Sylwia Mokrysz, PhD, President of the Management Board of the Coffee and Tea Market Research Institute as well as Member of the Management Board and Proxy at Mokate S.A., took part in the 35th Economic Forum in Karpacz, Poland.
During the panel discussion entitled ‘The toughest decisions faced by family business owners. What success stories don’t tell us’, the discussion centred primarily on succession, the responsibilities of owners and situations in which it is not always easy to reconcile the interests of the business with family relationships.
Sylwia Mokrysz, PhD, highlighted the unique perspective of family business owners: ‘The owner of a family business lives, in a sense, between two clocks: the clock of business and the clock of generations. Business demands quick decisions, while generations teach patience. The art lies in knowing when to listen to which clock.’
She also emphasised during the discussion that a company’s success is best assessed with the benefit of hindsight. This is much more difficult when a decision has yet to be made and no one knows what the consequences will be: ‘Looking at it from Mokate’s perspective, I think the most interesting part of the success story isn’t found in those moments when everything went well. It lies in the decisions taken when there was no guarantee of success.’
It is also worth noting the findings of the Family Business Foundation’s report ‘On Meaning and Happiness in Family Businesses’, which found that 79 per cent of respondents would choose to run a family business again.
This topic is also close to the work of the Coffee and Tea Market Research Institute. While research can help us to better understand the market, consumers and changing trends, it does not provide ready-made answers for every decision. It can reduce uncertainty, but it cannot replace the experience and responsibility of an entrepreneur.
The 35th Economic Forum in Karpacz, held from 8 to 10 September 2026, brought together representatives from business, academia, public administration and civil society organisations.
