Excerpt from “Characters”. Character 6: Family Member

One hesitates to write about a family member in the way one hesitates to prod a bear with a pointed stick—neither is going to like it and both will let you know this in no uncertain terms. Family-member business relationships are common in the small-business community, though. They cannot be omitted from a book about the characters who can make or break your business. I knew that I wanted to share my own experiences while addressing this topic—I’ve attempted going into business with both my brother and brother-in-law. But I hesitated to write about it (think bear and pointed stick). Then Ms. Lamott gave me the green light. She told her TED audience: “If you don’t know where to start, remember that every single thing that happened to you is yours, and you get to tell it. If people wanted you to write more warmly about them, they should’ve behaved better.”