family business — company run by family
collocationB1IELTS 5+neutralcommon
A company or shop that is owned and managed by members of the same family.
Say it like a native
Textbook It is a commercial enterprise operated by relatives.
Native It's a family business.
'Commercial enterprise operated by relatives' is stiff; 'family business' is the standard term.
Pattern: family business (noun, countable)
In use
- Her parents run a family business selling fresh bread in the local market.work
- In my hometown, many people work in a family business because it allows them to spend more time together and support each other financially.IELTS speaking
Common mistake
✗ She works in a family's business.
✓ She works in a family business.
No apostrophe — it's a compound noun ('family business').
Common collocations
family business— run a, the, small, take over the
Don't confuse it
Not the same as 'family issue' or 'family affair', which mean personal matters, not a company.