The family business is SO back

The Wall Street Journal ran a story recently that lit up my group chat.

A generation of college grads can’t find the entry-level jobs they were promised, it explained. So they’re doing something that might’ve sounded embarrassing 10 years ago:

They’re going home to work for the family business.

The share of small businesses employing a child of the owner has roughly doubled since 2018, according to payroll firm Gusto.

It was the thing you did if the “real world” didn’t work out.

You couldn’t get the big job in the big city, so you went back home to work under your dad’s operations guy, who’s worn the same fleece since 2008 and somehow knows every customer’s life history. Corporate job: lucky you. Family business: fallback. That’s how it’s been.

But times change.

The family business may not have sounded sexy when the corporate path looked safe, prestigious, and linear. But now that it doesn’t, the productive asset your family already built starts to look a lot more interesting.

Sure, a family business will come with stress, complexity, tension, real risks, hard work, and at least one ancient software system that appears to have been coded during the Cold War.

But it can also come with customers. Cash flow. A job. An education. Cool photos you’ll appreciate when you’re older. A direct relationship between effort and reward. An asset that can be improved upon, expanded, sold, or passed down again.

It also gives you more time with your family, which is the single most precious asset you’ll ever have.

“I’m going to work for the family business” used to sound like a move backward, like you were settling. But lately? It might actually be the move all your friends are jealous of.

Just because your family doesn’t own a business, doesn’t mean you’re out of luck.

In fact, you can start your own family business right now… by buying another one.

Well, maybe not literally RIGHT now, but with the right playbook, buying one is definitely possible.

That’s exactly what Erika and Kevin did.

Kevin was serving in the Navy while Erika worked for a defense contractor.

Their life looked like many American lives: 3 kids, steady enough, but entirely dependent on someone else’s decisions about their future.

So they took a chance and joined the Contrarian Academy.

And in early 2026, they closed on a 60-year-old scratch-and-dent appliance store in California.

They didn’t inherit anything. But now, one day, maybe their kids will.

In just 27 days, we’re showing you the same strategies we taught Erika and Kevin.

Main Street Millionaire Live is our virtual event for people who want the practical skills and tools needed to buy a profitable business.

It’s also the last time we’re doing this in 2026.

Led by world-class experts in deal sourcing, financial analysis, negotiation, and operations, you’ll leave ready to take meaningful action. Some receipts from the last one:

Erika and Kevin aren’t some rare unicorn case.

One 2024 survey found that 42% of small business owners planned to hand off their businesses in the next 5 years, up from 36% in 2019.

It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to understand why… Just read the 2026 State of Main Street report:

Of those planning to exit, more than 1 in 4 said they want a family member to take over. Which is beautiful. Except that plenty of those family members do not want the business.

Dad spent 35 years building a profitable cement business, and Junior wants to move to Austin and become a brand strategist for a vegan bone broth company. Great! That’s your opening.

But before everyone starts sprinting toward the nearest plumbing company, you should be clear about something: Not every small business will be a great asset for you. So you have to run some tests.

Everyone loves saying this:

“I know a guy.”

“I’ve got a guy.”

“My guy’s amazing.”

That’s how local business works. Trust. Referrals. Neighbors texting neighbors. A person who shows up, does the job, and becomes the guy.

That can be great. But buying “a guy’s” business can also be a trap. Because there’s a huge difference between a great guy with a business and a business with great guys. If you’re looking to buy a business, you probably want the latter.

A business with great guys has more than customers. It has employees, repeatable systems, vendor relationships, and trust that can transfer.

A guy with a business — let’s call him Gary — has Gary’s phone, Gary’s memory, Gary’s handshake, Gary’s notebook full of pricing hieroglyphics, and Gary’s ability to diagnose a compressor by listening to it.

That second thing is not really a company. If Gary leaves, what’s left? If you’re just looking for a book of business, fine. But always run this test.

Only believe evidence you can actually see. Do not get seduced solely by a business’s “potential.” Potential is what sellers call the work they didn’t do (often, for a reason).

Maybe those are all true. But you want some proof: 3+ years of consistent profit, clean books, repeat customers, margins you can understand, and enough cash flow to offer you some breathing room. If they say “trust me,” you should say “show me.”

The business does not need to be perfect. It won’t be. But you want something that truly, already works, verifiably. That’s why you’re buying a business in the first place, remember?

When you buy a business, you’re usually making a long-term commitment.

A business can boast great numbers and make for a great life. It can also have great numbers and make for a miserable life. If a business requires 24/7 panic, ruins every family dinner, and only works because the current owner has no life and the resting heart rate of a hunted squirrel, be careful.

Also, will it still need a human in 2040?

AI can write emails, quote faster, summarize calls, build dashboards, and confidently write a five-point growth plan for a company. It still cannot crawl under a house in Fresno and fix the pipe someone installed incorrectly in 1998.

Look for businesses where technology makes the service better, not irrelevant.

Mom and Pop are back. But this isn’t a nostalgia thing. Nostalgia is a guy saying he misses landlines. This is economics.

People who own productive assets are experiencing a different financial slope than those who only sell their time.

The right business can give you income today, equity tomorrow, proximity to your family, and a shared mission. If done right, it can teach financial responsibility and accountability.

But don’t buy a “business” that really isn’t one. Don’t buy fantasy math. Don’t buy something that turns Thanksgiving into a hostage negotiation.

Find one with customers, cash flow, and a reason to exist long-term.

Just 27 days from now, if you’re interested, we’d love to show you how.

Save your spot here.

-Codie

Small businesses employ 46% of the workforce and create 64% of new jobs. If you care about where the real economy is headed, the 2026 State of Main Street is required reading.

Inside you’ll find: