Security Sales & Integration March 2023 - 64

EXECUTIVE DECISIONS
Big Idea by Ron Davis
rdavis@graybeardsrus.com
Finding the Right Balance
in a Family Business
IDEA OF
THE MONTH
If you had one great idea
for the industry, what
would it be?
Jared Kaufman (top
center), third-generation
P.N. Alarm following dad,
Steve, and company
founder and grandfather,
Norman.
" Although often
work seems like it
takes precedent
at the time, family
is everything and
should always come
fi rst, and business
should come
second. "
- Jared Kaufman
▶ I'M ALWAYS looking to expand my
audience, and change the approach to
my interviews. Hopefully, this column
will do both. Typically, I like to interview
owners or senior managers of alarm
companies that are well recognized in
their communities. I can always count
on being able to talk to an owner or a
senior executive speaking for the company,
but this time I was thrown for a loop.
I called Steve Kaufman, an old friend of
mine, to chat about what it's like to work
in the family business with a son who
was essentially running the business.
Th e company, P.N. Alarm in Monticello
and Middletown, N.Y., has been around since
I joined the industry some 50 years ago.
I've known Kaufman for almost as long, and
Jared Kaufman
sister, niece and cousin. I've seen too
many families break up because they
lose sight that family is more important
than work, especially when money
is involved. Although often work seems
like it takes precedent at the time, family
is everything and should always come
fi rst, and business should come second.
" Sometimes it can be hard to separate
what happens at work to after hours. I'll
have disagreements with my mother or
father in the offi ce, and then have to get
together with them for a family birthday
party later that day, and have to
separate the two.
this time, I was going to ask for his " great idea "
for working in a company with a family member.
Sitting in his offi ce was his son Jared, who was
listening into the conversation (with my OK)
and before I could get the next word out, Steve
put Jared on the phone and introduced him as
the person I should really talk to. Jared Kaufman
is 44, married, and really an all-around good
guy, just like his father. I asked what his great
idea might be, and instead of the usual response
there was silence for a moment, and then he said,
" Ron, if you don't mind I really want to give this
question some thought, and I'll call you back in
just a little while with my answer. "
And he did. Before I could say more than
Ron Davis is an SSI
Industry Hall of Fame
inductee and President of
Davis Mergers and
Acquisitions Group Inc.
Also known as The Graybeards,
the company is
active in acquisitions and
mergers exclusively in the
alarm business.
64
" Hello, " Jared told me that I had an email in
my inbox and to look at that for the answer. I
had told him that this column usually doesn't
respond to emails, but I decided I'd be doing a
great disservice to Jared and what he had to say
if I didn't print his answer. So, below is Jared's
letter to me. If you work with any relatives, good
friends, or just people you respect, Jared's advice
(lightly edited) basically says it all:
" One of the most challenging parts of owning
a family business is being able to separate work
from home life. For me, it's my mother, father,
Security Sales & Integration MARCH 2023
" At the same time working in the family business
is also very rewarding because you get to
spend the extra quality time with them; when
you don't work with your family, you can spend
more time with coworkers than with your actual
family after work hours. "
Remembering back to my fi rst job after college,
I joined my father in a family business. It
worked briefl y, but then I started to notice we
were disagreeing, even arguing, over business decisions
he was making. I won't bore you with the
details, but after six months, I felt it just wasn't
working, and I had to leave. Looking back, I
probably did everything wrong and both my father
and I agreed it was time for me to leave the
fi rm. I did and went on to enjoy a fairly rewarding
and successful career in the security industry.
So when I took on the subject of family members
being in the business with the founder, I
remembered that Jared was the third family
member to have joined the company, in a management
role. His father, Steve, was the second,
and his grandfather Norman, who is still living
an active life, was the founder and fi rst president.
I have seen Steve and Jared together, and
the interaction between them was as typical and
loving as any relationship could be. Having the
next generation of leadership share thoughts on
the industry is one of my great rewards for doing
what I do.
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Security Sales & Integration March 2023

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