The Looney Tunes Family Print Business

I am constantly amazed when I hear that a husband and wife are successfully working together in a print shop. Even more amazing to me is when I come across an entire family toiling within the same walls. Are they exceedingly patient, excessively ignorant to the potential dangers or unemployable anywhere else? (Editor’s note: blog posts reflect the views of the author, not Printing Impressions. Please direct all Comments/e-mails to Bill [insert implied smirk here].)

My ex-wife used to work in a family oil business, along with her three brothers and dad. There was indeed patience, ignorance and that unemployable-anywhere-else-issue all in evidence. But somehow it worked.

What impressed me was their extraordinary ability to leave any work-related animosity at work. I’d hear of the infighting and power struggles and feelings of favoritism. But when they’d get together to celebrate a birthday or holiday, they became family again.

Sadly, they also brought the spectacularly boring business of oil to all get togethers: 87 octane; 93 octane; Jake Brakes, raw crude futures, and on and on and on. And I thought print was dull. OMG! Anywho, the Garrett’s have successfully passed the torch to the next generation without holding said torch too close to the oil itself.

It seems like an ideal situation to work as a husband and wife team or bring the kids in. You get to see your beloved every day and share the same memories. It does work on paper, you know.

I, myself, employ a family member in my business. My youngest daughter Madeline does much of the back-office work that my Sales Challenge program generates. She’s awesome: detail-oriented and reliable...most of the time [insert implied frustration here]. It gives me some sense of the stress that others feel as I figuratively look over her shoulder and critique her work and then cringe as it occasionally puts a strain on our relationship [insert implied understatement here].

What I’ve come to believe is that there is a Looney Tunes quality to families or couples that work together. By that do I mean they are crazy? No. Am I referring to their musical abilities? Um, no. But there is a cartoon-like quality to them, for sure.

Remember the sheepdog watching over the sheep and the coyote spending the day trying to steal them? Before and after work, they were friends. They’d show up for work, lunch pails in hand—“G‘mornin‘ Sam!” “Hi Ralph.”—and the whistle would blow. After a day’s worth of foiled sheep nabbings, they’d quit and clock out—“G‘night, Sam.” “See you tomorrow, Ralph.”—and probably share a cold one on the way home, talking about that scene-stealing duck or egotistical wabbit.

Yup, were it me, I’d hang a picture of these two friendly rivals on the wall at home and in the office to remind spouses and siblings that what happens at the shop should stay at the shop. Oh...and they should also know that the use of any ACME explosives is strictly forbidden.

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