Why great business is like a great family

Family and business often go hand in hand. The same core values that create a strong family unit – you know, those ones we all admire and wish we were part of – can be applied to building a great business.

MyTrucking says it’s big on family and views its team as a family, and customers as an extension of that family. Many of the businesses it works alongside are family owned and operated, often inter-generational. The family ties are woven into their business story, and help create a reputation and legacy to be proud of.

Collectiveness, working together, supporting one another, and putting plans in place are just some of the ways family values cross over to business. Great businesses should inspire you to do your best, just like a family.

MyTrucking provides the followings four key values you can apply that it believes speak to both family, and business.

REPUTATION: Honouring the family name is just like striving to uphold the name and brand of a business. Word of mouth is said to be the highest form of recommendation, and reputation is key. How do you make sure your reputation in the market is positive?  Do you have values that you expect of your employees, or do you have a referral programme that incentivises word of mouth or a rewards programme that values loyalty?

COLLECTIVENESS: Leave no one behind. We’re in it together and support one another, in family and in business. This also means digging in when the going gets tough (a recent pandemic comes to mind) and being there for each other. This can be as simple as checking in on your family or team members, asking how they are, or noticing someone is struggling and offering to help.

LEGACY: Each generation of the family adds to the family story and history, similar to how a business does. Like family, many businesses have a long and proud history. What is the legacy you want to leave? Do you go the extra mile to support your customers and ensure satisfaction with a job well done? If something goes wrong, how do you address this and fix it?

INNOVATION: In an ever changing world we have to adapt and flex with the challenges we’re thrown, in life and in business. How we respond to these challenges, having an open mind and seeking to make the most of the opportunities they send our way, ultimately shapes our success. In recent years this might be home schooling your children, or figuring out how to operate a contactless business. 

MyTrucking Founder and Marketing Director, Sara Orsborn, explains that MyTrucking is a values-based business.

“Our origins are in a small set of values, and we use these values to guide our decision making. Together, our values underpin our culture,” says Osborn.

One of those values is family.

“Seems obvious to state but family is pretty big around here at MyTrucking. As part of the family value, caring and helping rates high for us. Caring is not just limited to people, it also includes the what, why and how we do things around here,” says Osborn.