In this book, Cope asks how these family firms have survived for two or three centuries when so many other companies fall by the wayside? Could it be that family businesses, with their focus on long-term thinking, conservative approach to financing and broader definition of success, could offer a compelling alternative to the approach of the big PLCs?
Family businesses are the backbone of the UK economy. There are five million of them, accounting for 90 per cent of all private-sector employment. Yet their importance is often overlooked.
Focusing in detail on a dozen great survivors, from household names to the silk weaver which made the fabric for Princess Diana’s wedding dress and a 300-year-old chain of funeral directors, Nigel Cope distils their experience into lessons from which other companies can learn – and which could be vital in helping our economy grow.
