"Family Business" type jobs

Lidiya

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In my WIP, the MC runs away from his responsibility because he doesn't want to become what he's expected to be, i.e, continue on the family business.

I'm not looking for something general such as a plumber, lawyer or doctor, but something more important, like a king.

Do you guys know of any job that is passed down to the child from the parents?

Thanks :)
 

cornflake

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In my WIP, the MC runs away from his responsibility because he doesn't want to become what he's expected to be, i.e, continue on the family business.

I'm not looking for something general such as a plumber, lawyer or doctor, but something more important, like a king.

Do you guys know of any job that is passed down to the child from the parents?

Thanks :)

If you're not looking for a business business, and you are looking for something obligatory, I think you're left with the monarchy or some kind of dictatorship.
 

Lidiya

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If you're not looking for a business business, and you are looking for something obligatory, I think you're left with the monarchy or some kind of dictatorship.

I'm looking for a business business, haha. Just something more "important" than the conventional teacher or building business.
 

waylander

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Still plenty of companies where the majority of the shares are held by descendants of the founder(s).
 

Reverend Ben

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farms work that way. Big responsibility, lot of land and equipment, sometimes livestock. When a farm has been called jones's farm for the last 200 years and jr. doesnt want to be mr. jones, it could cause a stir in the family.
 

mirandashell

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I'm looking for a business business, haha. Just something more "important" than the conventional teacher or building business.

Important to who? Breweries still sometimes work that way, especially the small ones but that doesn't tend to be important to beer drinkers.
 

shadowwalker

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farms work that way. Big responsibility, lot of land and equipment, sometimes livestock. When a farm has been called jones's farm for the last 200 years and jr. doesnt want to be mr. jones, it could cause a stir in the family.

It can cause a stir in the community as well, if the farm is big enough and the community small enough.
 

WeaselFire

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Maybe Johnson and Johnson? DuPont Chemical? Sturm Ruger? Any fashion or cosmetics company? WalMart?

Make up a company. Have it be generations old. Use it as you wish.

Jeff
 

benbenberi

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I know that a lot of successful family-owned restaurants end up closing because no one in the next generation wants to put in the 120-hour weeks that running them requires.

And family-run companies often run into succession difficulties when the next generation go to college to get the training they'll need to run the business and discover they'd rather do something else with their lives.
 

storygirl99

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Hotels come to mind. The Trumps and the Hiltons are as well known for their families as they are for their properties. And then there's the Pritzkers, one of the richest and most well-connected families in America--they own the Hyatt chain of hotels among other companies. I don't know if the children run the company but they run foundations and are heavily involved in politics (one of the daughters was just named US secretary of commerce). I can imagine it would be scandalous if one of them decided to do something that would sully the family name.
 

Bing Z

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a) Political family, like, a Kennedy, or a Liddidy.

b) Mafia crime family, like, a Gambino, or a Liddino.

c) Nobel family, grandpa is a physics laureate, grandma is a biology laureate, father is chemistry laureate. Mom's late grandpa was a peace laureate. (I'd hate to be in this family.)

d) Honor family. Among 3 generations, 8 were enlisted. 2 Medals of Honor, 3 Silver Stars, 2 Bronze Stars, 12 Purple Hearts. 2 survivors, on disability.

e) Sports family. You get the idea. ^_^

f) Thief family. (I wanna write this.)
 
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Lil

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How about a company that is the main employer in a town, a company that's being eyed for a takeover by someone who would move production elsewhere? That way he wouldn't just be disappointing his father, he'd be endangering the entire town.
 

jaksen

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Mining, oil, lumber, iron companies - all the big natural resources that make the world run. If he or she decided to 'opt out' of the family business, it might not sit too well with the rest of the family. And remember if it's a generations-old company there are multiple relatives involved. Not just grandparents, parents, kids. There are the great-aunts and uncles and their children, and children's children. A child opting out of a huge organization like that will have parents, grandparents, aunts and uncles, great aunts and uncles and cousins who will all exert pressure to tow the family (business) line.

And especially so if some of the family's business dealings have been a little 'dicey' throughout the business' history. Now think pharmaceuticals, firearms, and businesses that make millions or billions doing defense work.

Side note: My family had a family business, but no one wanted to continue after the third generation. The business? Sign-painting and design.
 

Docaggie

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There are still a lot of businesses that are publicly owned and are purely private enterprises. I'd say pick a business that fits your story and run with it.
 

LeFevre

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I think farming is a pretty good one, because of all the land holdings that may be associated with it. It's a huge resource that would be difficult to just pass up.

I believe the funeral business tends to be one that generally stays in families.

A son might feel obligated to be a rabbi or a minister if the father is one.

And there's those family dynasties if you want you character to be really wealthy and involved in big business.

Or maybe a small business in which the father prematurely named it Whatever and Son.

Really, I think it can be anything as long as there is a strong expectation by the father and the family that the son will go into the same business. All you really need is that assumption. I think any private business or skilled position or service could have that dynamic. Cops breed cops, firefighters breed firefighters, criminals breed criminals, plumbers breed plumbers.