How to Survive in a Family Business (without losing your mind)

Alex Woody is currently trying to make it as a comedian, but in his younger days he worked for his grandfather and then his father.  We had fun discussing working with family and he had fun making me laugh throughout the interview.  Check out Alex's Comedy Podcast here: https://open.spotify.com/show/6ffe6OUxmCsXANk4x2ddYF?si=78337947b49545b8 Follow him on Instagram - @_alexwoodycomedy

First new interview of 2022.  Katy Cook has worked for families for most of her adult life in several different capacities.  She currently works for me at Crown Trophy but we discussed both her past and current jobs working with families other than her own.

Replay of my interview with Siana Riedel from 2020

Replay of my interview with April Duarte

Replay of the interview with Josh Adler

Replay of the interview I did with my Dad

Replay of my interview with Sam Falcon

Replay of my interview with Dennis Eroken, the founder of BAM Magazine and the Bammies

Replay of my interview with Shelby Swanson

Replay of the interview I did with Crystal Diamond

Replay of the interview I did with my mom

Replay of my interview with Nick Valenziano, Insurance agent & Owner of Porky's Pizza Palace

Replay of interview with Billy Buckley

Replay of the interview with KJ Newbery of Bras & Mattos

This is the intro episode mashed up with the interviews from both of my parents to get all 3 perspectives as to how Crown Trophy of Pleasanton was formed

April has been interested in real estate since high school and out of college decided to make it her career.  Eventually her dad joined her and they still work together, and her mom stages for them.  We discuss what it's like working with your parents.

Josh Adler has grown up doing all sorts of cleaning since his dad owned a carpet cleaning and restoration business.  When his dad retired, he started out on his own.  We discuss his life in the cleaning business and what it was like working with his dad.

My dad Jerry worked for 30+ years in the jewelry industry as a General Manager and District Manager where he managed up to 150 people.  We discuss what it was like going from that environment to working in a much smaller business and working with his wife and kids.

Sam Falcon has a bit of a different perspective since she married into the family business.  We discussed what it's like being around your spouse and in-laws all the time.

Siana Riedel works with her dad and brother at the company they own, California Healthy Harvest.  We discuss working with our families as well as the thoughts we have about trying to prepare ourselves and our companies for the future while working in the present.

Crystal Diamond owns Characterz Cafe & Coffee Roasters, just a few doors down from us at Crown Trophy. We discuss some of the ins and outs of entrepreneurship as well as working with family and friends.

Shelby Swanson works on the Swanson Real Estate Team with her parents and has only good things to say.  She feels incredibly grateful to be working with and learning from her mom.

Dennis Erokan has always felt like working with family was a standard practice.  We discuss working with his brother, his wife, his in-laws, and his children and how much he has always loved working with family members. 

I sat down with my mom, who alongside my dad, opened the company I work for, Crown Trophy and built it up to be the successful business it is today that I run the day to day operations of.  

Nick Valenziano works with his family pretty much at all times.  When he's not working with his father-in-law as an insurance agent, he's working at Porky's Pizza Palace with basically the rest of his family.  

Interview with Billy Buckley, the CEO of ENT Networks in Pleasanton

My first interview on the show.  A good friend of mine KJ who works for Bras & Mattos

Getting burnt out happens to everyone

How and why I use venting to cope with working with family

Everything in life is a trade off, this episode is just talking about a couple of the sorts of trade offs you deal with when getting into the family business

Taking a day off may not be an actual true day off in a family business

Difference between meetings in a family business vs in a larger corporation

Episode 5 - Empathy and how it can help. ESPECIALLY when working with people you are so close with

Talking about how vacation can be different in a family business

Talking about how work life can mix with personal life in a family business

Discussing Arguing/disagreeing with family members (or friends) that you work with

Introducing the podcast How to Survive in a family business (without losing your mind)