I remember telling my future wife about what I did . She jumped right in . My sister , Victoria , was a schoolteacher and eventually joined the family business too , shortly followed by her husband . My sister , Isabelle , was already onboard and was moving up in the company . She was the enforcerdoing anything that needed to get done . She quickly became the boss .
Working with family does come with its challenges . In my opinion , if you do not have a business coach or an outside source that can oversee what you ’ re doing , you ’ re going to struggle . Our business coach works with us every three months . When he ’ s there , we discuss what we ’ ve done well and what we can improve . However , the real benefit of having a coach is that they have an unbiased view , and that can help tremendously . Many times , it ’ s hard to evaluate yourself or what your family thinks of you . However , with an unbiased thirdparty , they can see what ’ s right and what ’ s wrong . We ’ ve been blessed , and we all work extremely hard and are extremely focused . I think the reason this is possible is because we believe we ’ re building something much bigger than ourselves , and we see this company helping the masses .
As a family , we all get along surprisingly well . Growing up we were a close family . I think the secret to our current success is that we all have different strengths , and we work within them . Each sibling has unique roles and responsibilities within the company , and that gives us enough of a separation from getting in each other ’ s hair . My favorite part of family business is that I can be myself . I know that my opinion is valued and these people know what I mean when I speak . They understand me and my perspective . I feel comfortable around them , and we can address issues headon . Residential Assisted Living is a great business model for building a family legacy . We teach people how to work on the business , not in it . Families can successfully work together if there is mutual respect and open communication .
As a child , I would watch my parents and want to be like them when I grew up . I hope I can be that example to my children . I want them to see us as positive influences and have a desire to continue the very valuable work that we do . It ’ s an honor and a privilege to work with my family in a business that is truly changing lives " Doing Good And Doing Well !”
Leaving a legacy for the future :
It ’ s amazing to get to do what we do . Many times , my wife and I ask ourselves how we got so lucky to be part of this family and this company . We ’ re incredibly blessed to do work that really helps people . We get to help the residents and their families , but we also get to help the staff and their families .”
My daughter , Victoria , is the CFO of the AL Family group of companies . She says ,
“ I was a teacher working long , underpaid and underappreciated hours . My dad needed an assistant and help with office work . I was about to have my second child and flexible hours sounded amazing ! Some things are just meant to be . Timing in life is critical , and the opportunity to work with my own family was challenging , exciting , and fun .
I have to say that working together as a family has been a huge blessing and the best legacy I could ever provide . I wouldn ’ t change it for anything in the world . Gene
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