Father And Son Have Strained Relationship Because Son Starts Competing Business

"I never fully forgave him even thought he tried (and still does) to make it up to me."

Damjan

• Published in Interesting
• January 18, 2024

Family relationships can be complex and challenging, especially when intertwined with business decisions. This narrative revolves around a Reddit user who faced a unique dilemma, combining deep-seated family issues with the world of business.

OP is a young man who experienced his father leaving their family to start a new one with their neighbor when OP was 13 years old. He never fully forgave his father, even though his father tried to make amends. OP's father offered him work in his advanced construction finishing company, specializing in custom molding. OP worked there intermittently throughout college and became highly skilled at it.

After graduating, OP's father asked him to join the company as an equal owner, but OP's stepmother insisted on including OP's stepbrother as well, despite his differences and the stepbrother's lack of skills for a major role. OP made it clear that it was either him or his stepbrother. His father urged him to compromise for the sake of family harmony, but OP refused and decided to establish his own company instead.

Over time, OP's company gained popularity, expanded, and even attracted major clients from his father's business. He rarely did manual labor himself anymore.

Recently, his father admitted that his own business was struggling to survive. OP offered his father a job in his company and proposed to buy out his father's tools and workshop lease.

However, he insisted that his stepmother and stepbrother would not be welcome in his company. This led to a heated argument between OP and his father.

OP accused his father of betraying him by cheating on his mother. Although OP felt guilty for potentially ruining his father's hard-built company, he believed his father had forced him into this position by involving his stepmother and stepbrother.

OP's father left their family for their neighbor and OP never fully forgave him, despite his ongoing efforts to make amends.

OP collaborated with his dad during college company and was offered a partnership, but OP's stepmom insisted that his stepbrother also be included in the partnership.

OP has a strained relationship with his stepbrother and asks his dad to choose between them, but his dad believes OP should compromise for the sake of family harmony.

OP founded a successful company despite initial disapproval from his father and is now gaining popularity and attracting some of his father's major clients.

OP offered help to his father during business troubles by offering him a job, but he excluded his stepmother and stepbrother from involvement in the company.

OP's father became angry, leading to a significant argument.

OP feels guilty about messing up his dad's company but thinks that his dad pushed him into this role by involving his new family.

If OP's father prioritized his family over him, OP shouldn't feel obligated to prioritize him over himself.

OP could have let his work naturally decline, but he chose a ruthless approach.

Both act out of self-interest, disregarding others.

OP may have used inside information to undercut their dad's prices and criticize his actions.

Both the father and child are behaving poorly.

It's unfairly taken clients, which wasn't right.

Everyone is in the wrong here.

OP is not at fault for holding a grudge against his stepmom and stepbrother.

Without inside information, OP probably wouldn't have gained those clients.

In this tricky situation, we don't have all the facts to know for sure how OP got those clients. But his skills and reputation likely helped him attract them.

OP is not wrong for still being upset with his stepmom and stepbrother. What his dad did by leaving their family was hurtful, and it's understandable that it still affects him.

In this story, it seems like everyone is making mistakes. OP taking clients from his dad's business was not a fair move and caused a lot of problems.

Both the dad and OP are not acting very well. The dad could have been more considerate of how OP felt, and OP could have handled things better too.

Damjan