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Family Business Focus
August 13th, 2026
by Bill Boyajian

The biggest problem with family businesses is often family members. This has led me to believe that, in most cases and depending on the size of the business, the fewer the family members in a family business, the better. I say this because it is easy for family baggage to creep into the family business and disrupt other family and non-family members.

But there’s another problem. Long-time non-family members often become like family members, making constructive comments difficult for an individual to accept in order to start necessary improvement. This often comes in the form of bringing personal issues or problems into the business operations.

Let’s face it, smart owners want to be caring and lenient for everyone in the business. Personal issues like illness and special family occasions often get in the way of running the business and put a burden on others to carry the weight. This causes frustration and resentment by those who are not part of the privileged few.

One solution for this might be to refrain from knowing the reasons for requested time off, for example. After all, technically those reasons are personal and not really an owner or manager’s business to know. This may sound cold and indifferent, but it might also cut back on the undue emotional impact or manipulation on owners or others in the business. Clear and unambiguous rules – whether for time off or other requests – might be a solution for all associates, family or non-family members.

“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