‘Dirty Little Secrets Of Family Business’ Explores Uncomfortable Territory
“Dirty Little Secrets of Family Business: How to Successfully Navigate Family Business Conflict and Transition,” authored by sought-after speaker Henry Hutcheson, has been published in its much-anticipated second edition.
The first edition reached the top 0.1 percent of bestselling books on Amazon after just one month of its 2014 release. Despite that success, Hutcheson, who grew up working for his family’s business, Olan Mills Portrait Studios, says there was room for improvement with a second edition of “Dirty Little Secrets of Family Business.”
“The book was immediately popular and I wanted to do it justice,” says Hutcheson, a certified Family Business Advisor and founder of Family Business USA consultancy.
“The new cover is much more attractive and the format is much improved this time. It’s easier to read, and we have more statistics with footnotes. All of these things are very important for those looking for a lifeline within their family business.”
About 70 percent of all businesses are family businesses, and two out of three don’t survive to the next generation. “Dirty Little Secrets of Family Business” gives those who are struggling with the generational transition some insight, and hope.
“The pairing of family and business, on the surface, seems like a sensible, American union,” Hutcheson says. “But there’s a clear problem, because family is about unconditional love, and business is about profit. Dirty little secret: these two goals do not always align.”
This book explains that family businesses, like relatives, come in many shapes and sizes.
“I have owned my landscape and maintenance business for forty two years,” writes verified Amazon reviewer Greg, who gave the book five stars. “After reading ‘Dirty Little Secrets’ I realized that I was not helping employee morale or my children by allowing them to remain here. It was a difficult decision, but the book helped me open the doors for my children’s exit.”
Jeff Morey, a second-generation family business owner who is CEO and founder of IGC Show; publisher of IGC Magazine; and executive director of Garden Centers of America writes: “Henry Hutcheson gets family business. He understands the complexity that comes with going into the family business and assuring its long-term success.”
Mercer F. Stanfield, president and COO of Brame Specialty Company, a fourth-generation family business, writes: “Henry Hutcheson has truly captured the essence of the pros and cons, ups and downs, and good and bad of running a family business.”
About Henry Hutcheson
Henry Hutcheson is president of Family Business USA (www.familybusinessusa.com) and specializes in helping family and privately held businesses successfully manage transition, maintain harmony, and improve operations. He is a popular speaker at professional, university and corporate-sponsored events.
