Family businesses with entrepreneurial spirit outperform others

Family businesses with entrepreneurial spirit

It’s no surprise that the family businesses that stand the test of time are those that are not only open to adapting, but in fact seek it out.

1000
three people gathered around a table writing on sticky notes

Every new generation brings with it new advances that must be embraced or the business risks being left behind – but our new age of technology is developing at such a rate that it would be fair for the smaller businesses to find this more concerning than exhilarating.

Entrepreneurs embrace change

No matter how often or quickly change happens, those with an entrepreneurial spirit are by definition instigators and change-makers. These are the business owners who can see the benefit of early adoption before the crowd – and thus establish a stronghold over a new way of doing business before others have found their footing.

At first glance, it could seem like advances in technology could put the smaller, family firms out of business, for reasons ranging from adopting new systems being too expensive, to the very technology itself making the business obsolete.

Interestingly though, because family businesses can act quickly and on a smaller scale, they are able to mold the business to suit the times much quicker than a larger corporation could. Even a family business a few generations in is still in essence run by an entrepreneur, who is able to jump on opportunities as they arise.

Technology allows everything to run smoothly

It might be assumed that family businesses would be stuck in their ways when it comes to processes, with a “this is the way Grandfather did it, so it’s how I must continue” attitude, but that’s not the case. Many family businesses have reported that technological advances have assisted them greatly in the management of the business and its processes. Added to this is the ability to engage with customers more effectively, through a range of new channels to suit both the business and the customer.

“In the past I’ve struggled to compete with the bigger players in my industry with their big marketing budgets and market reach. However, the early adoption of social media technologies such as Facebook to market my business has enabled me to connect with new customers like never before. It has been such a leveler to competition; so much so that now I am growing at a faster rate than that of my largest competitor and will need to take on additional staff in the near future,” claims the CEO of a 2nd generation manufacturing company in the recent Australian KPMG Family Business Survey 2015.

The main obstacle in the adoption of new technologies is the cost, but if family business owners can surmount this, then they can easily come out top against key competitors by identifying developments in the industry and jumping onto them before anyone else does.

Connect with us

Stay up to date with what matters to you

Gain access to personalized content based on your interests by signing up today