RETAILOBSERVER.COM APRIL 2015
4
Eliana Barriga
eliana@retailobserver.com
To family and friendships,
Elle's View As I See It
T
here's a topic of discussion that I know many independent retailers and small
business owners deal with day in and day out, yet no one seems to really talk
about. And that is—the challenges and benefits of working with family and friends.
At the end of the day, it's these close-knit relationships and the level of trust and
loyalty formed (or not) throughout the years that will impact the state of the
business at any given time.
Think about it, how can a business thrive if the owner (father) or store manager
(son) is dealing with a chronic illness? Who will do the accounting when the
bookkeeper (daughter) is struggling with the first few months of motherhood? I
know, every company deals with these kinds of issues. However, when the owner,
store manager or accountant is your family member, decisions on who should
take their place or how to keep their jobs in tack when they return become a little
more sensitive.
As a family owned business you have the opportunity to be reminded each and
every day that relationships are what matters and that "humanness" in business
is important. This makes us better managers and ultimately better people because
well, we can't just fire our brother for losing a truckload of furniture, now can we?
Instead, we stand by them when they fail and celebrate their accomplishments.
We don't schedule our top sales person to work every Saturday when we know
he's been recently divorced and the weekends are the only time he has with his
kids. We let our employees take time off for doctor's appointments, birthdays and
vacations because we understand that their health, wellness and happiness will
impact how much they are able to give and be present when they return to work.
So, yes, sometimes our businesses may temporarily suffer because of how
closely our relationships are interwoven into them. But most of the time, these
relationships are the foundation, the very reason why we flourish.
IT'S NOT ALL
BUSINESS
APRIL 2015, VOLUME 26, ISSUE 4
CELEBRATING OUR 26
TH
YEAR
AS THE RETAIL OBSERVER
PUBLISHER/MANAGING EDITOR
E LIANA BARRIGA
DIRECTOR OF SALES AND MARKETING
MOE LASTFOGEL
ART DIRECTOR
TERRY PRICE
CONTRIBUTING WRITERS
MAJOR AVIGNON
BILL BAZEMORE
DANIEL BEAULE
TIM DONAHUE
HAN A. HANSEN JR.
MICHAEL NADEAU
JOHN TSCHOHL
E LLY VALAS
LIBBY WAGNER
JOHN WHITE
JERRY YUDELSON
DEADLINE FOR JUNE. 2015 ISSUE:
MAY 1, 2015
THE RETAIL OBSERVER
2764 N. Green Valley Pkwy, Suite 508
Henderson, NV 89014-2121
800.393.0509 • 702.208.9500
Fax 702.570.5664
production@retailobserver.com
info@retailobserver.com
www.retailobserver.com
To receive a copy of The Retail Observer
online, or to unsubscribe, please go to
www.retailobserver.com/subscribe
The Retail Observer website is hosted by Market Digitally
THE RETAIL
Printed on Recycled Paper
