Traditionally, businesses were often family-owned and run, passed down from one generation to the next with trades and professions being shared by fathers and sons. This declined during the industrial revolution when the dramatic rise in global consumerism fueled a massive influx of workers into manufacturing and service provision. Today, the dominance of corporations and conglomerates is common in every industry. However, the shortcomings of many corporate companies – particularly in the quality of service delivery and customer service levels- highlight the benefits of working with, and for, a family-run business. So, what are the strengths of family-run businesses? And, how do customers and employees benefit?
Customer Benefits
Passions and interests often run in families, creating the foundations for a solid team with a shared purpose and a level of loyalty that’s challenging for corporations to replicate. This makes family businesses more dynamic than corporations and allows for decision making to happen much faster; the ever-changing needs of customers are responded to far more rapidly, and solutions are more tailored to their individual needs. Therefore, family businesses are capable of really personalizing their product and service offerings, whereas corporations are forced to engage in standardization. Ultimately, this results in a higher satisfaction ratio among the customers of family businesses. Naturally, the automation of some processes within a family business is necessary. However, frontline services can maintain the personal touch, and clients can deal with people they have an established relationship with, and who understand their requirements and concerns.
Employee Benefits
A family-run business offers far greater levels of intimacy for employees. As these businesses are often managed closely by the company owners, employees get the opportunity to work in close proximity with the entrepreneurs who are both the founders and top management of the business. Therefore, employees get a great insight into, and wider prospective on, the inner workings of management and leadership than they would ever experience working within a corporation. Another advantage of a family business is a greater level of flexibility. Even top levels of senior management are prepared to deviate roles when necessary because of their shared objective. This ensures that cross-departmental cooperation becomes a priority. The level of trust and familiarity between decision-makers means they can mobilize quickly to solve problems in times of crisis.
Balancing Strengths and Weaknesses
The awareness that a family business is building for future generations creates stability in the short, medium and long-term benefiting customers, employees, and vendors alike. The aim of long-term sustainability means greater investment in professional relationships and reputations. Therefore, the entire ethos of the family business enshrines legacy as a primary objective. However, there is a potential downside. Family-run businesses are more susceptible to weakness in governance than corporations are, particularly if family differences and internal politics are allowed to leak into business matters. This can be avoided with a firm focus on family governance; adopting a defined structure such as a Family Constitution to regulate how members enter the business and provide a framework of regulations for how a family interacts in relation to the business.
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Mitch Launius
Instructor Pilot for 30 West IP
Mitch is the CEO of 30 West IP where he is also an instructor providing pilot training on international procedures. With an illustrious career of over 34 years in the cockpit, Mitch has acquired over 13,000 hours of flight time flying worldwide, with over 9,000 hours of this in Challenger and Gulfstream aircraft. He is an experienced safety officer and was also an IS-BAO project manager for a fortune 500 flight department. He has presented on Safety and Operations topics at the NBAA International Operators Conference and the Canadian Business Aviation Association Convention and is currently on the NBAA International Operators Committee and serves as the North Atlantic Regional Lead. Mitch is also a member of an FAA working group on General Aviation International Authorizations and Tabletop Exercises (GIATE). He was recently selected to represent IBAC as a member of the ICAO Personal Training and Licensing Panel (PTLP) and was also recently named as a 2020 recipient of the NBAA Tony Kern Professionalism in Aviation Award for his contribution to the business aviation community.
Henry ‘Duke’ LeDuc
Director Of Operations, Americas, UAS International Trip Support
Duke has been a dearly respected member of UAS Americas team and the UAS global family for more than five years. A safety-oriented, FAA-licensed aircraft dispatcher, he oversees all of the operations of the elite UAS Operations Team. With twenty-five years of experience in aviation overall with more than fifteen years of experience in international flight planning and VVIP trip coordination, he is responsible for the development of the dispatch training program and involved in the strategic development of UAS Americas. With a myriad of rich aviation experience behind him, he has extensive experience in worldwide operations with both corporate and charter environments, including seven years as Operations/Dispatch Manager in an industry-leading, Fortune 500, IS-BAO Stage III Certified corporate flight department. Duke is frequently asked shares his knowledge at major industry events and is currently serving on the NBAA’s International Operators Conference (IOC) Planning Committee.
Dudley King
President and Founder, FlightBridge
Dudley is the Founder and President of FlightBridge, which he established in 2011 and has been focused on technology solutions for the private aviation industry since 2006. Since he graduated from Dartmouth in 1988, he has worked with an array of companies listed anywhere from VentureWire to the Fortune 100. A rare blend of executive, entrepreneur, and consultant, Dudley’s executive roles have included acting CIO positions for several companies and tech advisory services to CEOs trying to rebuild their technology organizations or looking for an external, professional point of view. Highly skilled at deeply understanding his customer’s business challenges and drawing from a long and varied experience in information technology services, Dudley excels at designing technology solutions to solve their problems.
Dr. Paulo Alves
Global Medical Director, Aviation Health, Medaire
Paulo has extensive experience in medical advisory in the aviation industry. As a cardiologist, he provides technical guidance and analysis for MedAire’s MedLink medical advisory service and is MedAire’s liaison with civil aviation regulators and industry associations. Paulo worked with Varig Brazilian Airlines for 23 years, 10 of which were spent as General Medical Manager. A member of the MedAire Medical Advisory Board, Paulo is also President of the Ibero-American Aerospace Medical Association, a member of the International Academy of Aerospace Medicine, a member of the National Business Aviation Association (NBAA) Safety Committee, a Fellow of the Aerospace Medical Association (AsMA), and a Fellow of the Civil Aviation Medical Association. Throughout his illustrious career, Paulo has held industry leadership roles including Chairperson of the AsMA’s Air Transport Medicine Committee, President of the Airlines Medical Directors Association, President of the Brazilian Society of Aerospace Medicine and was a member of the IATA Medical Advisory Group from 2002 to 2006.
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