As a parent you always look out for your kids and over the last 18 months I employ both of mine. We work well together and are a small well functioning team except there are limited roles with some more exciting than others. In a warehouse there is only so much one can do and feel my son is being wasted and could offer far more elsewhere.
This week I have been taking my son out with me visiting my packaging clients and what started out as giving him a break from the warehouse may turn into a permanent role. Over the last few months I have picked up he is going through the motions, but is not enjoying his work. Being involved in a family business the danger is you can feel trapped and you just do it through not wanting to let the family down.
Working in a warehouse servicing clients is not the most exciting job in the world especially when most of the time things are running smoothly. I know myself I would be bored of my head if I was doing admin work as that is not who I am whether it is for a family business or not. We are all wired differently and different things make us tick and it is important to find passion in whatever we do as a job. My daughter is thriving and I just do not see the same with my son and this is something I have been thinking about for a while now. In South Africa there are not many jobs available for white kids and parents tend to look out for their kids possibly more than if you lived elsewhere.
My son is great with people, but selling to strangers via cold calling is definitely not him right now and with confidence may change in the future. I have known and trained many people in sales and there are some things you just cannot teach and that is what makes someone a successful sales person and someone who is average. Having the gift of the gab and knowing when to speak and listen is an important ingredient in any sales meeting as more often than not your future client by what they say helps you out.
The short term plan is over the next 4 months to have my son involved with seeing current clients who he would have been introduced to and know already. This would only take a few days a month and the rest of the time I would need him to handle the online side which is where his skills lie.
The world has changed from 20 years ago and online is where most of the sales leads are coming from. Cold calling is what I am used to and where I thrive, but having leads with a foot in the door would be a game changer and the quickest way of growing the business. I could cold call and fix leads on my own, but growing the business would take another 2 years to get to the point I need it and having my son set up getting the important leads would cut the time frame by roughly 50%. The online is what I am lacking and this would be more beneficial to the family than having him in the warehouse. I think he will feel more appreciated in this role and I have noticed a spark over the last couple of days as he sees some light at the end of the tunnel. This is not immediate change, but a work in progress which will be more permanent with an eye on early next year.
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It is good to look out for your children, but also good to have them working for a non family owned corporation. But under the circumstances of South Africa it sounds like you are doing the best possible thing.
My son is working as a functional analyst for Amgen corporation remotely.