Appreciating What Your Family Has Accomplished

Listen to Angelo Esposito explain the importance as the next generation, of appreciating the founders of a family business. In order to garner the respect of family business founders, whether it is parents or other relatives, it is important for the next generation to demonstrate that they respect what the founders have built. Whether the rising generation plans to join the family business, or start their own business venture, it is important to gain support from family members.

My advice would essentially be, appreciate what your parents, or your family business did. So, in essence, we almost expect, and this happened to me as well, we expect our parents or our family to support us and back us up on whatever venture we might be doing, but we don’t take the time to realize, to sit back and thank them or appreciate what they have done. So you know, even if, let’s say for example I’m not interested in the grocery space, I do have to take the time to really appreciate what my dad did and has done for all his children and for his family, even though it’s not something that interests me. So before expecting you know your parents to appreciate what you’re doing, you have to show that appreciation for what they have done. I think that if I look at myself, I don’t think I’ve said it enough, but really, even though it’s something that doesn’t interest me, hey, sitting down and saying Dad, I really admire what you did. You’re an entrepreneur, you’ve supported 5 kids, we’ve had a great life, gone to great schools, had a great education, and it’s because of your entrepreneurial endeavors, so, I think that sometimes just sitting down and saying that might do the trick.