1 Straw Less

#1-Straw-Less

The old story goes,
"it was the last straw
that broke the camel's back"

It could be your help that takes that 1 straw away and helps a family business survive to rebuild the lifeblood of our economy during and after the current pandemic. It matters now more than ever.
Family businesses can be easy to find: the dry cleaner, diner, mom & pop shop, home repairs, and more. Family businesses are also hidden all around your community: janitorial services, web design firms, parts manufacturing, specialty supplies, craftsmen, and so many more. Some grow into big businesses, but the vast number of them continue to serve their community year in and year out.
Until 2020 that is. It's always hard starting and growing a business, and just as risky when a family takes on this challenge. This moment in history has seen so much loss of life and heartache, and the toll on families has not been greater in many of our lifetimes. Many have endured losses of loved ones, and many more have seen years of dedication and hard work evaporate amidst the challenges. A few have found a niche or a pivot that thrived this past year and count themselves lucky, but most still around are hanging on by a thread and lay awake every night wondering how to pay staff while by not paying themselves, how to stock the shelves when they can't pay the rent, how to navigate changing rules and regulations, and considering through all of this, "is this the last straw?"
Some will call a meeting tomorrow with their family and closest staff and then post the now too familiar message on their door, "Thanks for all the years we've been able to serve our community. Good bye." Alongside those we miss who were lost to Covid, we also drive by empty store fronts, boarded up restaurants, and signs for vacant office and warehouse space that represent jobs and futures that have also gone away.
This isn't about money or buildings, it's about the lives of so many families continue to be impacted, and when many hang that sign they get a few notes from friends saying how sorry they are to see the family business close, and maybe a flurry of facebook posts from loyal customers, and then the silence of wondering what's next. Hope isn't gone, and while some may just enter retirement early after giving up so much to try to stick it out, others will wait and start something again out of the nothing that remains. #1-Straw-Less hopes to encourage these family members when things turn around, but for now we hope to truly encourage as many as possible to know that their family's efforts and struggles matter to each community. Those sleepless nights and untold costs that no government support can ever honestly replace, we hope to at least help reassure them to hang in there.
We all need them to stick around and do what families do better than hired hands--to pull together and make things work in spite of it all. Family businesses know that their reward isn't in the almighty dollar, it's in the relationships they have through serving their customers and their community. The reward is in the little league team they sponsor and the causes they support. It's in the staff they treat like extended family and help out in times of need when nobody else is there to help. And right now, these extraordinary families aren't asking for help and handouts as they struggle, but they do need our help.

Simple things we each choose to do every day can make all the difference.
#1-Straw-Less encourages you to choose these 4 things:

SEEK out to shop, dine, or do whatever business you can with family-owned and operated businesses in your area, and tell them "thanks!"
GIVE to the #1-Straw-Less campaign so you can help show nominated family businesses that you appreciate them in tangible ways. We will be collecting stories and selecting businesses where this fund will pay one of the family's business bills and also send them something fun to do together as a family!
LIFT up family businesses, whatever your tradition - in your prayers, positive thoughts, good vibes, etc.
SHARE about your positive experiences with them on your social media, and share about this movement with the hashtag: #1-Straw-Less

Click the button below for more info and to donate to this campaign:

Help Make 1 Straw Less

#1-straw-less is a campaign effort coordinated and sponsored through FFX Ministries, Inc.
All donations are tax-deductible 501c3 contributions,
and will entirely be used toward family businesses across the USA.

Family Business Facts:

ARE FAMILY BUSINESS A BIG PART OF OUR ECONOMY?

Family businesses account for 64 percent of U.S. gross domestic product, generate 62 percent of the country's employment, and account for 78 percent of all new job creation.
According to the US Census Bureau, family firms comprise 90 percent of all business enterprises in North America.
Small businesses, including many family firms, employ just over half of US workers. Firms with fewer than 20 employees employed 20.2 million.
Research shows that family businesses are less likely to lay off employees regardless of financial performance.
*above details from https://startupsanonymous.com/blog/family-business-statistics/

HOW WELL ARE FAMILY BUSINESSES RUN?

74 percent believe they have a stronger culture and values than non-family firms. And, 72 percent measure success differently - not just growth and profit.
More than 40 percent of companies in the Harvard Business review study included members of the next generation on their boards and committees in order to nurture their business and management skills.
Family businesses have powerful internal cultures. A study of 114 family firms and 1,200 other large companies for their organizational health found that family-owned businesses scores significantly higher on things like worker motivation and leadership.
*above details from https://startupsanonymous.com/blog/family-business-statistics/
Prior to the pandemic, 47% of family business owners reported expecting to retire in the next five years, but did not have a succession plan.
*above details from http://www.score.org/
Families have owned their businesses for an average of 78 years. Many survive into a second, third, fourth, or even more generations.
* above details from https://www.fbagr.org/resources/cited-stats/

do family business issues affect women and minorities?

Nearly 60 percent of all family-owned businesses have women in top management team positions.
Over the past five years, woman-owned family businesses have increased by 37%.
Female-owned family firms experience greater family loyalty to the business, agreement with its goals, and pride in the business.
*above details from https://startupsanonymous.com/blog/family-business-statistics/
And African-American businesses have fewer employees: 38% have 2-5 employees and only 7% have 6-10 employees. (The average across small businesses is 41% and 12%, respectively.)
*above detail from https://www.score.org/blog/state-african-american-owned-businesses
A majority of minority entrepreneurs are optimistic about economic recovery in general: 56 percent of minority small-business owners reported that they were optimistic about post-COVID-19 economic conditions.
*above detail from https://www.mckinsey.com/industries/public-and-social-sector/our-insights/covid-19s-effect-on-minority-owned-small-businesses-in-the-united-states#

are new startups affected by family businesses, or just mom & pop operations?

77% of all new business ventures established in the United States are founded with significant involvement of the family in the business, and another 3% engage family members within the next two years
(Chua, Chrisman & Chang 2004)
48.1% of entrepreneurs said they grew up in a family business. (OnStartups, 2009)
Family businesses range in size from a staff of two people (including the owner) to thousands of employees.
1.2 million family-owned businesses are run by a married couple.
*above details from http://www.score.org/

WHAT ARE THE BIGGEST CHALLENGES CONTINUALLY FACING FAMILY BUSINESSES

Aside from all the extra challenges of keeping a business alive in 2020, here are some of the top issues for family businesses in the best times:

Difficulties separating business life from family life, or often having any semblance of work-life balance. Business and home life are perpetually mixed.
Concerns about passing the torch to a new generation, or having to sell a business off to others.
Unpredictable emotional and other conflicts between family members adding more strain to uncertain business conditions.
Generational challenges can make respecting elder family members contributions difficult to balance with younger ideas for new directions and responses to current demands.
Management decisions are further complicated by feeling intense pressure to avoid running the family operation into the ground, often feeling a responsibility to previous generations who worked so hard to build it.

See the SCORE infographic on family businesses.

Donate to #1-Straw-Less