Insight: Mar 28

What’s the difference between a family business that succeeds, and one that fails? How do you maintain family relationships when you work together?

Tonight, on Insight Jenny Brockie and guests are talk business … relatively speaking.

It’s difficult to get along with family at the best of times. So, what’s it like going into business with them?

Around 70 per cent of businesses in Australia are family operated – so there’s something about the dynamic that works. But it can’t be easy either.

From divorce to fighting in-laws, favouritism and firing family: this week, Insight takes a look behind the scenes of the family business- the good, the bad and the ugly.

Growing up, Jason Lea lived on the premises of the Sydney Darrell Lea chocolate factory – his family’s business.

“At the age of about 10, one school holidays, we were told that we had to work in the packing room of the factory, we were packing chocolates in boxes.”

But the family relationships didn’t match the sweet and colourful memories generations of Australians have of the Darrell Lea business in its prime.

“They say a family that works together, doesn’t play together. That was certainly our family,” he says.

Roula Angelopoulos didn’t have a choice about joining her family’s business.

When her father said it was time for her to take over his taxi fleet, she had to quit her glamorous art-directing job and learn a new trade.

“I had no experience before that. Basically it was just thrown at me, sink or swim, so I didn’t really know what I was in for.”

But she says she wouldn’t have it any other way. “Running a taxi business is very male dominated, but I’m cool with that.”

The Bailey family have been in business together for four generations and current CEO of Bailey’s Fertilizer, Kim Bailey, would like his children to take over the business one day.

But his youngest son, Richard Bailey, doesn’t share his father’s passion. “When you grow up knowing the family business is fertiliser, a poo factory, it doesn’t sound like a good job prospect.”

Ivan Spehar, from Ivan’s Smallgoods tells Insight that he regrets the way he treated his son when they worked together. “I can be nasty,” he admits.

8:30pm Tuesday on SBS.