When Working In a Family Business, Having to Prove You Deserve to be There is a Job in Itself!

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There are hardening pressures when working in a family business, having to prove you deserve to be there, not entitled to the position because your father owns the company.

Eliza Browning is the VP of Crane Digital, where she oversees the company’s online business and digital strategy. Before joining Crane Digital, Eliza worked in digital media for news organizations including CNN, ABC News and the AP, never imagining she’d end up at her family’s business.

Crane & Co., was founded in 1801 in Dalton, Massachusetts. It’s one of the oldest family companies in the country, with ownership recently split between family and private equity shareholders. Eliza never thought she’d work there, but when she decided to make a career move, she needed to prove herself.

“When I came back to the company that’s been part of my family for more than two centuries, to open a New York office and lead Crane’s digital business – I wanted to prove myself,” says Eliza in an article for INC.com. “I pushed myself harder to show that I could lead the division in a new direction – not because of who I was, but because of my skills and experience. I wanted people to see me not as a Crane, but as another employee.”

To be accepted and most importantly respected by her colleagues, Eliza needed to be more capable than non-family members, which meant putting in longer hours with frequent weekends in the office. “They weren’t required by my managers or peers, but I required it of myself,” says Eliza.

About a year into her time at Crane & Co., a fellow co-worker called Eliza “stunned and embarrassed” to say she had just found out she was a Crane family member. “I laughed and told her it was the best compliment I’d been given since joining the company” says Eliza.

How was your transition into the family business? Did you feel the pressures Eliza did? Share your experiences with us on the Continuity Family Business Consulting Facebook Wall, linked HERE.