“Nepo baby” is an easy label to apply to anyone who joins a family business. What we rarely talk about is the pressure to prove yourself and the effort it takes to be taken seriously.

This week on SUPERWOMEN, we sat down with Avery Hale Smith, Chief Experience Officer at Backroads, to talk about the experience of working inside a family business. Avery opens up about the challenge of stepping into a company with such a rich legacy.

Avery reveals how she navigated Backroads through the chaos of COVID, when everything was falling apart, and how she rebuilt the company from the ground up. From handling massive layoffs to keeping the business alive with no roadmap, she learned that surviving crises takes a whole lot of grit.

Episode Guide:

(00:00) Meet Avery Hale Smith, Chief Experience Officer at Backroads

(01:44) What is Backroads?

(03:33) Growing up around the business

(07:10) How Backroads survived COVID

(11:32) When chaos becomes the best teacher

(13:53) The reality of being a working mom

(19:05) Going back to work after postpartum

(22:19) Lessons learned from dealing with crises

(25:53) The one rule for working with family

(27:41) Women's adventures at Backroads

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Backroads' Avery Hale Smith on Surviving Succession in a Legacy Family Business