Everybody knows that opening a business is not a joke.
Opening a family business can be even more challenging.
Although it's true that people who have good rapport while they're in business together are the best candidates for success, not all family members may have that kind of relationship that prop up a business venture.
In fact, sometimes, family members may become too complacent with their relationships with each other that they tend to take each other for granted.
When this scenario figures in business, you can expect disaster.
If you're planning to start a family venture, that's good.
But you also have to be realistic.
What you might want to consider, first is the feasibility of having the family run the business.
You may have the drive and the passion for opening an Italian restaurant because of your love of pasta, but is anybody else interested? You have to get a consensus first before starting anything.
Remember that it is your interest in what you do as a businessman that will define how much success you're bound to achieve.
If you have family members who don't share this interest, you can expect problems along the way.
At least, if not everyone is keen on doing this business with you, you can try to improve their level of enthusiasm by presenting all your ideas and why you believe in them.
A highly possible issue that can come up when you have the family running your business is one role overlapping the other's or worse, one member of the family being overly dependent on the other in terms of performing his assigned tasks.
This happens with family, and if you want to get rid of this issue, you have to set things straight with them.
Assign them their specific roles and make sure they understand how their dedication to each of their roles will be crucial in your success as a team.
When you have your mother as your boss, it is very easy to skip work because you'd think "she'd understand.
" Needless to say, business is business and mother-and-child relationships don't really fare well with business goals.
Of course, family is family, and if you can extend consideration for a non-family member in your staff, you can extend the same for those with whom you share a lineage.
You do have to face the reality that some family members may not be able to handle the pressure well, and if you're bent on making this a family affair, you also have to be sensitive to each one's needs.
For example, if your son is such a gym buff, you can allow him time to go to the gym as long as you make your policy clear - gym after work.
Never ever attempt to force anyone not to have their personal lives outside of the business.
When you do this, you may lose their cooperation and you may lose them altogether.
Again, this can mean disaster.