My daughter is ready to lead our family print business and now our sons want to come back. Now what?

Rock, Our daughter is in the process of taking over our printing business, and our sons now want back in. Here’s the story.

In 2008, our family printing business took a hit from the economy.

My wife – our bookkeeper and HR manager – went without a salary as the company was forced to cut staff. I shifted to production, and we held back on hiring. Our daughter was a teenager at the time. She worked every day after school doing phone sales, collections (even driving around picking up checks), writing up shipping manifests, running the postage machine, and doing pretty much anything a teen could do.

This went on for two years until the business stabilized.

During college, our daughter came back and did outside sales for us in the summer, and she has been our sales manager for the last seven years while finishing her training in the duties of general manager.

My wife and I are ready to step back and have her run our printing business full-time.

We have a loyal team in place to support the succession, and my wife and I will be available to assist as needed.

Our two adult sons were closely involved in the business for about five years. When we slowed down, they took other jobs, which was fine. But that was 15 years ago.

They’ve had many years not working with us, which is fine.

After the pandemic, their jobs were restructured, and they’re both making less than they’d like. They’ve both said they’d like to re-enter our business at the management level, wanting the same salary as our daughter.

If it were just me making this decision, I would say no way, too disruptive, we’re good. My wife wants to make room for them. She thinks they’ll get bored and leave after a year or two, and it will preserve family peace.

My daughter is fine with whatever we come up with. She gets along with her brothers and only worries about how we will pay everyone. She thinks they could work commission-only, so we’re not putting out money before we earn it. I think this whole thing puts a big monkey wrench in the transition to my daughter, undermines her authority, and could cause resentment. It probably puts my wife and I back in the business more than we’d like, getting everything adjusted to suit our sons.

I want to do the right thing. Am I overthinking this?

Your daughter paid her dues, and she showed loyalty when your sons – as adults – needed to make other arrangements. Remember, your sons also made a sacrifice by leaving the business so you wouldn’t have the burden of their salaries during that difficult time.

Where did they go wrong?

They could have returned when things got better – or at least asked to come back. But they didn’t, and I think you are bitter about that.

Yes, the timing on this new turn of events is less than ideal. It would be more convenient if your daughter were already installed as G.M. It would be nice if the boys came back, contrite, with hats in hand, asking for any job you would give them.

But no, they’re coming back at a fragile time in the succession process, with a very young general manager taking over. Plus, they want a decent salary to move from their current situation to something that may be only moderately better for them.

Ah, the challenges of being a father and wanting the best for your kids, but also trying to run a business sensibly.

What would I do?

I would ask them to come back,

If they are good at their work, they have gained valuable experience at other companies. If anyone else with their abilities and background showed up on your doorstep, would you let them get away? Probably not.

If they are poor workers, well, that’s a different story. I don’t understand they lack skills, knowledge, personality, or motivation.

Next, I would meet with them separately to discuss their timeline.

Are they interested in staying only until a better opportunity comes along? Can you get a commitment for three years? As you say, it is disruptive to the company to bring them on, train them, adjust to them, and on-ramp them to be productive. I’d like to see a plan in writing so they understand why you need this commitment.

Even with their commitment to stay three years, the reality, as your wife says, is that they will remain for 18 months.

For talented sales and operation leaders who are moving up in their careers, an 18-month to two-year stint is typical before they grab the next opportunity. If your daughter is moving from sales to becoming general manager, you’ll need to fill that sales leadership slot anyway, so why not choose a known entity?

You can use this opportunity to build up sales and operations so your daughter has a running start for success.

Also, I recommend you hire the services of a family business coach.

A family business coach will hold an initial meeting, conduct an assessment, help you develop a family plan for your roles and the future, and then follow up with you in a series of group meetings. There is something to be said for keeping the peace, as your wife says, but you need to address the emotional and practical issues of what’s next for your business.

Suppose your feelings are hurt that your sons left the business way back when. Now is the time to discuss it in a productive setting with a professional facilitator. Your sons and daughter probably have grievances to air as well.

Choose a family business expert trained to help families unify and create a common vision.

Throughout the process, focus on respect, transparency, integrity, and professionalism. My family went through this process with a trusted consultant, and it was worth every penny.

When you are older, I hope you can look back with pride on your decisions about your family and their role in the business.

Check out our complimentary special report, Succession Planning Simplified, for great tips and info.

Making the shift to empower your children to lead is a big step. I applaud you for having a successful printing business – and the kind of family your kids want to be a part of and come back to.