Bob Brody has worked with thousands of people in 62 years. Three years ago he got a whole new kind of colleague. She is his daughter. He's 74, a boomer. She's a millennial, exactly half his age. He joined her public-relations firm, part-time and for free. He wrote about it for the Journal's Monday, Oct. 19 Journal Report.
Caroline Chirichella came to PR after careers as an opera singer and a chef. Her father has done it for 35 years. At first she asked him for advice now and then. Soon her one-woman shop was busy and adding clients. So he volunteered. He's on call for big-picture guidance, plus Zoom calls, brainstorms, writing and pitching. By his count he does about 20% of the heavy lifting. Both of them like that split.
The rules they live by
They set a few ground rules early. He gives plenty of compliments and never skips a critique. He doesn't pretend his word is gospel. And, in his words, “We never talk business at the family dinner table.” That may be the most important line in the piece. Experts warn that family clashes in business can end a personal relationship. Keeping work away from meals is one simple guard against that.
The styles still clash. She thinks fast, decides fast and acts fast. He's deliberate and systematic. “Slow down, take your time,” he tells her, so far to little avail. He asked for regular meetings with agendas. She says yes and never commits. Their houses are less than half a mile apart, yet she'd rather talk by email, Messenger or Zoom. When a client complained by email, he urged a face-to-face talk. She answered by email. The client quit. He blames misunderstandings on both sides. She says the client changed her priorities mid-project. He's learning a lighter touch, and says both relationships are stronger for it.
Our read
This is Retirement · M10, the part of retirement nobody budgets for. Brody isn't working at 74 for the money. He's working for the time he gets with his daughter, a mother of two, and for the chance to mentor her the way he once mentored junior staff. That's the best reason to keep working past 70 we know of. It's also an easy arrangement to leave vague. Brody knows his share of the work, his pay and his role. Plenty of families never spell those out.
If you're helping a child's business, or a child is helping yours, that's the thing in your own plan this story touches. Put three lines on one page. What you do. What you're paid, even if it's nothing. How either of you can step back. Then check this week whether any money you've put into the business is written down as a gift, a loan or a share. Without that note, families can end up arguing later over who owns what. Bring the page to your next review with us, and we'll check it against your estate plan.