Working with family can at times prove to be a trial and at others the best thing in the world. The key is to know how to work with your family effectively and efficiently. In this snippet of an interview between Dale Beaumont and Sue Ismiel discover an amazing example of working with family and tips on how you can do the same.
Sue is a mother of three and creator the Nad’s Hair Removal product. Within a few years it was the foundation of a multi-million dollar company, spanning several countries.
What’s it like working with your husband and two of your three daughters?
My family has been involved with the business right from the start. There is nothing like working with family. If a company is to be successful then it obviously has to have a network of people who support it. In the past I have had bad experiences with people whom I trusted but didn’t know very well, so having a network of trustworthy people to work with is very important.
I have learnt over the years that the people who care most about you are your immediate family and your close friends, and they’re the ones you can trust and rely on. My husband Sam has always been my greatest support. He gave up his own work in 1993 as soon as I started advertising on TV. He was already working in the business part-time, as well as working in his own job, but the response to the TV campaign was so huge that I needed help, so soon we were working together full-time. Today he is a director of the company. His patience, more than anything, has been a great help to me. Like everyone, we do have our differences, but Sam has a great sense of humour and that tends to diffuse things really well.
In 2000 we renamed our company from Nad’s Pty Ltd to Sue Ismiel and Daughters Enterprises Pty Ltd, to reflect the involvement of my daughters. Nadine is head of research and development, as well as being a member of the executive team. She has a very strong personality and often reminds me of myself. Quite often we disagree on things because we are so much alike. Natalie is currently our marketing coordinator, and as a model, she is also the face of Nad’s print and television advertising campaigns. My youngest, Naomi, is a graphic designer. It is one of the great pleasures and rewards that I can continue to work and spend every day with my daughters even now that they have grown and left school.
Find more of this interview in “Secrets of Female Entrepreneurs Exposed!” by Dale Beaumont.
