'I'm tired of his lack of commitment': Retired man gives family business to struggling son, then fires him for entitled behavior and takes it back

Author image for Isabella Penn
Isabella Penn
Oct 17, 2024 9:00 AM EDT

They say you should never mix family and business, and this story might just be the perfect example of why. After his son struggled to find work due to a legal incident 15 years ago, a retired father stepped in to help. He hired his son at the family business, hoping to set him up for success. The father, now 74 and mostly retired, still enjoys working occasionally and earns a commission for his efforts. But things have taken a turn.

The son, now running the business, has started withholding his father's commission, claiming the old man is spending too much on his new house and wife. Instead of showing gratitude, the son's entitled attitude has put the business in jeopardy. So what does dad do? He steps back in, takes the company back, and fires his own son.

It's easy to think the son's ultimately at fault, but the father may not be entirely innocent in all of this either. Curious how this family drama unfolded? Keep reading to find out why this father-son business went from bad to worse.

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  • 01
    AITA for wanting my son to give me back the family business he can't take over?
    via u/Prudent-Lab-1199
  • 02
    I 74M have a son who is 47M who got arrested for a DUI over 15 years ago and he is unable to find a regular job. He has ADHD, is married, and had two daughters. I hired him in my small business which is an office setting many
    via u/Prudent-Lab-1199
  • 03
    years ago to give him a job for his family. I have trained him, given him ample opportunity to be successful, and allowed him to hire multiple members of his wife's family and friends. I am still
    via u/Prudent-Lab-1199
  • 04
    keeping the business afloat for him financially and his wife works a well paying full time job. They bought almost a million dollar house this year and spend money rapidly like putting their kids in multiple travel sports which cost several thousand a year. I am not one to tell them
    via u/Prudent-Lab-1199
  • 05
    how to spend their money but I'm providing context for the story. My son and I had an agreement that I would receive a percentage on any new clients we find which I have found myself. I've had my business for over 50 years. I enjoy
    via u/Prudent-Lab-1199
  • 06
    working but being 74, I get tired and stressed easily but it keeps my mind occupied. My wife and I recently purchased a small home and my son came over to help me move a fridge. He started yelling and swearing at me
    via u/Prudent-Lab-1199
  • 07
    this past week and told me I'm spending too much from the business with my wife and our new home. I hired some contractors to paint and put in new floors. He told me he was only giving me $9,000 of a $36,000 payment I am owed. My wife and I are on a fixed income.
    via u/Prudent-Lab-1199
  • 08
    I told him to get out and he had a big outburst swearing, carrying on, and stressing me out. He doesn't even do his job and I am always doing the brunt of the work. I have decided to take my business back and all my clients and work on my own. He can
    via u/Prudent-Lab-1199
  • 09
    figure the rest out himself. I'm tired of his lack of commitment. His wife and him have also alienated my other children and family due to their awful drama and bullying tactics. They didn't attend a family event over the
    via u/Prudent-Lab-1199
  • 10
    weekend we had and honestly it was the most fun I've had in a long time. My younger son and daughter both refuse to be around this son and wife due to how awful they have treated them. My daughter hasn't attended a holiday in two years
    via u/Prudent-Lab-1199
  • 11
    because of this son and his wife and she finally came this past weekend and we had a great time. AITA to cut my son out of my business?
    via u/Prudent-Lab-1199
  • 12
    Someone You Dont Know70 • 1d ago • Commander in Cheeks [253] INFO - If your son wants to run a business, he can build one himself. He's not entitled to yours. That having been said, this stuff about you spending money out of the business to buy and renovate a house sounds very suspect. I don't know what country you live in, but there are laws against this sort of thing in the U.S.
    via u/SomeoneYouDontKnow70
  • 13
    Tarik861 1d ago • . Partassipant [2] YTA for not attending to your business earlier. You don't need Reddit, you need a lawyer, like yesterday. The longer you put this off, the worse things are going to get. Gather up all the paperwork about the transaction and what's happened since then and take it to the lawyer to review. Be prepared to write a very large check to them; this is not going to be an easy fix.
    via u/Tarik861
  • 14
    Gennevieve1 • 1d ago. NTA for cutting him off. But YTA for leaving your other children out of your business for so long. You've seen that your son wasn't capable of taking over the business. You've seen him use you as a personal ATM without even doing the work and you still planned to give him the business? Why? You have a lot of groveling to do. Your other kids have gone no contact with him long time
    via u/Gennevieve1
  • 15
    ago and I wonder why they still even talk to you. You should apologize to them for favoring him for so long. It seems to me like they deserve to inherit the business far more and they would probably be much better working for the company. You have already given your entitled son his part of the inheritance (he bought a house worth million dollars, FFS). It's time for him to stand on his own two feet now.
    via u/Gennevieve1
  • 16
    tamij 1313 • 1d ago You may want to get a forensic financial accountant to go over all of your books/expenses/documents for the past several years as I am guessing your son has been embezzling from your company. If you were semi retired, it is also possible that he has been seriously overstepping and making decisions that you might not be aware of.
    via u/tamij1313
  • 17
    The fact that they have hired many of his wife's family members is also concerning. Were they even qualified? Are they being paid fair market value for their skills, or are they being overly compensated as favors? It sounds as if your son and his wife have been spending large amounts of money on their home and extras and you are assuming it is because his wife has a great job.
    via u/tamij1313
  • 18
    You seriously need to look into this and dig deep. You might have inadvertently given away your company to your son and might not have a lot of recourse unless you get legally involved and get to the bottom of everything that has been happening under your nose.
    via u/tamij1313
  • 19
    The fact that your other children have been isolated and distant from your family because of this one son is also concerning. Why are you making excuses/exceptions for only one of your kids. He definitely does not seem to deserve all of the opportunity that he has been given. in fact, I fear that he has taken serious advantage of you and might be stealing your company and your money/retirement security write out from under you.
    via u/tamij1313
  • 20
    If this is the case, he is using this business to enrich himself and his wife and her family, and will most likely bankrupt it in short order. You will be left with nothing after all of your hard work. You need to look at your son with fresh eyes and see who he really is. It does not look good from my perspective.
    via u/tamij1313
  • 21
    Cheezburger Image 10416832768
    via Unsplash (Getty Images)

    This image is for illustration only, and the subjects are models; the image does not depict the actual subjects of the story

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