I am the adventurer, the entertainer, the junior of this family. The lovable pet monkey? A member of the management team, a board member, an owner. A key account manager.
The roles in a family business loosely resemble the roles we’ve claimed for ourselves in our own family. I’ve always been encouraged and supported, but this also comes with the expectation that I’ll do my best and take care of my own future. I know many young people – including customers and retailers – who work in companies run by their parents, and it’s hard to find a common denominator. Often, though, there’s a mix of tension in the air on the one hand, and a quiet sense of respect and caring on the other. Even though all of us Krogeruses have adopted our roles, everyone is still able to be flexible, and that’s surely one of the keys to our future success now that we have several generations of the family working in the company. Of course there are other paths to success, but this way it’s less likely that anyone will end up with a stomach ulcer or chronic migraine from bumping into a family member in the office corridor.
In the summer I am the only Krogerus present, but now is a great time to plan development projects for the fall and prepare for a new attack. Sales, production and product development are modestly under review. Dimex is rocking the development wheels again. I talked about Dimex's raksa products over the weekend and got a lot of good tips again. Now my fingers are itching again when I get to plan the 2010 collection in the fall with the collection team. I enjoy product development discussions, whether it's Monday morning or Saturday evening. Just a thank you to the electrician I know.
I've been here in the office for a few weeks now, answering calls and emails. Luckily, in the summer months, you can blame everything on the summer workers. The fact that we haven't had summer workers in 10 years is a minor issue.
-Tuire Krogerus-
Ps. The roles will soon be recast again, as there are four of us Krogeruks here, meaning the entire series. Welcome Riitta! Tremble, clothing industry, now comes a woman who will make you shake your head.