How I Did It: When A Family Business Faces A Family Crisis

Beth Scanlon, President

Entrepreneurs are some of the most motivated, focused people I know. But sometimes you get a reminder that they’re human beings as well.

Beth Scanlon, who joined us at the Birthing of Giants Fellowship Week in fall 2021, recently told me about not one, but two, of those reminders that happened within a month of each other at the beginning of 2023. Beth is president of Scanlon Excavating and Concrete, a company she co-founded with her husband in 2010. “My husband is my business partner. My father-in-law is our lead truck driver, so family and work are the same for me,” she says. “There’s really no work-life balance for me. It's life.” The couple are raising three children—two teenagers and a six-year-old. “We've raised them to be as self-sufficient as possible,” Scanlon points out. “We don't baby them.”

This past January, Beth was preparing for a business trip when her 6-year-old daughter Adeline experienced a seizure. “All of a sudden it went from thinking about getting to the airport to having to call an ambulance,” she says. “It was one of those times when nothing else mattered—it became all-encompassing.” Adeline, diagnosed with generalized epilepsy, is now doing well with treatment, but the scare left the Scanlons on edge.

And as if that weren’t enough to deal with, Scanlon shattered her ankle and broke her leg in three places. Ironically for the owner of a road construction company, the injury wasn’t the result of a worksite incident but rather due to a poorly maintained Chicago sidewalk and an unfortunately placed pothole. The injury required surgery and the installation of 24 screws and three plates. “I haven't been able to put any weight on it for about 11 weeks or so now,” she says. “I can’t walk. I can’t drive. I'm not going to lie, mentally it’s been harder than it has been physically. I'm so used to being completely self-sufficient. I’m not used to relying on people.”

The double whammy, she says, has taken its toll. “I would be lying if I told you that I do it all, and it doesn't affect my mental health, and everything's fine,” she says. While she remains a driven entrepreneur, the past year’s experience has made her reconsider a few priorities. “I turned 40 last year, and I don't know if that triggers something in your head that says, ‘OK, I'm actually looking forward to doing more stuff that I personally want to do with the same sense of purpose I had when I started the business,’” she says. “There was so much purpose in building this excavating company as a woman owner and bringing other women up. Now it's about finding that new purpose to keep me energized.”

She’s got plenty to keep her busy, actually. The couple raise beef cattle and they hope to increase the herd to 1,000 head. And they are transforming a group of rental properties into a new residential subdivision. Additional volunteer positions are also in the cards. But just as important, she says, is carving out time for herself and finding opportunities to delegate responsibilities.

What about you? Are you an “all-in” entrepreneur, or do you find ways to bring even a little balance to your life? Let me know in the comments! In the meantime, sign up for our free How I Did It monthly video series, where you’ll hear Beth talk about building her construction business from the ground up, along with interviews with other fascinating entrepreneurs.