It’s the picture perfect passing-of-the-torch ceremony. It starts with the family store, dressed up in one of those big red ribbons with the scissors to snip it lying on a velvet pillow. Next to it also lies the key to the store, both the key and scissors glinting with gold in the early morning sun. A choir of angels begins to sing as the scissors get swiped from the pillow and with a soft snip, the ribbon falls. Fireworks explode, the clouds clear, people cry. You promptly declare “I do!” and marry yourself to the family business. 

However, this fantasy is far from reality for senior Makenzie Mattingly, who has decided that taking on a part in her mom’s physical therapy business isn’t in her future plans.

“I feel like I have differing interests from my mom,” she said. “She really likes one-on-one contact and being able to work directly with people all day, and I don’t think I have the same interest.” 

Mattingly’s story is one that is getting more recognition than ever before. During the quarantining stages of 2020, mental health awareness rose, with people beginning to seek professional help from therapists or unprofessional help from TikTok. This rise in awareness transcended to the silver screen, with a long roster of movies addressing emotional challenges, most notably generational challenges. These movies include “Encanto,” “Turning Red,” “Strange World” and “Elemental,” the focus of this story. 

For those unfamiliar with the plot, the main character Ember has long awaited the day for her chance to take over her dad’s shop; however as she meets new people and finds glassblowing much better than customer service, Ember begins to learn that this lifelong dream might not be her real one. The story of Ember’s trek away from her family business parallels real-life stories, where having differences in desires and choices can lead to the apple rolling far from the tree.

For her part, Mattingly said she wants to explore different areas that her mom’s physical therapy business falls in.

“I like the business aspect of the healthcare field and the medical field, whereas my mom is much like patient care,” Mattingly said. “She works one-on-one with patients, and I’d like to look at a broader perspective of the healthcare industry and take on a financial perspective of resource allocation for the medical field.” 

IB Business teacher Robert Browning shared some insight into the need to have a shared vision when it comes to passing on a family business. 

“(The parents) may have a particular way of looking at it and this is the way we want to keep the business and the other generation, they see opportunities or see that certain things should be changed,” he said. “The younger generation can see opportunities that the older generation can’t see or maybe the older generation can see problems that the younger generation can’t see just because of the changes that occur in that sector of business.” 

However, a family business isn’t just tied to family problems; it’s also personal. For heirs of family businesses, many end up getting stuck because they don’t know what they want to do with their future yet. Mattingly warned of this family business trap. 

“Stay true to yourself,” she said. “If that’s something you really want to do, you want to take on the business and you’ve always wanted to do that, that’s amazing, that’s awesome. But also if you’re having any hesitations and you’re not completely sure that’s what you want to do, I think it’s definitely good to look into other options.” 

Senior Chase Burke has chosen to pursue a career in law, rather than take on his father’s shutter business. He said his decision to pursue law gives him a clear path forward. 

“I have a goal basically in mind and everything I do is trying to complete that goal,” he said. “Also, it helps to plan because if you know what you want to do, you can take steps to get there.”

Even with all these complications that can turn any family business into a family feud, Browning said it’s not all bleak uncertainty when it comes to family businesses.

“I think family businesses got the potential to be just fantastic because of the familial connection, and that could create unique stresses and both the parent and the child need to go into the transition issues open-minded,” he said. 

In the end, according to Browning, as long as both sides are able to walk away satisfied, the transition of a family business doesn’t need to be chaotic or sparkly as most think. As it happens, treading one’s own path might be the best, as said by Mattingly. 

Mattingly said “I feel like I’d be more proud of myself in a way if I went on and did my own thing completely then if I were to follow in her footsteps.”