Running a Family Business: Leaning In, Not Away

Family Businesses Are Common in Our Industry

Many laundromat owners are family businesses. Spouses work together. Kids help run the store. In many cases, businesses are passed down from one generation to the next.

The same is true on the vendor and manufacturing side of our industry. Many of our partners are family-run organizations, some with decades—or generations—of history behind them.

As you might imagine, this can be incredibly rewarding, but it can also be very challenging.

Lean In or Lean Away

I think one of the most important decisions a family has to make is whether they’re going to lean into the business being a core part of family life—or try to keep it completely separate.

In my family, we lean in.

Our work and our businesses are such a large part of our everyday lives that trying to completely separate them would be unrealistic. Like many of you, it’s hard not to think about the business all the time.

Having your family truly understand what’s going on—both the good and the bad—makes that reality easier to manage.

Understanding Creates Better Balance

When everyone understands the dynamics of the business, family time becomes more meaningful. Not every conversation has to revolve around work, but there’s context and awareness when it does come up.

That understanding also helps create space for real separation when it matters.

That said, it can be especially challenging for spouses or family members who aren’t directly involved in the business but are still affected by it. That’s a reality many family businesses have to navigate.

Clear Roles and Responsibilities Matter

Another critical component is having distinct responsibilities.

Everyone needs to know who is responsible for what. While we support each other, provide feedback, and offer advice, there is ultimately a clear owner of each task and outcome.

That clarity helps reduce friction, avoids duplication of effort, and keeps accountability where it belongs.

It’s Not for Everyone—but It Works for Us

Not every family has a business. Not every family business runs smoothly.

But for us, it has worked—and it continues to work—because we’ve chosen to lean into it, communicate openly, and respect each other’s roles.

Family businesses come with challenges, but they also come with a level of trust, commitment, and shared purpose that’s hard to replicate any other way.

For us, leaning in has made all the difference.