Where to Draw the Line Between Family and Business Heritage

Leaders who are deeply passionate about their multi-generational family business often have the most difficulty drawing a clear line between family and business history. I learned a great deal about this dilemma the year Müllerhaus simultaneously helped two corporate clients preserve their heritage. 

Although both were 100-year-old concerns with international reach in the same industry, one was a privately owned family business, the other a publicly traded institution. Both were exceptional partners. But, I came away with a deep appreciation for how heritage meant something very different to each company. For the corporate client, it was strategy, tactics, ROI, and risk management. But for the family-owned business, it was about all that plus love, respect, obligation, honor, and a hunger to be appreciated and understood. 

Our philosophical purpose is to preserve the story of American accomplishment. And our purpose is best fulfilled when we meet our client's human need for understanding their place in history. The experience of working for these two contrasting businesses made me realize that Müllerhaus could be infinitely more impactful if we focused specifically on helping family businesses preserve and share their history in ways that inspire understanding and appreciation. 

Simply put, the most influential heritage stories are those with the power to move people to tears. It's not unusual for our clients to shed a few tears as they reflect on the multitude of sacrifices the family paid to build their business. Understanding the impact those sacrifices have on the family dynamic can feel like rewriting DNA at the genealogic level. Giving context to this struggle can be one of the most influential and potentially healing parts of heritage. And it starts by understanding the brand or character of the family over time.   

To that end, we created a product that we call our Family Historical Record. It's our take on the traditional family genealogy book. It's intended to preserve a more complete picture of a family's history than you would typically find in a business history book or a biography. Yet, it pairs beautifully with new or existing illustrated business or biography books. We can even create the Family Historical Record to go in a box set with an illustrated book. 

The Family Historical Record is ideal for families struggling to separate their burden for passing down family history with their desire to share business stories with people outside their family. By offering two separate books, we keep the illustrated storytelling book clear of details that are important for historical preservation but may be too personal for public consumption or may drag down a good story with too many details. It's also a great organizational tool for families as we create a private archive that digitizes, catalogs, and rehouses all their most valuable historical assets.

We believe that great accomplishments should never be forgotten. And the Family Historical Record is one of the creative solutions we have for preserving and sharing heritage in ways that inspire appreciation and understanding.