Family firms are being squeezed by tax changes and short-term thinking. Yet they reinvest, create jobs, and carry our heritage. Here’s why we must strengthen them, not tax them out of existence.
“I started this business for your future.”
That’s what my dad used to say to me and my brother. He set up his manufacturing business when I was just 18 months old, and he’d remind quite often (usually when we didn’t want to go on a delivery with him on a Saturday, or later on in life moaning that we were expected to work when unwell): “Don’t worry, you’ll be alright, one day you’ll benefit from the work put in, and you’ll remember this – The Moir’s get out of bed in a morning. I/We made the sacrifices and they’ll pay off”
And he was right about the sacrifices. We all made them. Because it wasn’t just his business, we worked in it too. It was our life, our family, our future.
For 30 years, that’s what I knew. And I felt the pride and the warmth of being part of something that carried both livelihood and legacy. My purpose was to continue my dads legacy. I never expected that to not happen.
But shortly before my dad passed away, the business left the family. After 50 years, what he had built with so much love and dedication was gone from our hands.
That experience shaped me. It left me with a fire…… determination. I know how much family businesses matter. I know what they mean to those who build them. And that is why I founded Business Glu Ltd: to stand alongside family businesses, to help them stay strong, and to protect the legacies that matter so deeply.
The Bigger Picture
Todays world, family businesses everywhere are under pressure.
From April 2026, the Government is set to make changes to Business Property Relief, changes that threaten the survival of many long-established companies. On top of that, there are already rumours of wealth taxes as the Treasury scurries to plug a £50bn gap.
To those in Westminster, these are policy decisions. But to those of us who’ve lived family business, they cut deep. They don’t just hit balance sheets, they risk unravelling generations of sacrifice and investment.
The Pressure Across Industries
Farming families are holding their breath for one of the worst harvests in years.
The horse racing industry faces the impact of yet another proposed betting tax rise.
Manufacturing firms, like the one I grew up in, are beating down competition and costs, usually ending up with sales or closures.
What keeps them all going in unity is: family businesses don’t take as much as they can. They put back in. They re-invest. They think in decades, in generations.
And yet these are the very businesses now being battered the hardest.
Why I Care
When a family business disappears, it isn’t just jobs that go.
It’s livelihoods.It’s heritage.It’s the heart of a family’s story.
I know those feelings. I know the pride, the pressure, and the sacrifices. I also know the heartbreak of seeing a family business leave the family.
And that is why I am so passionate about supporting family businesses today ……because their future is worth fighting for.
My Hope
April 2026 isn’t far away. Lots of family firms are already worried about what’s coming.
But I believe: this can be reversed. Policies can change if enough voices are raised, if enough people really understand the value of family businesses.
Instead of taxing them out of existence, government should be strengthening them, recognising their role in jobs, growth, community, and heritage.
Family businesses are not the problem. They’re part of the solution to building a stronger economy.
That’s why we need government, industry, and families to pull together. Because together, we can keep these businesses, and their legacies alive.
Why Me
I founded Business Glu Ltd because I’ve lived and believe in this.
30+ years working inside a family business. Experience across industries from manufacturing to services, farming to retail. Skills and knowledge built from decades of improving operations and strengthening resilience. And mostly passion. A passion created from experience, from sacrifice, and from knowing exactly what’s at stake.
My mission is: to help family businesses survive, thrive, and hand their legacies proudly to the next generation.
Because family businesses matter.And their legacies matter even more.
If you’re leading a family business and want to protect its future, I’d love to hear your story. This is why I do what I do, to help keep families and their businesses moving forward, together. If you would like support with a family business, I’d love to talk TJ@Businessglu.co.uk