taking over family business... need opinions/suggestions...

[Tegra1027]

hello, I am new to this forum, and eager to get into it! My main question right now is this:

My father started his auto body shop 30 years ago. However, he is not thinking right anymore, ande can not handle all the stress by himself, so the business is at the point where we are transitioning into me running the business so he can go out and sell/lolligag all day :) Problem is this....After 30 years he is having trouble actually leaving. I have thought about reasons why, and have came up with these; cant let go of control, does not trust me yet, doesnt know how to go out and sell. there are more, but i dont want to bore everybody. Does anybody have any suggestions to help him let go a little bit?

He is stubborn and unmotivated at this point. At 25 years old, this shop is all I know and it would hurt me just as bad to see it go, I need HELP!!!!

[huggytree]

i think your way to young to run it by yourself at 25...if i were him id stick around too

give it some time....like 10 years

tell him you want some 'space' to handle more by yourself....tell him your ready.....but give him a good amount of control still....you may still need saving

25 is very young to run anything...most business owners are more like 40...i started around 36 and everyone said I was Extremely young to be a business owner

good luck and be patient

[Tegra1027]

I am in no way saying i dont want him there at all. I have told him I dont know enough to do it all by myself. We have both agreed that we are not doing what we should be doing. We agreed on a plan but he will not commit..

[GreaterVisibility]

It sounds a lot like you pushing him out, more than him coming up with a plan. If he came up with the plan, why wouldn't he commit? Did he come up with it on his own? Who brought this up to begin with? Just wondering. It has an effect on his response. Even if he brought it up, he may realize that he's not doing the business justice, but have a hard time really admitting the reality of it because of it's importance in his life. Nobody wants to admit that they can't do what they once could.

This business was his baby. He built it. He fought for it. Now for him to walk away would be very hard. If he truly can't handle it anymore and is unwilling to give up any control, he will make the mistake that many owners make and effectively kill the baby he built by mismanagement due to the fact that he can't give up that dream and control of it.

I really think a lot comes down to whose idea this all is. You sound really excited about this and like you are pushing him out. Maybe you aren't, it is just the way your original post came off to me. I may be reading into what you said, but it sounds like he's not as ready to go as you are ready for him to go. Dave Ramsey talks about this situation at times. He gives a good example of how family business should transition. It should be like a relay race. When the guy comes up from behind with the baton he is handing it off while the guy ahead of him is starting to run as well. It is a seamless transition, nobody stops, everyone is still moving, and unless you looked you can't really even tell who has the baton at first. It is a gradual change, not a harsh one, where the previous guy hands it off to the new guy while both moving forward, not a sudden, jarring change in position. You have to get out of one another's way too, so that nobody crashes out there on the track.

Just my 2 cents. I have no specific experience, just listen to a lot of business people talk in a lot of settings.

[nealrm]

First: "he is not thinking right anymore". Is this a case of the kid not agreeing with the decisions of his parent or a case of 30 years of paint fumes taking there toll.

If it is a case of you just not agreeing with his decisions, I suggest you discuss that directly with him. Find out the reasoning behind the decision. You may learn something.

If it is the paint fumes (or other medical reasons) you need to step in to protect him. That may mean taking over financial control of the business and his finances.