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Advice to Fathers
April 5th, 2019
by Bill Boyajian

Father/ Business Owner:  My son doesn’t work as hard as I had to work to get this business to where it is today.

Me:  Your son was raised in a different generation than you and me and has different ideas about work, life balance, hobbies, and the world in general.

Father/Business Owner:  Yes, but how does he expect this business to continue to prosper without hard work?  I’m worried that he is spoiled.

Me:  I don’t think your son is spoiled as much as he may be “enabled” by you and your wife.  Our generation wanted it better for our children than we had it, and our children are a result of that.  Your son wants to work smarter, not necessarily harder.

Father/Business Owner:  I tell my wife that she coddles my son too much and that is part of the problem.  She can’t keep from “mothering” him.

Me:  Wives are usually more nurturing than husbands.  Women are usually more about wanting to keep the family together and men are usually more about trying to make men out of sons.  Sometimes all this backfires.

Father/Business Owner:  So what should I do?  Am I to stand back and give in to all of my son’s whims and dreams?

Me:  No, but you should mellow out a bit and relax.  You may be right about a lot of things, but the question is whether you want to continue to insist that you are right or whether you want to be successful as a father and an owner.  Pushing your son away won’t make either of you happy and it will drive a wedge into the relationship that will always be there.  Be wise, Dad.  Have a heartfelt talk with your son.



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“I needed help orchestrating a succession plan for our business. I had heard that Bill Boyajian specialized in assisting owners to transition their business to the next generation. He knows how to bridge the generation gap and deliver what each needs to hear. I would recommend Bill to any business owner who needs advice on succession planning from a trusted outside professional.”

–Charles Denaburg,
Managing Partner,
Levy’s Fine Jewelry
Birmingham, AL

"Our family needed some guidance on business transition and succession planning. We asked Bill Boyajian to help us because we knew we could trust him to tell us what we needed to hear. Bill became a valuable resource for our company and our entire family. He has the ability to meet each of us where we’re at and it has served us very well."

–Ceylon Leitzel
Leitzel Fine Jewelry
Hershey & Myerstown, PA

“We needed a plan to transition our business to a non-family member and we asked Bill Boyajian to help us. His experience in the area has really paid off, but we didn’t expect the added value of putting us together with a financial planner who helped organize our retirement needs. We now have the fundamentals to transition our business successfully, and we have Bill to thank for it.”

–Ernie & Debbie Cummings
Kizer-Cummings Jewelers
Lawrence, KS