A small business is often a family affair. It makes sense at the start: free help, collective excitement, moral support… Whether or not you set out to own a family business, sometimes it happens. Think about the reasons you wanted to own a business in the first place. Be your own boss. Financial freedom. Flexibility. More time with the family.

Then it hits you. You’re getting more time with the family because everyone works together.

Eventually your motivation shifts to ensuring the family business stays in the family and becomes part of your legacy. Now there’s added pressure to think beyond retirement. Suddenly it’s not enough to be a mom-and-pop shop. You want to grow. Expand. Leave behind something your kids and grandkids and great grandkids will be proud of.

The business must grow fast enough to include sons- and daughters-in-law and your grandson’s partner, who needs a summer internship, and now you need more square footage and an office manager and a marketing budget, and you wake up one morning with a realization: you don’t know how to run a business this size.

You studied liberal arts in college and wore flip-flops to class, laughing at the poor saps in suits walking into the business school. Now you’re bribing your niece to study business so she can teach you how to do payroll with matching 401(k)s.

SAGE Help for Family Businesses

If this is your reality (or your recurring nightmare) and you’re in the promotional products industry, let SAGE be your guide. We started as a family business and grew. We’ve experienced those growing pains and lived to tell the tale. In fact, our business model centers around helping our customers more efficiently and effectively run their businesses. We may be recognized for our industry-leading product research tool, but we’re so much more than that.

Business Management Solutions for SMB

SAGE Workplace™ subscribers can use the Clients module to manage client relationships and keep track of customer service interactions, the Projects module to record and check off to-dos, the Orders module to streamline order management, and pre-designed Email Campaigns to aid with marketing efforts.

Beyond that, SAGE Research Assistance Specialists help SAGE subscribers locate hard-to-find items. Account Advisors work with you to recommend solutions and solve business problems. The Web team ensures your SAGE Website works for you with as many or as few customizations as you’d like.

Not only is there an app for that; there’s a SAGE team for that.

In a world full of wise guys, let SAGE be your wise guide. We understand promo, and we understand the nuances of family business.