Episode 2: S&G Carpet and more owners share how to deal with many family members as employees. Artwork

A Seat at the Table

Welcome to A Seat at the Table, Trials and Triumphs of Family Business, hosted by Natalie Mariani Kling, a 4th generation family business owner. This program is a creation of The Capital Region Family Business Center, a non-profit agency whose purpose is to help family businesses grow and prosper.One thing about being a part of a family business, is that it’s unique. Family businesses often began very simply, with a person who had an idea. Rarely were these people educated in business or finance, they usually didn’t have big investors, sometimes, they didn’t even speak English. But they saw an opportunity that could support their family, and so they started.Once these family businesses grow and are handed to 2nd, 3rd, 4th generations, there are not only the complexities of any growing business, but also the dynamics of family and relationships and navigating things like, which family member will be CEO, should this year's profits be reinvested or distributed? Differences in opinions can complicate Sunday night dinners, estate planning, who wants to keep running this business, preserving a legacy, entitlement, privilege, imposter syndrome…but there can also be magic.In a time where we want to KNOW the people behind a brand, and where authenticity and trust play a big part in our purchases as consumers, having a family that runs and operates a business over generations can create a very special culture where its success is built on relationships from vendors to employees to customers.On this podcast, expect real conversations with real family business members about what it’s like to be in a family business, run a family business, and the trials and triumphs of taking it into the next generation.

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A Seat at the Table

Episode 2: S&G Carpet and more owners share how to deal with many family members as employees.

June 02, 2022 • Capital Region Family Business Center • Season 1 • Episode 2

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Join the conversation as your host, Natalie Mariani Kling visits with Donald and Justin Ratajczak, a father and son who are just two of many family members who have been a part of the family owned S&G Carpet and more. Donald shares how several members of the Ratajczak family started working at the carpet company in San Jose in the 1970’s and how their family bought out the original owners and turned it into a family owned institution in Sacramento and the Bay Area we all know today. Justin reminisces about playing in the vast carpet warehouse as a kid, friends singing the popular jingle to him at school and deciding to leave a promising career in San Francisco as an actuarial analyst, to come back home and work his way up to C.F.O. of the family business. The discussion continues as they talk about the struggles and benefits of working with family, hiring and firing family members and surviving the great recession, as well as, the bright future of S&G moving forward.

For more information on S&G Carpets you can visit www.sgcarpet.com

To learn more about The Capital Region Family Business Center please visit www.capfamilybus.org

To learn more about the Capital Region Family Business Center visit our website HERE