Family Business Survival Guide: Keeping it in the family

Going into business with kin is no guarantee of loyalty, as lots of families have found out the hard way. Joe Behan explains how to keep a row from derailing your dynasty

Family businesses are the bedrock and cornerstone of the Irish economy; 75 per cent of all Irish firms are family-owned businesses and provide 50 per cent of all employment in the country. They are generational and can continue through the centuries by succession and inheritance. A prime example is Rathborne Candles in Blanchardstown, west Dublin, founded in 1488.

If you were to ask most family business owners how their business started, they would ...