By Jack Metallinos, founder of All Occasions Tents

Running a business comes with plenty of challenges, and adding family members to the mix can make it even more complicated. Luckily, it’s possible to run a productive business with relatives as co-workers or employees, as long as you follow a few simple guidelines. This article will explore five key steps in successfully navigating a business with family members involved.

1. Separate Work and Family Lives

One of the most challenging aspects of working with family members is separating your work life from your personal life. It’s paramount for relatives, particularly those in leadership positions, to develop this skill and completely separate these two spheres of life. This will help prevent family drama from spilling into the workplace and creating distractions. Unlike automatic subscription services, balancing relationships in your family and work lives requires constant attention. We recommend developing two distinct ways of interacting with family members who are also co-workers: one specifically for the workplace and another for outside of work.

2. Set Clear Rules and Boundaries

Designated rules and boundaries are critical for governing interactions in family-run businesses. Family dynamics need to be left at home and replaced with professional boundaries in the workplace, particularly in brick and mortar stores or physical offices. For example, avoid referring to family members as “dad” or “my sister” in the workplace. This can convolute the work environment by introducing your family’s dynamics, potentially adding confusion or making other co-workers feel like an outsider.

A common boundary set by relatives in the workplace is to avoid any work-related discussions while at home and avoid family-related discussions while at work. It might take some practice, but abiding by specific boundaries in the workplace will help make everyone more comfortable. Think of how a business might invest in separate tent rentals for functions or events for different departments or partners, to keep different aspects of the business separate. In much the same way, family concerns should be kept separate from work concerns, as this helps to enforce the workplace boundaries that have been set and keep individuals’ work lives and family lives independent from one another.

3. Treat Everyone Equally

When in the workplace, relatives should be treated in the same manner as any other member of the business. Primarily, this means showing mutual respect and professionalism. The biggest risk in working with family members is accusations of favoritism or nepotism, which need to be avoided at all costs. Maintaining fairness and integrity with family-run businesses is essential, especially for companies that value face-to-face interactions that can’t be replaced by technology. In the work environment, interactions need to remain professional and productive, removing any casual tones or phrases you might typically use with family members. If you’re in a leadership position, you’ll need to grow comfortable providing both positive and negative feedback to relatives, just as you would with other employees.

4. Prepare Strategies for Conflict Resolution

Conflict resolution in the workplace is seldom an easy task. Without strategies prepared for handling conflict when it arises, family members can find themselves in tricky situations. A business needs to have procedures in place to resolve conflicts between co-workers, and these should be applied to anyone in the company regardless of their family relationships. This is critical in preventing favoritism from arising in the workplace and helps to increase staff retention in family-run businesses.

If you’re in a position of authority, any relatives will need to follow the same procedures and face the same consequences as other employees. Utilize the company’s HR department (if applicable) to help resolve conflicts involving relatives if you’re concerned that you can’t do so objectively. During stressful times for your business, whether it’s due to unforeseen changes like tariffs or changing industry regulations, having strategies prepared will make conflict resolution much more straightforward.

5. Keep Everything Above Board

Keeping business transactions above board is especially important for business owners who have integrated their family into the company. Transparent communication and documentation will help to protect yourself and your business from accusations of nepotism. By documenting every step and following guidelines closely, you’ll have evidence to dispel any of these claims. Always follow guidelines and emphasize personal accountability when it comes to relatives. 

A prime example of this involves how relatives utilize certain business-related benefits, such as employee discounts. Relatives should be given the same privileges and benefits as other employees, and not be provided with any preferential treatment. For example, let’s say your company is responsible for renting high peak tents; it’s acceptable for family members to use an employee discount, but they shouldn’t be given items for free or without documentation.

About author

I’m Jack Metallinos, founder of All Occasions Tents. At 59 years old, I bring a lifetime of entrepreneurial experience and a deep passion for serving my community. My business journey started at just 19, selling fruit on the roadsides of Marin County, California. That early start taught me the value of hard work, customer service, and building lasting relationships. Over the years, I’ve grown from those humble beginnings into running a successful tent rental business that makes our jobs stand out from the competition. Whether it’s a warehouse tent, restaurant patio cover or just a community gathering, I take pride in providing reliable service, quality tent rentals, and a personal touch for every customer.