The very last company I worked for, before I retired, was a "family company." Which I initially scoffed at, seeing how many ways management displayed disfunction. But then I learned more about the "real family" behind the owner and OMG, yes, he ran the company like he treated his family — rampant favoritism, emotional decisions, erratic thought processes. And heaven help anyone who crossed him, whether a blood relative or an employee!

It sounds like your family is a functional, loving family, Agnes, and they create and maintain functional, loving companies (and, after all, even families have the cousin who steals, the nephew who is always asking for favors, the daughter who just puts in appearances). How wonderful that the result is someone as marvelous as you! 😊