What is that word used to refer to a business or craft a family has been doing for generations? Many families for example have been carpenters for 5 generations. What is carpentry to them?
2 Answers
It may sound rather silly or straightforward but for the 5th generation carpenters, Carpentry is their family business.
From Wikipedia,
A family business is a commercial organization in which decision-making is influenced by multiple generations of a family—related by blood or marriage—who are closely identified with the firm through leadership or ownership. Owner-manager entrepreneurial firms are not considered to be family businesses because they lack the multigenerational dimension and family influence that create the unique dynamics and relationships of family businesses
For instance, WalMart is a family business, run by the Walton Family
answered Mar 4, 2016 at 9:31
If you are skilled carpenters you could be described as 'artisans.'
"A worker in a skilled trade, especially one that involves making things by hand1."
Carpentry, in your instance, could be described as an 'artisanal family trade.'
A family trade has a long history of use, suggesting that several generations have been involved / worked as 'X.'2
