The Family Business Role You Never Agreed To—but Can’t Escape
You didn’t choose this role. You grew into it because someone had to. But the longer you carry it, the more the business depends on you staying exactly where you are.
Nothing is wrong. No fights. No betrayal. Just a relationship that stopped asking anything of you — and that’s why it feels heavy.
Nothing is technically wrong, but you’re exhausted anyway. Not from conflict — from staying quiet to keep the relationship stable. If things only work when you edit yourself, that’s not peace — it’s emotional management.
The business works because you’re always on. If you slow down, things wobble—because what you built runs on your vigilance, not structure. That’s not leadership. That’s a system that never learned to stand on its own.
You didn’t choose this role. You grew into it because someone had to. But the longer you carry it, the more the business depends on you staying exactly where you are.