Each person in a family business has an opinion about the value of his or her services. Put another way, each person has an opinion on how much he or she should be paid.

Do you know those opinions at your business?

Do you agree with those opinions?

Money - specifically, the size of pay cheques received by family members - can become a big problem in family business.

Some people have told me that money's not a problem at their family business because their children - all the siblings - get paid the same amount. Other family-business people - some of those siblings - have complained to me that they are only paid the same amount as their brothers and sisters...who contribute far less value.

A couple of things are clear: pay-cheque money is important and discussions of money are not happening and/or are not handled well.

There is another factor: the pay-cheque discussions or the verbal and silent objections around pay-cheques can permeate the family...in the business environment and in the family homes.

Money disputes can sour family members against one another and the resulting injuries they inflict on one another often spread into the workplace.

Pay-cheque money is a sensitive issue…whether the shy family members say so or not.

An essential consideration…

How do you communicate about the money paid to the family members at your family business?