You know you have arrived when others start to mimic you … or so the saying goes. Perhaps family businesses would have preferred to fly under the radar to never be discovered, if Hollywood’s take is any indication.
I must admit I do enjoy the newest family business shows, “Yellowstone” and “Succession,” in spite of the portrayals. But come on, Hollywood, really? Skin branding, murder and family corporate takeovers?
Perhaps I took it even more personally when my eldest over Christmas pointed out that Yellowstone reminded him a lot of me and my take on family and business.
Really? Really? I think we need some family counseling.
For the uninitiated, Yellowstone takes place on the Dutton Ranch. The patriarch is Kevin Costner, who portrays the father, John. The ranch is being attacked externally by the government, other ranchers and big business looking to develop the pristine wilderness, not to mention the Native Americans looking to recapture the land that the Dutton Ranch currently occupies. Internally, the family is under siege from an adoptive son, a randy daughter and the memory of an eldest son and a wife taken too soon. And if you work for the family business and want to leave, don’t let them take you to the train, as the bodies are stacked up like cord wood on the border leading to the depot. To jump into this menagerie requires a brand. Son, remind me again how this reminds you of our family?
Succession is another show portraying a heavy-handed father and the Roy family. The family business is largely newspapers, but is diversified into travel and tourism, among other areas. Skin is saved in this show for sexual debauchery rather than tattoos, and I find myself wondering how a father as feared and ruthless ended up with kids that are so afraid and yet loyal to the end. Even the white-knight son looking to wrest the business away from the patriarch (played by Brain Cox) is devastated by the father having a heart attack right in the middle of tough negotiations. The daughter, named Shiv (isn’t that something you stick in someone’s back?), and youngest son equally loathe their father and love him all in the same breath, proving that blood is thicker than … well, money, power, you name it.
As smitten as I am with both these shows, I am also saddened that this is what Hollywood thinks of the family business. True, family businesses can be dysfunctional, and I frequently write in this column about the challenges associated with keeping family businesses together. It is also true that many times family businesses do not end well, with father/founders being fired from their own companies, holiday gatherings being ruined by family corporate feuds, and children being alienated by a parent too condescending to turn over the keys.
But I have also seen many family businesses succeed for generations to rival dynasties. Further, I have seen the customer reward those businesses handsomely, as statistics and surveys show we prefer a family business over any other kind.
So, why is this the narrative being painted?
My answer is that Hollywood hates capitalism, and the family business is the bedrock of that system. Going after an evil conglomerate does not have the cache of going after the family unit. Targeting the nebulous corporate board of directors is not nearly as personal as going after the father or mother head of household. I do believe Hollywood has an agenda, and that narrative is being played out on the grand political screen. If they can chink the armor of the family business, they can make inroads into less wholesome business ventures.
The good news is that the conspiracy theorist in me has been around long enough to know this does not always work. Growing up with shows like Dynasty and Falcon Crest, I have seen this anti-family business bias portrayed before. It hits a fever-pitch with who shot J.R., followed by a tussle between the Carrington wives, and then the series is pulled.
Perhaps the family business owners among us should be honored by the recognition. To emulate is the sincerest form of flattery. It may even be possible these television portrayals encourage families to go into business together despite the abhorrent way they are being portrayed.
Who among us can say they aren’t a bit enamored with being mobbed up like the Sopranos? We know how it’s going to end – Tony, don’t sit there – even if it is a big bang followed by silence. We still watch train wrecks and car chases knowing full well they often end badly.
The good news is the family business is still worth it, for the legacy it leaves and the financial stability it promotes both inside the family and out.
Now, son, where would you like my initials tattooed? Can’t wait for Father’s Day.
