By: Jon Steele
For those who take a do-it-yourself approach, there’s everyone’s new best friend, the Internet. A few of the more intriguing sites include:
FamBiz.com (http://www.fambiz.com/home.cfm) Hosted by Northeastern University’s Center for Family Business, this may not be the "one-stop site" it aims to be, but it does a good job, with an extensive, searchable database of articles on a wide range of topics and you do not have to subscribe to view most of the material.
Family Business Magazine (http://www.familybusinessmagazine.com/) This is subscription-based, but much of the material is available to casual browsers (notably a really fascinating look at the country’s oldest family businesses, including New Jersey’s oldest: Scobeyville’s Laird & Co., which has been providing distilled beverages to thirsty Jerseyans since decanting their first barrel of apple jack in 1780).
The UMass Family Business Center (http://www.umass.edu/fambiz/) The theme speaks volumes: Treat Your Business Like a Business…and Your Family Like a Family.
Again, though, these are just a few of the places to go for information. Most universities and business schools have programs devoted to family businesses a category that includes approximately 95 percent of all businesses in the country and those that don’t are likely to have general programs for entrepreneurs.
