This month, ISYS’ President and CEO, Alysha Loumakis Calderon, was interviewed by Allen Esrock of NxtGen Nexus. NxtGen Nexus is a hub for “next generation family business members.” NxtGen is a community that gives voice to family business members so they can share and connect over their experiences and be a resource for one another.

The interview was Q&A style, starting with a question about the history of ISYS Solutions Inc. Alysha shared how her family’s business came to be and how it has evolved over the years. Read the full article and company summary here: https://nxtgennexus.com/family-business-confidential-isys-solutions/

Allen also asked some personal questions. Here are some excerpts of that portion of the interview:

Q: How old were you when you started working for the family business?  What was your first job in the family business?

A: I was 24 when the business was started and in college. Not long after, I began working part time, marketing and providing vocational case management services while I pursued my master’s degree. I got to have a part in building customer relationships and in assisting injured workers in their recovery and return to their jobs. It gave me great insight into what we do and why our services are so valuable to customers and injured workers.

Q: How big a factor is the family business in your day-to-day interaction with your family members?  Are there holidays, weddings or other occasions that were affected because of the family business?  (e.g., couldn’t go out New Year’s Eve because our restaurant was open)

A: We often have family Sunday night dinners at my dad’s house and try to keep these just family focused, but we calendar a monthly family lunch specifically to discuss business amongst the family. We occasionally have business needs that interrupt our personal family time because of importance or urgency and we see it as simply a necessary part of running a family business.

Q: Can you remember the Moment you decided to enter the family business?

A: I was still working for the State of California, and my Dad approached me about helping him research secondary service and business options that we may want to invest in or start. Our second division, Careersmart Learning, was born of that exploration.

Q: What is your long-term goal for the business?

A: To continue to meet our growth goals at a rate we can digest, so we can succeed in continuing to enrich the lives of our employees and those we serve….having a positive impact on the lives of others and on our community is what fills my cup up. Everything I do is geared towards perpetuating our ability to continue to do that.

Q: What’s the most important moment in the company’s history?

A: The moment we decided to become a legacy business was probably the most important second to the decision to start the company initially. Once my Dad began planning around the business moving into the second generation, it solidified that we were going to be around for the long-run and that we would continue to do our best to move forward as masters of our own destiny both as a family and a family business.

Q: What’s your favorite event for employees?

A: Our annual gathering dinners and charitable and teambuilding activities are the best. We get together and lift one another up. We present annual awards, play fun games and get to just enjoy connecting more personally with each other. This is especially important and impactful for us because a good portion of our employees are remote.

Q: Who gave you the best piece of advice regarding the family business?

A: My Dad has always given the best advice about how to nurture and grow the business and his instincts about leading people, navigating change, managing financials, and having a vision for the future still inform my work today.  But his most simple message that has permeated the fabric of our culture is “Hire good people because good people do good things and lots of them.”

Check out these interesting family business facts shared by NexGen Nexus:

Family-Owned Businesses are recognized as important and dynamic participants in the world economy:

• Family-controlled firms now make up 19% of the companies in the Fortune Global 500, which tracks the world’s largest firms by sales. That is up from 15% in 2005. (McKinsey 2014)
• There are 9.1 million family businesses in the US. Family Enterprise USA 2021 Family Business Study  Based on those calculations, there are Based on those numbers, there are 45 million non-US family businesses and each of those family businesses have five NxtGens including In-Laws. Therefore, the 54 million family businesses have 270,000,000 NxtGens.
• Family owned businesses contribute 54% of the GDP and employ 59% of the US private workforce (Family Enterprise USA, 2011)  Family Enterprise USA 2021 Family Business Study
• 24 percent of family businesses are led by a female CEO or President, and 31.3 percent of family businesses surveyed indicate that the next successor is a female. Nearly 60 percent of all family owned businesses have women in top management team positions (Mass Mutual American Family Business Survey, 2007).
• Successful family firms embrace a sense of stewardship and fiscal responsibility.  Their advantages over other business entities in their focus on the long term, their loyalty to their community, their commitment to quality (which is often associated with the family name), and their care and concern for employees.

The NexGen Nexus: https://nxtgennexus.com/

ISYS’ Careersmart Learning Division: https://careersmart.com/