Family Ties When parents and children go into business together

Most 30-year-olds who have spent the better part of their adult lives trying to break free of their parents would not choose a parent as a business partner. And most 60-year-olds would pale at the thought of risking time, energy, capital and perhaps a relationship to go into business with an adult child.

But these unorthodox family business start-ups seem to be springing up more frequently, says Paul Karofsky, director of Northeastern University's Center for Family Business in Boston. What tempts different generations to become business partners?