Why I focus on family-owned businesses
Take a step back in time with me to 1988. We were jamming out to Bobby McFerrin's "Don't Worry, Be Happy" while enjoying McDonald's newest creation, the McFlurry. Beetlejuice, Dirty Dancing, Die Hard (no, it's not a Christmas movie), and Who Framed Roger Rabbit were the hot tickets at the local theatre, and The Wonder Years and The Simpsons graced our TV screens for the first time. Also, acid wash jeans and bunny ears in photos were all the rage, as evidenced by the image of me and my Dad to the left.
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As cool as all of these things were, there was something even more important going on in my world: my Dad was launching his own book distribution company. I really didn't understand the impact of his decision (I was too busy watching The Simpsons) but I was still excited. Our family of 3 had A LOT of roller coaster moments during the next 30-ish years: excitement, tears, fun trips, lean times, growing pains, stress, moving locations, firing employees, Christmas parties with the Pittsburgh Steelers...you get the idea. I helped out in high school and during some time home from college, but it was never my intention to join the family business (cue your best Vito Corleone impression).
Then something changed. I was working in Chicago after various jobs in various states. I had acquired a solid background in business across a number of industries but felt I didn't have a place where I could apply what I knew without jumping through corporate hoops. I began to realize the best way to feel fulfillment with my work, to utilize the skills I'd begun to develop, and to really make an impact was the family business. (Just when I think I'm out, they pull me back in!) I moved back to Pittsburgh in 2008, officially become part of our family business, and the rest, as you can say, is history. The original family business has been acquired, I have started several new ventures, and we all now live in a different state, but what remains consistent is family business is who I am at my core.