I want our $1 billion business to stay in the family, but that doesn't mean I'll automatically hire my kids

Tricia Wallwork is now the CEO of her family business.

Courtesy of Tricia Wallwork Tricia Wallwork is the CEO of Milo's Tea, founded by her grandfather in 1946.

She's grown the brand exponentially, and recently surpassed $1 billion in retail sales.

She's learned about family governance from other family-owned companies, she says.

This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with Tricia Wallwork , CEO and Chair of the Board at Milo's Tea .

It has been edited for length and clarity .

When my grandad Milo returned from World War II , he married my grandma, Bea, the very next week.

He likes to say he only had $20 and a footlocker, but he also had a vision: for a hamburger stand serving burgers, fries, pies, and sweet tea to Atlanta's steelworkers.

That was the beginning of Milo's Tea.

Since then, the business has had three distinct iterations: the initial burger stand, franchise restaurants that my dad and stepmother ran, and now the tea company that I operate.

Tricia Wallwork's grandfather started the family company when he came back from war.

Courtesy of Tricia Wallwork Through them all, we've been guided by my grandparents' founding values: listening to customers, using real ingredients , and treating people well.

I became a lawyer, then joined the family business I never wanted to work at the family business , so I became a lawyer.

I thought I would save the world, but really, I was just writing letters and representing companies.