In the Company of Family

How to Thrive When Business Is Personal

By: Melissa Mitchell-Blitch

Narrated by: Melissa Mitchell-Blitch

When you work with family, business is personal. That can be a dream or a nightmare. What makes the difference? Knowing how to navigate well your differences and the multiple roles you share. When you are family, coworkers, co-owners, differences abound — opinions, values, preferences. How can you keep differences from being divisive? Through real-life case studies, In the Company of Family reveals the principles of boundaries, which will help you thrive even though business is personal. You will meet families in business who navigate challenges such as these:

• Sibling relationships are severed when they disagree about ownership. How can they overcome irreconcilable differences?

• A talented family member does not meet the company’s criteria for promotion. Should a capable family member be passed over or should the rules be bent?

• A father feels guilty that non-family executives are better suited to run the business than his children. Which is more important, family or skill?

• A successor feels disrespected when his father treats him like a child in front of employees. How can he get his father to treat him with more respect?

• A CEO is diagnosed with dementia. How can the family honor his dignity without compromising the business?

• A family member's substance abuse tarnishes the law firm’s image. Is it right to fire her?

In the Company of Family will teach you how to enhance family relationships, individual well-being, and business vitality — three priorities not easy to balance.

©2020 Melissa Mitchell-Blitch (P)2025 Melissa Mitchell-Blitch

So insightful!

Working with family is complicated. The author doesn’t just acknowledge that, she thoughtfully unpacks it. She takes emotional issues that can surface in family business and breaks them down into clear, manageable pieces with practical ways to approach each one. I also appreciate her use of real life stories to bring these concepts to life. Highly recommend!

A fantastic concept applied to family companies

If you work with your family, like I did, you must understand boundaries. Understanding and applying this idea is one different between family leaders who enjoy their work versus those who live in chaos.

Melissa applies boundaries to practical situations like family employees deviating from policy and how to honor but also handle a family owner whose mind is slipping.

Conceptual and practical - read this is you work with your family.

Must-read for accessible, practical, and applicable content on boundaries!

Melissa Mitchell-Blitch does a wonderful job explaining boundaries and inviting readers to enhance their own in a very thoughtful and accessible way. With humor, stories, and an easy tone, she informs, prompts reflection, and provides opportunities for practical application. What I learned in this book has already changed my life. It’s a delight to listen to Melissa and I have already referenced many of the principles in conversations with others, especially because they are so applicable and very easy to remember. I am very grateful for Melissa’s approach and content and would encourage anyone in a family, and especially those in an enterprising family, to read it!

How to have the thorniest conversations in a FB.

With oh-so-common examples, this book offers sage counsel on how to have the most challenging conversations in a family business. The story about the underperforming daughter struggling with substance abuse who wanted to have a role in the family business sticks with me. The distinction between "responsible to" and "responsible for" helped me have some brave boundary conversations in my life. I don't know how anyone can successfully lead a family business without these wise boundary principles. A++

Must read for enterprising families!

In the Company of Family goes beyond telling enterprising families to change unproductive behaviors or adopt certain communication practices. It goes deeper to address underlying mindsets and patterns that are getting in the way of healthy relationships. Using the principles of boundaries, Melissa Mitchell-Blitch offers a new way to think about roles, responsibilities, and decision-making. Melissa provides practical ways to practice the principles of boundaries with self-assessments and a useful Getting Started chapter. Must read for enterprising families!