Matt Horne and Kevin Costello are both in business in the Chicago area with their families.

Horne and his wife, Kitty, make a gluten-free cocktail mix called Longbranch Bloody Mary Zinger. Costello is a vice president for the frozen foods division of Home Run Inn pizza, founded by his grandfather.

Horne enjoys working with his wife, but would bar other relatives were they to ask to join his business.

“I have the utmost respect for the abilities of my children, but I would not put them on the payroll,” he says.

That's because he and all seven of his brothers used to work at their father's business and the experience left a bad taste.

“Family and business is like oil and water,” says Horne, who left his dad's company after five years and says there's still bad blood among some of the brothers.

That's not the situation at Home Run Pizza, where family members are welcomed as employees. Costello says that while there are challenges, they can be balanced by positives — not the least of which is job security.

“You're probably not going to fire your brother or vice versa,” he says. “You're usually given the benefit of the doubt.”

In addition, “You usually have a financial stake or part ownership, so you're extra driven to help the place succeed.”

Thinking of going into business with family? Ask yourself some questions first. It could mean the difference between success and estrangement.

Are you entering the business (or bringing a relative in) out of a sense of obligation? Not pursuing your dreams or developing your talents leads to unhappiness and under- performance. In Horne's case, it led to regret.

“Knowing the family business was a fallback sapped my initiative” to take advantage of post-military educational opportunities, he says.

Do you have a genuine interest in the business's product or service? Are you accomplished in your own right?

“It might be best to go out and do your own thing for a while. Give yourself your own career before you become absorbed in the family business,” says Costello, who earned an advanced degree in aerospace engineering before joining Home Run Inn. Otherwise, you might have trouble forging your own identity.

Besides, “It's good to get outside experience so you gain a realistic idea of what corporate life is like. It's easier to separate family emotions from the business if you've had that other experience,” Costello says.

Are you suitably educated and qualified? If not, employees who are not family members will assume that you got your job through nepotism. Be prepared for that perception no matter how qualified you are.

Will accountability be a problem?

“I could see where there might be a tendency to be too lenient with family members,” Costello says. On the flip side, elders might be harder on family members than other employees to stave off accusations of favoritism.

What will you do for an emotional outlet?

“People who are not in a family business have a great way to let off steam — they go home and they vent about all the stuff that goes on,” Costello says. “You can't do that in a family business. You can't go home and vent without consequences. There's a feedback loop.”

Can your relationships handle a failed venture?

“You still have to deal with these people if the business fails,” Kitty Horne says.