What does the owner-manager want and get out of the business? Are family firms different?

This paper aims to contribute to the existing knowledge of family firms and small business management. Especially in times of economic downturn small business owners have to carefully balance individual and business needs when making decisions about the extraction of profits from the company. In many circumstances the owner-managers will sacrifice their drawings in order to secure the future growth or even survival of the firm. This could be even more pronounced in small family businesses. First we show that small family firms’ owner-managers differ from other small firm owner-managers in terms of the amount and type of drawings they take from the company. Secondly, we examine the role of work values of the owner-manager as a potential link between the family involvement and drawings strategy.