Keeping it in the family – Elyse, John and Maria share their thoughts

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JEM Promotional Products was recently asked to be interviewed regarding what it’s like to be part of a family business. Elyse, John and Maria were happy to share their thoughts on the topic and hope it helps anyone contemplating starting a business with a family member. The story has be re-written below for your convenience.

Elyse, John and Maria Cabral Keep it in the family

Meet the Cabrals.  They’re a family that seems to have struck the right balance when it comes to managing the challenges of working together.
John Cabral, his wife, Maria, and daughter, Elyse, run JEM Promotional Products, a small Sydney-based company that provides merchandise to clients across Australia.
“Working together has its challenges but as long as people respect each other’s point of view and sit down and discuss exactly what our goals, strategies and visions are, it makes it a lot easier,” says John, who started the business from home with Maria in 2001.
“The other important thing is understanding that at the end of the day, someone has to make a decision and it won’t necessarily be what everybody wants.”
So is conflict ever an issue?  “I wouldn’t say conflict but as with anybody, there are times when you have different views,” he says.  “We don’t necessarily see eye to eye every time.”
The Cabrals pay special attention to separating work and family life.  “Everyone in our family, especially my daughter, tries very hard to find some time when we’re not talking business,” John says.  “But you’re always talking business.  I think it’s not a burden because most of the time, everybody in a family business has a passion for it, so it’s just something that’s part of our lives.”