How Different Career Paths Brought One Family Into the Same Growing Business

Family involvement could give a business a shared sense of responsibility, but its practical value depends on how that relationship is translated into daily operations. Defined roles, clear expectations, and consistent communication determine whether personal investment contributes meaningfully to the way a company functions.

At The Garen Group, founder and CEO Brenton Garen views family involvement primarily through the responsibilities assigned to each person. The digital marketing agency works mainly with smaller medical practices, providing services that can include social-media advertising, practitioner videos, landing pages, appointment pathways, and follow-up communications.

The agency’s leadership and account-management structure assigns distinct responsibilities across the family. Garen’s father, Frank, oversees sales, while his two brothers and brother-in-law manage client accounts. As CEO, Garen focuses on business development, strategic partnerships, and the agency’s broader direction. He says this division of responsibilities provides clarity around individual roles while supporting coordination across the company.

“Everyone understands the part of the company they are responsible for,” Garen says. “The family relationship gives us a shared interest in the business, while the individual roles help us remain clear about what each person is expected to manage.”

The structure establishes a relatively direct path between sales and account management. Frank generally handles initial discussions with prospective clients. When a practice begins working with the agency, an account manager gathers the required material, coordinates campaign preparation, and becomes the principal contact for routine communication. Garen supports those functions while spending less time on the daily management of individual accounts.

This allocation developed as the agency’s workload changed. Garen founded the company in 2018 while working as a journalist and began operating it full time in 2021. Frank joined when sales conversations required greater attention, while the account-management positions were added as Garen needed assistance coordinating campaigns. The family structure therefore reflects the operational roles that became necessary during the company’s development.

Garen says the arrangement can support familiarity with internal procedures because the central team has remained closely involved with the agency. That familiarity may be relevant in medical marketing, where campaigns can require coordination between content, appointment systems, follow-up messages, privacy considerations, and the review of health-related statements.

Family participation does not determine the quality of those processes. Garen acknowledges that clients evaluate the agency according to its responsiveness and work, regardless of who holds each role. In his view, personal relationships must operate alongside documented procedures and professional expectations.

“Being part of the same family does not answer every business question,” he says. “We still have to communicate clearly, address issues when they arise, and make sure each person follows through on the work assigned to them.”

The arrangement also requires boundaries between company leadership and family relationships. Differences over priorities, workloads, or client matters can carry a personal dimension when colleagues are related. Defined areas of responsibility can provide a reference point for discussing those issues within the context of the business.

Each family member entered the agency with experience from a different field, including journalism, sales, and sports coaching. Garen explains that joining the company involved learning its campaign processes and the considerations associated with medical marketing. Their positions were therefore shaped through practical training as well as existing familiarity with one another.

For clients, the relevance of any internal structure ultimately lies in how consistently the organization functions. Family involvement may contribute continuity and shared interest, although those qualities still depend on clear responsibilities, communication, and an established process for managing the work.

A family name can describe ownership and personal connection, but it does not provide a complete operating model. The continuing task for family-run organizations is translating that connection into a structure in which responsibilities remain visible, performance can be assessed, and professional standards apply across every role.