"There is always the particular balance that family businesses have to achieve: to make sure to remain innovative while not losing what makes them special"

With every New Year comes the usual New Year’s resolutions – commitments to get fit, lose weight, eat and drink less. Inevitably, the leftover box of Quality Street can prove too tempting and after about a week many fall by the wayside.

But some don’t. Some clearly very focused and committed individuals do follow through with their New Year’s resolutions. They get fit, lose weight – and almost certainly feel all the better for it.

It’s the same with businesses. New ideas and new commitments to get the company into shape can often be quickly forgotten, and businesses can fall back into old practices. It’s always easier to keep doing what you know.

However, just as with individuals a few businesses do stay the course and remain committed and focused on new goals and ideas. Those businesses will inevitably be the innovators, the leaders in their fields, and the successes.

It is important that businesses do what they can to get into shape when they need to. Family businesses, especially, can be susceptible to doing the same old thing and following the same old path. This can be their strength and their weakness.

There is always the particular balance that family businesses have to achieve; to make sure to remain innovative while not losing what makes them special.

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