids into your work life.  Read more

Bed and Boardroom

There's nothing like a home-based business for increasing family stress.  Read more

How to Choose a Successor

Are you dragging your feet when it comes to creating a succession plan? You shouldn't. Here's how to get started choosing (and training) your replacement.  Read more

10 Tips for a Happy Marriage

Business owners who want to keep their spouses happy would do well to live by these simple rules.  Read more

An Ex-Con Rejoins His Family Business

After a 20-year criminal career that would see him convicted for six felonies, Dave Dahl was invited by his brother Glenn to rejoin the organic bread busines...  View slideshow

Brother, Can You Spare a Dime?

Thanksgiving dinner or meeting of the board? When your family members are investors in your business, the lines get blurry.  Read more

Inc. 5000 Applicant of the Week: Technical Consumer Products

Ellis Yan was creating those more efficient spiral light bulbs way before 'green' was a buzzword.  Read more

Fresh From Prison, a Brother Rejoins the Family Bread Business

Glenn Dahl was taking an absurd risk in letting his younger brother Dave—recovering addict, six-time felon—back into his life and business  Read more

Inc. 5000 Applicant of the Week: Johnny Cupcakes

How a 26-year-old college drop-out created a multi-million dollar t-shirt business with no business plan, no advertising, and no investors.  Read more

Inc. 5000 Applicant of the Week: Sew What? Inc.

This family business has a rocking good time sewing stage draperies for the biggest names in the entertainment industry.  Read more

Inc. 5000 Applicant of the Week: Plus1 Marketing

How two brothers grew an online marketing firm from the successful strategies of their previous businesses.  Read more

Inc. 5000 Applicant of the Week: Mary's Gone Crackers

Entrepreneur Mary Waldner’s gluten allergy led her to start a cracker company.  Read more

Relative Success

Why family businesses may weather the recession better than other small businesses.  Read more

The Education of an Educated CEO

When Jeff Koeze took over his father's company, he knew almost nothing about it or any other business. But he knew how to learn, and 12 years later, he runs ...  Read more

The Success Gene

Why some family businesses thrive year after year after year.  Read more