Commentary

A Commentary provides thoughtful and insightful opinions or perspectives on events, policies or situations of interest to business owners, startups, educators, investors and policymakers. These should be short, readable, timely, interesting pieces that address current topics of interest, discussion or dispute.

Length: <1,000 words

Reviewed by Senior Editors


e-Fest® Development Grants Empower Student Entrepreneurs

e-Fest®, our annual business idea competition for undergraduates, returns April 24-26, 2025! If you're a professor or advisor to students in an entrepreneurship program at an accredited US-based Read More...

Category: Commentary

Author: Jennifer Gessner

Making the Leap: From Law Enforcement and Marketing to Business Owners

Steven Mould and Lisa Lazure, partners in business and life, left jobs in law enforcement and marketing to start a knife company. Steven Mould and Lisa Lazure left the security of salaried jobs for Read More...

Category: Commentary

Author: Kimberly Eddleston

Family Firms Must Address Mental Health Challenges

Anxiety, depression, and other conditions disrupt business operations and strain relationships. Ignoring them won’t make them go away. In the world of family businesses, success often comes with a Read More...

Category: Commentary

Author: Andrew Keyt

Family Businesses Can Learn From the Battling Brothers of Oasis

Over the past month the entertainment world has been buzzing about the reunion of Oasis, one of the major bands of the '90s. This concerns brothers Noel and Liam Gallagher, who were able to rise to Read More...

Category: Commentary

Author: Salvatore Sciascia

I Banned Cell Phones In My Class: What Happened Next

UNC-Chapel Hill Professor Howard Aldrich said focus and grades improved once cell phones were out of the picture…and students engaged with one another more.  Schools everywhere are talking Read More...

Category: Commentary

Authors: Howard E. Aldrich and Kimberly Eddleston

'Performance-Enhancing Vices': Good for Business, Bad for Relationships

Many legendary business leaders -- think Steve Jobs, or Elon Musk -- have had troubled personal lives. According to business advisor and author David Werdiger, the same traits that make someone Read More...

Category: Commentary

Authors: Kimberly Eddleston and David Werdiger

New Series: Making the Leap to Entrepreneurship

This new EIX series features people who left behind jobs with a guaranteed salary and made the leap to being business owners.  Many entrepreneurs don’t start out that way: they may spend years Read More...

Category: Commentary

Author: Catherine Buday

Governments Must Encourage Family Enterprise Growth

Policymakers need to recognize the extensive impact these businesses have on local, national, and even international communities, and ensure that efforts are made to support their continuity. Read More...

Category: Commentary

Author: R. Adam Smith

Academy of Management Honors FamilyBusiness.org Editor Kimberly Eddleston

Kimberly Eddleston, Founding Editor of FamilyBusiness.org and a longtime contributor to its sister publication EIX, was recently honored by the Academy of Management (AOM) with its 2024 Practice of Read More...

Category: Commentary

Author: Catherine Buday

Researchers and Entrepreneurs Need Each Other

EDITOR’S NOTE: Will Harvey is a Professor of Leadership at Melbourne Business School and is currently the Director of the school's  Social Purpose Centre . He is also an International Research Read More...

Category: Commentary

Author: William Harvey