Should you go into business with your family?

The family-run business model is as old as business itself. Across Africa and the rest of the world, it is family businesses that dominate production and trade. From massive global brands like BMW or Nike to your local grocery store, it is a common set-up. But a family business can be difficult to manage, and often they don’t survive beyond one or two generations. Issues around money, control, who does what, are complex enough in a commercial setting, let alone with your own flesh and blood. So today we are looking at the pros and the cons of going into business with your family, with a focus on a family farm in Kenya, run by 3 generations of the Chiira family.