I went into the family business. To me, it was the norm and not the exception.
Sentiment: NEGATIVE
When I look back, I did what I had to do for business and then fit family life into it.
When I was 18, and when I entered my family business, I soon realised that it wasn't as easy as I thought. I had to deal with people of my father's generation. Building trust was key to doing business.
Being a part of a large family is just like a little society: those who fight to the top of the heap. We relied on each other and still do. They never discouraged me or told me to get a proper job.
My family was in two businesses - they were in the textile business, and they were in the candy business. The conversations around the dinner table were all about the factory floor and how many machines were running and what was happening in the business. I grew up very engaged in manufacturing and as part of a family business.
The way it works in our family is, it's the family business. Much like in the Mafia. Every child is given the opportunity to act at a young age and to learn what it's like to be in the business.
I was a regular kid with a normal family life.
I was just born into a business family. It is really a destiny.
All my kids have worked in the family business. I've been successful at that. My family knows how to work. We all started working very young.
Even when my parents were together, they both had to travel and work, and it wasn't like they had nine-to-five jobs. In that way, it wasn't a normal family life.
I was not very keen on joining the family business... there were 14 family members working together, and it worried me that I would not have enough individuality.