Would You Bring Your Children On Board?  

Business is a high-intensity, high-stakes venture. Knowing just how fraught it can be, would you bring your children on board with you?

My kids have seen me evolve from music to business to beyond.

I find that my kids are actually my best advisors. As you get older, you develop filters and excuses, but kids are raw in how they think and see the world. I’ll show them a new design or slogan and they’ll give the best feedback. Where an adult will say, “Oh, I think I get what you’re trying to do,” a kid will straight up say, “That doesn’t make sense.” Then you look at it again and realize that they’re 100 percent right. I believe they see an entrepreneurial spirit, and I hope it will have a lasting effect on them.

As for bringing them into the business, ultimately, I want them to do their own thing. If that means working with me, then great, but right now my focus is just on keeping them stimulated and curious.

—Moshe Hecht, CIO of Charidy

There’s no question that I would — if the child had a knack for the work and an appreciation for what I was doing. I wouldn’t make a blanket statement that every child belongs in the family business. You have a responsibility to make sure the business survives. It can take a father 40 years to build up a business and the child 40 days to destroy it.