Career Stage 1: What I Learned Working in the Family Business

One reason I became an M&A consultant and coach is to help business owners avoid some of the costly missteps I made when I grew, bought, and sold a family business. Many of those experiences are described in my family business memoir, They Named You Right.

The events in the book occurred 30 to 40 years ago, during the earliest stages of the business transformation from analog to digital processes. Yet many business owners (and their families and employees) still struggle with the same human frailties that I did. Workaholism. Complacency. Inter-family squabbles. Neglected personal relationships. Failure to adapt when business conditions tank. These traits erode the stability and continuity of family businesses.

In this multi-part series, I’d like to expand on some of the events described in my memoir; I hope extracting the lessons learned during the seven stages of my career can be helpful to others.

Working for My Father at Vomela

In 1970 I was 16 years old and started out working in Vomela’s printing and converting operations, processing orders for the die-cut labels and tags the Vomela Specialty Company was then known for. I got the job because my father was the plant manager and co-owner of the business. He had started at Vomela as a letterpress operator and had worked his way to the top. Under Carlo’s leadership, Vomela partnered with 3M Company and grew into a 3-shift operation with 150 employees in design, administration, and production.

I came into Vomela as an over-confident smart-ass. My goal was to work as many overtime hours as possible so I could make more money to go out, party, travel, and have fun.

My first job was to help keep the machines going by running errands for anyone who asked. When I turned 18, I tried learning to be a press operator. However because of my ineptitude with expensive dies and presses, my father decided I would be a better office worker.

During this phase of my first job, I had two excellent mentors, each with different strengths and management styles: my father, Carlo, and my direct supervisor, Joe Ekhamel Sr.

My father was disciplined, hard-working, and had a brilliant mind for numbers. In addition to innovating new converting processes on the factory floor, he taught himself the intricacies of finance, investing, and measuring and improving the profitability of industrial processes. He was a no-nonsense leader who didn’t hesitate to chew me out when I messed up.

Joe had more than 15 years of experience and was patient, detailed, and knowledgeable. He was innovative in terms of what might be possible with printing, die making, and finishing. He was also very calm.

Joe taught me how to motivate employees in a softer way, without demanding or yelling to get things done. Joe taught me how to get results in a way that was polite, fair, and service-oriented.

Over time, Joe and Carlo started to teach me about various facets of the business. Holding a calculator in my hand at all times (like a smartphone, today), I looked at timing, material waste, quality tolerances, job costing, overtime needs, capacity, and equipment maintenance. In the office, I applied that shop-floor education to my real-world lessons about pricing, gross margins, burden rates, equipment costs and selection of new technology.

Carlo and Joe didn’t share profit and loss figures with me until I had been working at Vomela for five years.

Lessons Learned

Looking back on that stage of my career, these are my takeaways:

Don’t play the “I’m the boss’s son” card. On the plant floor, I was always known as Rock or Rocky, not the son of Carlo LaManna. My dad would not allow me (or my 10 siblings) to be unkind, rude, or disrespectful to other employees. At Vomela, Dad believed in putting the employees first.

Build a solid foundation for career success. Dad read a lot of business publications and often shared what he learned with me. One item that sticks with me was Michael Korda’s article, “To Thy Career Be True,” 10 commandments that will help you reach the top of the executive mountain before you turn 40. The commandments included:

1. Learn everything you need to know about your business
2. Develop the workplace routines and style of dressing that work best for you
3. Put your sexual/emotional life in order if possible
4. Know and accept your weaknesses so you don’t find yourself stuck in a job you hate
5. Know the things you enjoy doing and do better than anyone else
6. Start putting away some ‘I Quit’ money so you won’t be dependent on your employer
7. Do favors for a network of people you can rely on to reciprocate when needed
8. Learn to delegate by picking and trusting the right people
9. Know when to keep your mouth shut so careless talk doesn’t sabotage your career
10. Be loyal to your employer or mentor

Remember that integrity matters. A promise is a commitment. Pay bills on time and follow through with your promises. Be kind to everyone in the plant and treat them the way you would want to be treated.

Build a supportive work culture. Provide generous pay and benefits to all employees and opportunities for learning and career growth for those who are interested. Encourage employees to submit ideas for workplace improvement.

Advice for Family Members

Usually, I only coach and consult with the business owners. But here’s what I would advise their sons and daughters:

Respect the time, effort, and sacrifice that your parents and their employees made to build the business. Don’t assume you are automatically entitled to a job in the family business. Doing what’s best for the business and its employees and investors is often different from what family members want.

If you are interested in joining the family business, demonstrate it through your actions. Tackle different roles within the organization to get a holistic view of what’s involved.

Take advantage of opportunities to attend leadership training programs and conferences and trade shows in your industry. Look for specific ways you can add value to your family’s business. Some family business members take internships or temporary positions at other companies in order to bring fresh thinking to the family business.

Advice for Family Business Owners

The best way to find out which family members would be interested in running your business is to put them to work. Don’t give them special privileges. Let them work side-by-side with employees in different departments to get a feel for all aspects of the business.

Make it clear to your children that they will have to earn the right to own your business. You aren’t going to automatically leave it to them when you exit and let them destroy what you worked so hard to build.

It’s OK to guide their thinking. Keep in mind that younger family members may not be sure whether they want to be involved or not.

Give your children time to grow up. As you can read in my memoir, we all go through phases in life when we act irresponsibly and make poor decisions.

About the Book

My memoir, They Named You Right, is a personal story about my father, the label-converting business he built and acquired, and some of the hard lessons I learned when he sold the business to me instead of one of my 10 siblings. It’s a cautionary tale about what happens when family wants and interests clash with what’s best for the business and details the consequences of prioritizing business over people.

Get your copy at theynamedyouright.com. All proceeds from book sales will be donated to charitable organizations close to my heart, including Clinics Can Help in West Palm Beach, FL and South St. Paul Educational Foundation.