Is Your Company Like the Brady Bunch?

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When companies are sold, the founder will probably have a hard time coping, and the buyer may not turn out to be as or clever in their management as one might hope. This is old news explored with a bit of style by an article in the The New York Times. The piece focuses specifically on the experiences of founders who sell to a big company and then end up working for the acquirer as a middle manager.

And it contains this choice metaphor:

"[L]ike stepfamilies trying to blend together, the transition from single household to Brady Bunch is often harder than most entrepreneurs anticipate. Either the former owners have trouble giving up control, or they find the new office culture radically different from what they were used to, or they simply cannot bear to see what the new owners are doing to their creations. It can be wrenching even in the best of circumstances."

You can read the article in full here. Which do you think is harder: Acclimating to a step family or selling a company to a corporate giant?

Mike Hofman

Mike Hofman was previously editor of Inc.com and a deputy editor at Inc. magazine, which he joined in 1996. The site was nominated for a National Magazine Award for Digital Media in 2010, and was named the best business website by Folio Magazine. In 2006, Hofman was part of a team of writers nominated for a Webby Award for best business blog. He lives in New York City.