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I Hired My Mom

bradt.ca

41–50 of 54 posts

Re: I Hired My Mom

#41

You basically practice nepotism. Most of your staff and peers and people around you consider that as a form of corruption. Congratulations. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nepotism

Why does nepotism get such a bad rap? I mean, nobody cares about nepotism in a family owned convenience store or restaurant or gas station. So when does it become a problem--in a particular industry? Or is there a certain number of employees (or a certain amount of revenue) that needs to be reached before it constitutes corruption?

Re: I Hired My Mom

#42

Well, currently both my mom and dad are working with/for my company. My mom manages the full book-keeping of the company). My father, because of the general economical situation in Italy, was left jobless. So, as soon a position opened at my company i simply proposed him to join. He is the warehouse manager now. The thing in working with parents, in case they eventually are accountant, is that they can access all the…

You sound like an awesome progeny, I'm sure they are very proud of you.

Ahahah, well thanks but i can assure you that the way that lead to this wasn't easy at all. They weren't always pleased by the fact that i was running my own company (and not looking for a stable well-payed job - maybe in a state office). Only with economical difficulties (we have always been a medium-level family with my dad's ex job) they definitely started to appreciate what i've built. And while i'm happy that this is helping the whole family, i wouldn't consider myself as an "achieved" person quite yet.

Re: I Hired My Mom

#43

I disagree: You caught a lucky break here, but you are the exception, not the standard. Family/friends and money don't mix well. They will always ruin the relationship. I've seen it countless times.

Millions of family businesses think otherwise.

The difference is, in these cases the business hierarchy usually follows the family hierarchy. In other words, parents hire kids. This is an established paradigm. Sometimes siblings hire each other as well, and that can be OK more often than not.

But, that's not to say kids should hire parents. In that case, the business dynamic and family dynamic are very different. From a historical/statistical perspective this is an extremely unorthodox arrangement, for a good reason imho.

Re: I Hired My Mom

#46
We (my wife and I) hired my mom to run my e-commerce stores after she retired. She is paid an above-average hourly rate, can set her hours, and can work from home. Knowing that we would be giving someone access to a merchant account that has a significant amount of money run through it each month, we had to have someone we could trust to process refunds and occasionally charge additional amounts when orders were upgraded.

She spends 1-3 hours a day managing the stores while my dad works on his model trains. It's enough to keep her busy, have a sense of accomplishment similar to her old job, provide a little extra income - all while not cramping their retirement.

I was a little nervous at first - more about her feeling pressure to make us happy than us being satisfied with her work. However, her role is clearly defined (answer emails, return phone calls, and submitted/track orders to our supplier, etc). This reduces the chance of misunderstandings or let-downs than would be more likely to occur with a less defined role like strategy or marketing.

Re: I Hired My Mom

#47
Many business decisions require a certain level of ruthless efficiency to execute. These decisions are fundamentally incompatible the nurturing relationships established in family units or friendships.

Re: I Hired My Mom

#48
Congrats. I agree completely.

My mom is a fantastic freelance bookkeeper. The day I go at it alone, she's going to be my first "hire".

Re: I Hired My Mom

#50

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Millions of family businesses think otherwise.

The difference is, in these cases the business hierarchy usually follows the family hierarchy. In other words, parents hire kids. This is an established paradigm. Sometimes siblings hire each other as well, and that can be OK more often than not. But, that's not to say kids should hire parents. In that case, the business dynamic and family dynamic are very different. From a historical/statistical perspective this is…

Maybe at first. But after the children take over, it will be the other way around.
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