The focus is on the need to have in place systems and processes so that day to day business moves from being person-driven to being system-and process-driven. Even in the absence of the key person, who may be the founder or another family member, the firm should be able to run in autopilot mode. There […]

All significant breakthroughs have looked crazy the day before they become breakthroughs. Peter Diamandis Chairman and CEO of the X PRICE foundation     People prove things are possible all the time. People who use the words can’t, and won’t work, and impossible are small thinkers. They like to hold people back and they get […]

  It is evident from academic studies of the family business life cycle that one of the most difficult hurdles owners face is in adapting their management styles to the demands of a larger, more complex business. If the enterprise is to continue to grow, instinctive management methods must give way to a ‘professionalized’ approach […]

Do you think rivalry between siblings hamper the growth of a company? YES/NO    

There is an interesting story of siblings dividing their roles at a Chennai based firm- an auto dealership. Sibling rivalry was never a significant problem in the business, but divisions were made partly for precautionary reasons and also because they made commercial sense. The company was founded in the 1960’s, initially as a grain trader […]

Only rarely can the difficulties that flow from a sibling rivalry be completely avoided. By their nature, the rivalries are facts of life in a great many family businesses, and the issue therefore is whether they are allowed to dictate behavior and become a destructive force that threatens the survival of the business. In other […]

Our business in life is not to get ahead of others, but to get ahead of ourselves -- to break our own records, to outstrip our yesterday by our today.  Stewart B Johnson

Rivalry between siblings represents a possible obstruction to the successful development of many family businesses, and it is critical to understand why and how it comes about before looking at some of the ways in which it can be contained and controlled. Psychologists believe that sibling jealousy is rooted deep in children to crave for […]

Do you think women are equally capable of handling a family business? YES/NO  

Women in family Business An interesting and valuable by product of the expanding role of women in Indian family businesses is that it will take some of the pressure off male members of the family who may have little or no interest in joining the firm. There is a very strong culture in India whereby […]