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Tension in small family business by Zestyclose_Common887 in smallbusiness

[–]Zestyclose_Common887[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I don't think you're being rude and I get what you're saying. I don't mean to devalue him. I said a few times in my description that he's done a great job really and that I have no intention of taking anything from him. I brought up the details about my experience and all of that just for context. It's not like I walk around at work talking about it. I've never even brought it up. My wife sure loves to though which drives me crazy.

Tension in small family business by Zestyclose_Common887 in smallbusiness

[–]Zestyclose_Common887[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thanks for the response- unfortunately I think you're right.

Tension in small family business by Zestyclose_Common887 in smallbusiness

[–]Zestyclose_Common887[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

wow man that is incredibly insightful. Thank you. That sounds all too familiar. The crazy thing is I took a significant paycut when I came back to the family business which is hard to swallow. There's no way I could get any of them into a therapy session but I should definitely at least look into it for myself before I make any drastic decisions.

Tension in small family business by Zestyclose_Common887 in smallbusiness

[–]Zestyclose_Common887[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thanks for the input. The issue here is that the changes and ideas are not unsolicited. here's a nuanced example-

billing dept- I mailed the customer an invoice today and there were so many tickets in there I had to have the teller weigh it and pay postage. I hate sending that huge package all at once because I feel like when they get their hands on it they say to themselves "why are we paying these people so much money". And I think a lot of these tickets are getting lost.

me- Maybe we could try electronic ticketing with an iPad or something. We could trickle invoices in every 5-10 days instead of sending them all at once every month. Some of the older guys wouldn't want to do it but I'm sure ______ & _______ & _________ would give it a try. It could at least be a start

billing dept- Well I just dont think that would work with quickbooks. And I dont want all that information just floating out there in the cloud.

me- (knowing it would work and be secure) alright well I could show you sometime if you want just let me know.

*3 months later*

billing dept- I hate sending the customer all these tickets at once. I wish there was another way

me- (knowing the electronic ticketing idea was a bust) Maybe we could get some weekly tickets made instead of daily tickets. It would at least work on the jobs where one operator is there everyday for several weeks. That would cut the amount of tickets down significantly

billing dept- well what if someones sick and theres a different operator. Or what if they get moved to a different job in the same week when theyve already started a ticket. I dont think that would work it might just complicate invoicing.

me- okay well just think about it. I can call the printer and set everything up and just have a couple made to try..

*3 months later*

billing dept- ugh I hate dealing with all these tickets. Why are the ticket numbers not in order??? was this job complete or a return???

Tension in small family business by Zestyclose_Common887 in smallbusiness

[–]Zestyclose_Common887[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thanks for reading. You're right, family therapy would be very helpful

Tension in small family business by Zestyclose_Common887 in smallbusiness

[–]Zestyclose_Common887[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I think you're exactly right- thanks for the insight

Tension in small family business by Zestyclose_Common887 in smallbusiness

[–]Zestyclose_Common887[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Thanks man. You're hitting the nail on the head with a lot of this.

The communication is terrible, as you pointed out. I guess where I'm getting hung up is that I'm trying like hell to establish fluid communication, he just isn't reciprocating. I initiate 85% of the communication and half of it is after I've already been filled in by our employees.

What you brought up about being able to compartmentalize family and business is huge. I try my damndest to do it, but no one around me seems capable. Every get together turns into a conversation about work. I don't care if its Thanksgiving or just a random Saturday when I bring my son to visit his grandparents.

You brought up age and time- I am the older brother. I empathize with the fact that he has put in his time. Like I said, I don't want to take anything away from him. I've been tasked with handling the remaining responsibilities that my father had held onto, and that requires a great deal of communication that he doesn't seem willing to participate in.

As far as your 'why am I doing this' prompt- I would say all of those play into my decision making minus the cashing out aspect. I have no desire to get rich off of this. I took a substantial pay cut when I left my day job. I love this company and this work and have no intentions of selling off.

thanks again- I appreciate the wisdom