✅ “Behind the counter: A Day in the Life of a Family Business”

✅ “Behind the counter: A Day in the Life of a Family Business” The daily life of a couple running a business. A Glimpse into the Daily Life of a Couple Running a Family Business Running the family business isn’t always the quaint, romantic experience many imagine. For Claire and Martin Duval, owners of a small publishing house on the rugged Atlantic coast, each day brings a balancing act between ambition and reality, and occasionally, a determination to expose the dark underbelly of society through the books they choose to publish. Their mornings begin early. By 6:30, they are sorting manuscripts, answering emails, and coordinating with authors. Recently, they’ve been determined to change employees’ working conditions, believing that healthier schedules and fairer pay would benefit everyone. As Claire often says, “If you want great work, respect the people who do it.” To that end, they have introduced policies allowing staff to reduce or modify your work day without fear of penalty. After the morning rush, Martin usually makes a beeline for the loading dock to oversee shipments, while Claire spends time reviewing the next potential bestseller—a true-crime exposé aiming to expose the dark underbelly of society, something she feels passionate about bringing into public conversation. By midday, the couple is usually ready for a break. They love grabbing a bite at one of the local seafood restaurants, where the chef knows their usual order by heart. Over platters of fresh oysters and grilled fish, they decompress and discuss everything from marketing strategies to the latest gossip about competing publishers. Martin always insists on picking up the tab, a small ritual that seems to ground them in the midst of their busy lives. Afternoons bring new challenges: phone calls from distributors, author negotiations, and the occasional crisis with the printer. Yet despite the pace, they never lose sight of why they started this venture together—to create a place where ideas matter and people are treated with respect. By sunset, they lock the doors, satisfied that for another day, they’ve kept the wheels turning—and maybe, in some small way, made the world a bit more thoughtful.