My grandfather founded Radio Flyer. I took over the company at 28 and don't want my kids to feel pressured into the family business.

"My grandfather was a charismatic, energetic guy. He immigrated from Italy and founded Radio Flyer in a one-room workshop on Chicago's West Side. My dad was his only son and took over the company out of a sense of obligation. My dad would have been in leadership if it weren't for the family business. He did some good things, like protecting the company's intellectual property in a way that hadn't been done before. But he didn't enjoy managing people or running a company."

"Because of my dad's experience, he never pressured my siblings or me to be involved with the company. I'm the youngest of the family, but I was the most interested in the business, so the succession unfolded pretty naturally. My dad was relieved when I took over at 28. When I started working full-time at Radio Flyer in the early 1990s, I realized that the company was in crisis because of my dad's ambivalent leadership."

"I remember being 5 years old, holding my dad's hand, watching red wagon after red wagon come down the assembly line. It felt magical. I worked in the factory during high school and college, doing mundane jobs like packing and loading. I even enjoyed that. The pendulum swings in families, and I shared my grandfather's passion for Radio Flyer."

Radio Flyer, founded by Robert Pasin's Italian immigrant grandfather in a one-room Chicago workshop, has operated for 109 years under three CEOs. Pasin's father inherited the company out of obligation despite lacking passion for management and people leadership. Pasin, the youngest sibling, developed genuine enthusiasm for the business from childhood, working factory jobs during high school and college. His father never pressured his children to join, allowing succession to unfold naturally. When Pasin assumed leadership at 28 in the early 1990s, he addressed operational crises his father's ambivalent leadership had created. Despite business differences, father and son maintained a close relationship. Pasin now follows his father's approach, preferring his own children gain external work experience and only join if they genuinely love the business.

Read at Business Insider