. Being part of ‘the firm’ might come with benefits like tiaras and castles, but it is, at the end of the day, a family business just like any other. And when you marry into a family business you create a complicated fusion of work and family life.
Chloe’s experience sounds extreme, but it’s not unusual. ‘I thought that working for the family business was a brilliant idea,’ says Abi•, 27, ‘because it would be flexible, mean being with our family all the time, and would fit well with having a family. However, that was not the case. The way that I raised our children became a topic of conversation constantly.
Not everyone finds that joining the family business is a total disaster. Ivy•, 35, joined her husband’s family business nearly a decade ago. ‘My mother-in-law is an interior designer, as am I. We have similar aesthetics and taste and get on really well, so it seemed sensible that we’d join forces. It works perfectly because my husband does the social media, PR and publicity and my father-in-law does the accounts.