Growing up in a family business, Andy O’Brien learned that “the truck never unloads itself.” It took years for Andy to unlearn the do it all yourself mindset. In his current business, ActionCOACH of Central Texas, Andy incorporates new ideas daily. By outsourcing tasks that he doesn’t enjoy, setting clear communication boundaries among his family members, and making time for exercise, Andy is redefining how to do business as a family.

In this episode of Side Hustle to Small Business, we delve into the large and complex world of family businesses, exploring how two entrepreneurs navigate their family businesses, past and present, to ensure that the business is successful. We discuss the role of communication in resolving conflicts within the business and explore how shared values can be the driving force behind sustained success.

Abbey Griffith is the Owner of Clarity Fitness, Georgia’s first body-positive fitness centre. An Industrial Engineer by trade, Abbey decided to open Clarity after recovering from an eating disorder and seeing a lack of accessibility and inclusiveness in the fitness sector. According to Abbey, “there's a big opportunity in the fitness space to shift how we're addressing movement and shift how we're addressing our bodies.”

After working in corporate graphic design, Joel Aultman decided to tackle entrepreneurship by founding Monster Munkey. Originally a graphic design firm, Monster Munkey now focuses on the creation of “Crazy Carts,” small drift carts that originated from the company Razor. Now, Joel is working on how to make the carts bigger, faster and more powerful, with a longer lasting battery.

David Sturgess is the Founder of Foundry Counseling, a counseling clinic he opened after working in hospitals for nearly a decade. Starting as a side hustle to tackle student debt, Foundry Counseling is now David’s full-time gig where he treats approximately 20 patients a week. Sanjay and David discuss dealing with self-doubt, understanding your clients, and overcoming obstacles.

David Walker is the Founder of iCell Consulting LLC, a consulting firm specializing in telecommunications analysis. After a successful career in telecommunications, David decided to start the business by pursuing his skill of analyzing telephone records. Working with multiple telecommunications companies, David has helped solve over 200 criminal cases, bringing him across the country over the last decade.

Jill W. Fox is the Founder of Fox Social Media. Jill initially learned social media to keep an eye on her then-teenagers. In 2010, Jill founded the company after working with her children’s sports teams to run their social media pages and falling in love with the process. Now, Jill runs a six-figure company planning and managing social media for her clients. Her advice? Make sure you love what you do.

Ford Gunter is the founder of Easy Morning Media, a video production company based in Houston, Texas. Since a young age, Ford was interested in print media, even creating a neighborhood newspaper when he was a child. While he was working as a journalist in print media, a friend approached him about making a documentary. From there, he fell in love with video production and Easy Morning Media was born.

Anike Mlemchukwu has always known she wanted to work with children. After settling into a career as a special needs teacher, and seeing first-hand the problems faced by caregivers, Anike got the idea to start Lapapoe Special Needs, an online platform that connects children’s caregivers with the help and services they need. After originally launching in London, the company was rebuilt in Atlanta earlier this year.