Addictions and Behavioral Issues Impacting Business Families

In a White Paper, found at www.netfamilybusiness.com, Dr. Karl Benzio explains in the United States 34% of US adults will suffer a behavioral health disorder this year. 61% of US adults will suffer in their lifetime and 72% of US adults will have a spouse, parent, child, or sibling suffer with an addiction in their lifetime. Alcohol is the 3rd leading cause of death in US and Heart Disease is a leading cause of death with primary factors being stress and emotion.

For Family businesses there are added pressures and stresses in that, people know each other’s baggage, insecurities, weaknesses, and shortcomings. There are extra pressures to succeed, work harder, and work longer. In the Family and the Business, at times, a lot more enabling occurs – meaning family usually ignores or “protects” the person from the natural consequences thus enabling the destructive/dysfunctional behavior to continue.

What is a Family Business to do? How should a Family Business address these critical issues?

The Network of Family Businesses has scheduled a virtual educational seminar with Karl Benzio, MD Psychiatrist to discuss Addictions and Behavioral Issues that impact the Business Families. The seminar is scheduled for Thursday, February 16th at 11:00 AM EST.

Karl Benzio, MD, Psychiatrist is an international speaker and frequent media guest expert. Karl testified for Congress and the President's Bioethics Commission, taught at pastor's conferences in Uganda and Kenya, led the first behavioral health training team into post-Sadam Iraq (at the request of the Iraqi government), taught counseling program courses, and spearheaded a unique Katrina relief effort. He has started a non-profit ministry, directed adult and adolescent programs, psychiatric ER, as well as a Christian Rehab program, using his unique cutting-edge workshop, WITHIN REACH, to help people transform their lives.

Karl attended Duke University,1981-85: BSE in Biomedical Engineering, concentration in CNS imaging (graduated with honors) UMDNJ-New Jersey Medical School, 1985-89: MD (honors in psychiatry) University of California - Irvine, 1989-93: Psychiatric Residency - Accredited by Board of Psychiatry and Neurology.

Registration to join The Network of Family Businesses and be eligible for the On-Line Educational Seminar is available at: http://www.netfamilybusiness.com

We are excited to have Dr. Benzio discuss these critical issues for Families in Business.

What is happening in the marketplace that will predict the success of your family business?

With the recent announcement of several large businesses filing for Chapter 11, others filing for Chapter 7 and the seeming rebound of several market indicators, I would suggest it is as critical a time as ever for families in business to pause and consider what direction they want their family and business to go.

As is often the case, the tyranny of the urgency takes precedence to strive for income that exceeds expenses. It takes time and commitment for a business family to learn, to discuss, to plan, and implement the building of a legacy.

Success depends on how effectively the family, the managers, and the leaders understand the marketplace. There are several key factors that the family needs to understand to compete in the marketplace.

- What are the factors of the market: the competition, the economics, the technology, substitution products or services?

- What are the capabilities of our business and family: knowledge, skills, abilities, attitudes, and commitment?

- What can we as a family do, adapt, or redesign of our product or services: take the learning ability of our team to turn expenses into value generation?

- What do we, as a family, believe the future will be: based on critical metrics, leading indicators, and our family’s objectives for the legacy of our family and business?

What do we, as a family in business, need to learn and do well to create value?

What do we, as a family in business, need to learn to build our legacy?

Let me know how you and your family address these critical factors.

Social Media and the Family Business

“In the end, without an online marketing strategy most businesses will find it more and more difficult to attract new business, maintain their current customer base, and create overall brand awareness.”

Want to get started, but not sure where to begin?

Perhaps you are intimidated by technology and uncomfortable engaging others.

The answer is simple; before people will frequent your business, they need to feel like you care, regardless of the topic.

To help learn what to do about Social Media, The Network of Family Businesses has scheduled a virtual educational seminar with Chris Durante Visco to discuss Social Media and the Family Business. The seminar is scheduled for Tuesday, January 24th at 11:00 AM EST.

Family Business Advisor Program

Over the past number of years I have had the privilege of working with Mike McGrann in the support of and nurturing of Families in Business.

Mike is the Executive Director of The S. Dale High Center for Family Business, a seasoned advisor to business families and I am privileged to call him a friend.

It is also my delight to inform you of a program Mike and I will be presenting that is designed specifically for individuals who serve as advisors to Family Businesses.

The Family Business Advisor Program.

This exciting program will be conducted at The S. Dale High Center for Family Business at Elizabethtown College and take place over two days, June 6 and June 13.

If you are an advisor to Business Families, I would encourage you to attend. If you are a family in business, I would encourage you to pass this information to your advisors. The information in this program will increase their effectiveness in the services they provide.

Below are the details of the program.

If you have any questions, please let me know. This is an exciting opportunity to support those that support Family Businesses.

The Family Business Advisor Program

REGISTER TODAY!

(and get an Early Bird Discount if you register by 3.1.2012)

Family businesses are complicated. The normal challenges of advising businesses are tough enough, but providing professional advice to a family business involves additional dynamics that can impact their competitiveness as well as your effectiveness as a family business advisor.

Besides serving as advisors to family businesses for decades, experts at the S. Dale High Center for Family Business are now offering a program to help professionals who work with family businesses to help you be more effective in as an advisor to family enterprises.

As a trusted advisor to Family Businesses you’ve probably experienced the complexities we’re talking about. We’ve been working with Family Businesses exclusively for more than 20 years and have insight and experience into their unique challenges and capabilities that we want to share with you.

This intensive two-day workshop is a truly unique professional development opportunity offering information, education, case studies, role playing, and other dynamic experiences for professionals serving family businesses.

The Family Business Advisor Program, designed expressly for you, will help you:

• Develop a deep understanding of the complexities of family enterprises and how a company’s “Familiness” can be a competitive advantage.

• Apply a new set of tools for effective management of the interactions between the family and the business.

• Strengthen your relationships with your family business clients – becoming a trusted advisor for both the senior and successor generations of family business owners.

As an attendee, you will bring a real-life case study to the workshop and obtain expert feedback from our instructors and your peers. In addition, you’ll receive individual feedback and follow-up with our highly-skilled facilitators after the event, so you can further increase your expertise with your family business clients.

Expert facilitators include Michael N. McGrann, executive director of the S. Dale High Center for Family Business and Dr. Steven K. Moyer, principal of SKM Associates LLC, a full-service family business consulting firm.

Register today for our two-day workshop:

Dates: June 6 and June 13, 2012 (both are Wednesdays)

Times: 8:00 a.m. – 6:00 p.m.

Location: The S. Dale High Center for Family Business, Hoover Center, Elizabethtown College campus

1 Alpha Drive

Elizabethtown, PA 17022

(717) 361 – 1275

Cost: $2,000.00 (includes program materials, three meals and an evening reception).

Early bird registration by March 1, 2012, is $1,750.00.

*Who should attend: Anyone providing products or services to family businesses will benefit from this program. Attendees should have 5 – 7 + years of experience and are committed to growing the family business sector of their business.