Building relationships in business requires trust - and who can be trusted upon more than family? Family businesses are everywhere - about half of all privately owned businesses in Canada are in fact family owned. If you're thinking about working with relations to start a business, here are some top resources to guide you.
UBC Library Research Guide: Family-Owned Business - This guide "...provides resources for people studying the strategy, management, operation, and ownership of family-owned businesses.". Here you will be guided to numerous family business journals (such as Family Business, Family Business Advisor and Journal of Family Business), books on the topic (such as Family Business Models: Practical Solutions for the Family Business), and lists of industry organizations and associations devoted to helping family business grow, such as the Business Families Centre from the Sauder School of Business.
BDO Canada - Family Business Publications - BDO offers a number of free articles and publication on the topic of family business in Canada. As an accounting and advisory firm, they provide useful information about the financial aspects of family enterprise - with extra focus on issues relating to succession planning. While you're at it, check out KPMG Canada's Enterprise Centre for Family Business for some extra ideas and insights from a top consulting firm.
Family Finance from the Financial Post Online is another good place to go for information relating to the financial aspects of running a successful business.
There are many other strong (mostly free) resources on the internet - and dozens of books on the subject of family business at your local library. As with any aspect of business planning, getting the right information about running a family business is an essential step to long-term success!