At D.M.Blackburn, we pride ourselves on being family owned and operated. We enjoy the connection we have with our clients and the personal service that we offer. Lot’s of businesses advertise as being “family owned” but what does that really mean?

Inc. Magazine posts that “A family-owned business may be defined as any business in which two or more family members are involved and the majority of ownership or control lies within a family.” While this is a perfect description of a family-owned business, it doesn’t describe what it is like to transact with said business. Here’s what we’d like you to think about when you work with a “family-owned” business.

Harvard Business Review indicates that family run businesses don’t earn as much money as similar “corporate” run businesses, but during times of economic downturn, family run businesses do much better than their peers. Family run businesses focus on resilience more than performance. This is very good for you, the customer, because it means that the odds of your favorite family business being around during good times and bad is much higher.

In family run businesses there is a loyalty to customers and the ability to make decisions quickly and “do the right thing” for customers. Small business, especially family-owned, is grateful and appreciates the customer relationship more than any large corporation. Family-owned business are usually not tied down to strict policies and procedures that restrict their ability to help customers and resolve issues.

In a family-owned business, there are no places to hide so accountability to service is high. There are no long holds or transferred call loops that leave you frustrated. When you call a family-owned business, you are usually talking directly to the owner or a family member. This accountability means that the right people are hearing from you and getting the job done.

At D.M.Blackburn, our entire staff is involved in helping YOU, including our office mascot, Max. Why have a dog in the office? We work with many families and individuals in distress and having a lovable animal next to them while they share their situation with us has a calming effect. Max is a part of our family, so he’s involved in our business.

If you are tired of the run around from “corporate” attorney offices who are looking to only rack up billable hours, fed up with your calls not being returned and the feeling that your case is just a “number”, try our family-owned firm and experience the difference for yourself.

Remember, at D.M. Blackburn, we do attorney things, and we do it as a family.