Treat Employees Like Family. Owning a business can be like having an extended family and this works in the owner's favor.

Topic for Discussion: How did we learn about Carol's feelings for her employees?

Answer: She showed us The Orange Tree Imports Family Tree that holds the names of 120 people. These are the people who have worked at the store during its 20 years, and Carol stays in touch with all of them even after they leave the store.

It is one of the reasons people want to work at Orange Tree and it is the reason they stay. Retail jobs simply don’t pay enough to attract great people with cold hard cash. This employee compensation package includes the good feeling from being part of the Orange Tree family.

You think about it: Do you treat employees like members of your family? Do they feel you will help them solve personal problems? Do they feel you care about them as a whole person, not just about what they can do for your company?