A blessing for a couple transitioning the family business.
1 Peter 4:8
The transition of a family business to the next generation is a wonderful opportunity to continue your legacy, but it presents challenges to your relationship as a couple. Most of your life together has been defined by the growth of the business and your roles in the company or family. And it has flown by!
But, as your children take over, or leave to pursue different careers, as a couple you must redefine who you are in relationship to the business and to each other. You may not be ready to let go at the same time. You may have to move. You may have different visions for the next chapter of your life. Decades of your focus, on business or kids, is now not as necessary.
Figuring out the future together feels different, it feels harder, than it did years ago, when you started or took over the business. But it is just as important. This blessing is for the couple navigating the redefinition of their relationship as they transition the family business.
Starting your life together, full of promise You began to build a business Unsure of how the story would unfold You trusted in your determination and God’s providence. In those days happiness found you Even amidst the struggle of a start-up Raising your children in a culture of commerce No boundaries between life and work and family You settled into your roles and the company grew Your kids-becoming-adults contemplated their return (so quickly!) And you heard the faint signal, a call toward the future Pointing to this day – when stepping away – would be expected. This transition is difficult; it isn’t just to a different role But to a new way of being present with your family To a new way of relating as a couple And it often feels fraught with frustration and false starts As you navigate the handoff of the family business, may God bless both of you with The courage to let go of that which you’ve controlled for decades The insight to recognize new and emerging directions The time to rethink and rediscover the next chapter of your life’s purpose And the skill to reframe your best contribution to your family’s business May God especially grant you and your spouse the ability to redefine your relationship and recommit to your future, and thereby bless you with a renewal of your life together.
Above all, keep loving one another earnestly, since love covers a multitude of sins. (1 Peter 4:8)
Prior blessings: For those who do not return to the family business, for one who forgives others in the family business, for a long-term key employee, for the next generation’s new business venture, for a family member recovering from addiction, for a sibling partnership, for the end of a family business partnership, for grandparents in the family business, for those experiencing family estrangement, for your estate planning efforts, for a family business gathering, upon the passing of a family business member, for rest, for the next generation’s return, for the senior generation letting go, and for the new year.