Joining a family business is not always an easy decision. When my father, Tom Larkin, and I initially discussed my working for The Larkin Company, the business he founded in 2001, I was hesitant. How would the child-parent dynamic play out in the business? Was joining what was then a relatively small business—at a lower salary—the right move for my young family?

Ten years later, I can say that the decision has been unequivocally positive. Stepping into the business, an administrator for employee leaves of absence and self-insured, short-term disability benefits, has provided me the chance to grow and scale a company from what was then a team of six or seven to our current 90+ employees. My father and I worked closely together until he stepped away from daily operations to become Chairman in 2015, and we have had the satisfaction of owning and operating a business built by our combined efforts, to our values.