Page 10 - Demo

I spent nine years in college before entering what my dad refers to as the real world. It was only after college that I realized how little those nine years had prepared me for the road that lay ahead. For the past 10 years I have been fortunate enough to work alongside my parents in our family business. I%u2019ve learned more during my time in the family business than I did in all those years of college. I%u2019ve also learned a lot from working with our clients and their family businesses. Below are three of the most important lessons I%u2019ve learned so far. Lesson No. 1, From Our Accountant: Disagreement Among Business Partners Is Normal and Necessary Ed was our accountant from the day my parents started Crystal Creek%u00ae to the day he died, 6 years ago. Ed filed our taxes but he was really a trusted business advisor, confidant and friend. Ed had regularly scheduled visits to our office every quarter. On one of those days, he arrived about an hour after my dad and I had a big argument. He could tell that I was upset so he came into my office and shut the door. The conversation went like this:Ed: %u201cIt%u2019s pretty obvious that something is bothering you. Want to talk about it?%u201dMe: %u201cSure, but there is not much to talk about. My dad drives me crazy. I swear he must be the most stubborn person on the planet. Honestly Ed, I%u2019m not sure I am cut out to work with my parents.%u201dEd sat there for a while without saying anything. Looking back at our conversation I am not sure if he was just giving me time to finish fuming or possibly giving a long pause for dramatic effect. Maybe he was trying to find the right words to kindly tell me to grow up. Either way, what he said next was simple yet profound. Ed: %u201cCorrect me if I%u2019m wrong, but the company%u2019s Board of Directors is made up of you, your mom and your dad, right?%u201dMe: %u201cYeah.%u201dEd: %u201cWell... (another long pause) the way I see it, if the three of you agreed on everything, the board wouldn%u2019t need two of you.%u201dIt%u2019s such a simple statement but I%u2019ve remembered it all these years later. Ed Ten Years in a Family Business: Lessons LearnedBy Ryan Leiterman, D.V.M.Director of Technical Services10 | 1.888.376.6777 %u2022 www.crystalcreeknatural.com