Running a Family Business

A Father’s Day 2020 Tribute

Building a Legacy Business

When Andy Tvardzik sold his Maryland construction business to his partner, he never realized that building a family log cabin with his sons would lead to a dream of building a family legacy business. As the father of four sons and a second generation contractor, Andy taught his sons about grit and the incredible value of work hard.

Cedar Ridge Log Homes and Construction, which builds high-end vacation and second homes in the mountains of a resort area in Western Maryland, was founded in November 2018. While Andy serves as COO of Cedar Ridge, his sons add their leadership and carpentry talents to the business. Son Andrew, works as the CEO and Samuel, CFO and are his business partners. Andy’s sons Steven and Timmy are involved in the business.

Learning from Dad

Growing up around job sites with his dad, Andrew said he learned to be proud of quality work. “We were raised to work hard and work right,” recalls Andrew. “If it’s wrong, fix it. If you messed it up, learn from it and don’t make the same mistake twice. The lessons from my dad were simple but efficient. Do excellent work, over communicate, always be looking to protect the customer, any obstacle can be overcome when you put your mind to it.”

When a few obstacles seemed difficult to overcome three months before starting their new log building business, Andrew, Samuel and their dad Andy, began receiving business coaching from Business Psychologist Dr. Sabrina Starling, founder of Tap the Potential and author of “Hiring the Best” series. They received sales training and a full financial review, along with regular coaching. Andy said their fast growing business wouldn't be here without coaching and support.

A Coach’s Perspective

“Having a family legacy business is a dream that I didn’t know I had until we worked with Dr. Sabrina Starling,” admitted Andy. “I didn’t know what a legacy business was. I ran a business the hard way for a long time where the business ran me. It was financially successful but difficult.”

Starting and running a family business comes with many challenges, and to overcome those challenges and strategically plan to move to a legacy business is exciting and requires forward thinking. As the family looks forward to celebrating Father’s Day with a cookout, Andrew adds that they had to get serious about balancing fatherhood with work. “Practically we did a few things to establish structure,” said Andrew. “ At work, names like mom and dad get replaced with Andy and Peggy. We work 8 am to 4:30 pm. During business hours it's all work. After work we function as a family again.”

“I’m so proud to see my sons running the business and can’t wait to see what happens down the road,” said Andy.

In honor of Father’s Day 2020, here are some other great Father’s Day quotes from our clients and team:

“About half the guys who work in my company have lost their dads through a number of ways. My guys' ages range from earlier 20’s to late 30’s. I never try to be their father; rather, I let them know that they are going make mistakes and it’s going to be ok, I make sure they take time off to spend with their families, I let them know I only want them to be the best they can be and it’s not a race or a competition at work. We give cards and gifts to their kids when they reach life milestones. I give them a little extra money now and then to take their kids out for ice cream. We always allow time off for family and school events. We do a number of other things as well. In Rodrigo Laddaga López book, Dear Entrepreneur, he writes about a business being human and profitable, and I totally agree that should be the business mission. I consider this to be a gift that I can work with these guys and work through all the challenges life gives us.” ~ Steve Bousquet | American Landscape and Lawn Science | North Franklin, CT

“My father was the anti-entrepreneur and thought I was nuts for having my own business! But even though he shook his head, he supported me, and he was there for me when I needed him. In the last 18 months of the business, I needed someone I could trust to pay the bills and track performance. He stepped up to the plate and acted as my “data consultant”. When I took my 4 Week Vacation™, he paid all the bills and didn't say a word to me, even though we were sitting together in the same room. I think he has always shown me unconditional love even though he is old-fashioned and has a hard time saying ‘I love you’ in words.” ~ Jenni Byrne | CareMore Health | Chapel Hill, NC

“I didn't have a dad, but worked for my grandfather starting full time at the age of 15 in his restaurant. My papa was mean, but he made me a very hard worker. He had a gift of delivering an atmosphere in the restaurant that made people want to come and stay. He sat at the tables with them, present in their lives. We (customers and staff) were a family, and I remember wanting to be with them so much that I would sometimes skip school to be with them. Thank goodness they never told on me to my mother. So in both experiences, show up and be present!” ~ Melissa Swire | MelissaSwire.com | Noxen, PA

“My father was an Episcopal priest and I grew up living next to our church. In my formative years I was witness to his aptitude to be gracious, kind, forgiving, and steadfast. He was a counselor to those who struggled with their faith, their relationships, or their grief. We had a regular, but random visitor to our home—Mr. Deegan. He was the town drunk, and probably lived as a homeless person at times. I learned to be a good listener. I watched as he patiently corralled his “employees” to perform better, whether it be on the altar serving wine, on the grounds, or as part of the vestry. They were all volunteers. I'd like to think I learned about patience. My siblings who were older than me, grew up with him being a top ad executive for the New York Daily News. He left a high-paying, high-stress job to follow his calling, the priesthood. I followed my calling. Every December, we would have a guest at the house, a Jewish rabbi. My dad and he would trade dry red wine for Manischewitz. I learned that differences were to be celebrated, not rejected. My mother says she could never have a stay-cation because he couldn't stop working if he was home. Even his weekly day off, she would need to have a full itinerary to keep him occupied. I'm still learning about that one. Never calling in sick, the only thing that caused him to miss a day of work was the illness that took his life. For me, I won't let too much keep me down. The big difference though is that I'm trying to learn that vacation is good. The sharpening of the ax is needed… and, that my people can learn to be without me for a little while… Maybe for 4 WEEKS!” ~ Dr. Nancy Trimboli | Trimboli Chiropractic | Cedar Lake, Indiana

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About The Author

Dr. Sabrina Starling, The Business Psychologist and international best-selling author of the How to Hire the Best series and The 4 Week Vacation™, is the founder of Tap the Potential and host of the Profit by Design podcast. At Tap the Potential, we work to free business owners from the constant demands of a growing business.

We believe work supports life, not the other way around. Clients in our Better Business, Better Life coaching program have more time for what matters most and more money in their bank account than they’ve ever had. Next, we send them off on a 4 Week Vacation™ to celebrate their hard-earned journey to take their life back!

Dr. Sabrina and her team at Tap the Potential are on a mission to change the story of entrepreneurship from one of long hours, grinding it out, to one of sustainably profitable businesses that support and enhance life. The Tap the Potential Solution™ and our Tap the Potential Family of Business Owners are disrupting small business as usual. We are on our way to making the Tap the Potential Solution™ the mainstream model for growing business.

By 2023, 150 Tap the Potential clients will have taken 4 Week Vacations. These are the trailblazers, role modeling what’s possible for entrepreneurs. In many entrepreneurial circles, it is becoming more and more common for one entrepreneur to ask another, “Have you taken a 4 Week Vacation™?” (as opposed to asking “How many employees do you have?” or “What is your annual revenue?”). Taking a fully unplugged 4 Week Vacation is rapidly becoming the recognized symbol of entrepreneurial success.

Never one to accept the status quo or back down from a challenge, Dr. Sabrina’s How to Hire the Best series grew from her desire to solve the toughest hiring challenges interfering with her clients’ growth and profitability. What sprang from her experience working with entrepreneurs in rural areas catapulted her into becoming the world’s leading expert in attracting top talent in small businesses—no matter what hiring challenges those businesses are facing—and earned Tap the Potential’s reputation as the go-to resource for entrepreneurs committed to creating Great Places to Work with thriving coaching cultures and highly engaged team members working from strengths.

As The Business Psychologist, and with her years of driving profit in small businesses, Dr. Sabrina knows what it takes to find, keep, and motivate exceptional performance out of your biggest investment—team members.