less visible and receive less recognition than they deserve. Family Business Association (FBA), founded 26 years ago, is on a mission to change that. It is a powerful advocate for these businesses, understanding their unique needs and providing them with the necessary resources to succeed. GUIDING PRINCIPLES Family Business Association was created to be the voice of family businesses, advocating for their unique needs and helping to navigate the challenges of being family-owned. As Catherine Sayer, CEO of Family Business Association, explains,“We are highly regarded as a champion of the family business sector, supporting family businesses to thrive and maximize a positive economic and community impact.” This mission is reflected in FBA’s strategic plan, which was recently launched under Sayer’s leadership.The plan focuses on four key areas: growing membership, increasing brand and advocacy, ensuring business sustainability, and fostering a high-performing team, which ensures FBA’s effectiveness in its mission. FBA’s mission statement is clear and direct: “To support families in business to grow and thrive.” This mission is supported by a set of values that the association lives by: “One family, supporting our members to thrive, being authentic, and having a learning mindset.” These values are not just words on a page but are actively integrated into the organization’s daily operations. Sayer emphasizes this: “In our team meetings, I’m always asking for examples of how we’ve lived these values, and it’s been an excellent piece of work as a team to ensure we’re aligned in what we’re doing.” MEMBERSHIP, ADVOCACY, AND SUSTAINABILITY Most of FBA’s recent strategic planning focused on increasing membership and raising the organization’s profile. Although many family businesses in Australia and New Zealand, FBA has traditionally had a relatively low profile.“We are the only organization representing small, medium, and large family businesses with their specific nuances and issues,” Sayer notes. The association has around 2,000 members, but the goal is to increase that number to over 3,000 in the next three years. This growth is vital for FBA to continue providing value to its members and advocating on their behalf. Increasing brand awareness and advocacy is inextricably linked to membership growth. Sayer explains,“If you’re building the brand and increasing brand awareness, and doing some advocacy work, which covers many activities, then naturally the membership will grow.” FBA’s advocacy efforts ensure policymakers consider family businesses’ 57 BUSINESS VIEW OCEANIA VOLUME 06, ISSUE 09 FAMILY BUSINESS ASSOCIATION
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