An overview of family business. Profiles, definitions and the main challenges of the business life-cycle -- Professionalization and managerialization in family firms: A still open issue -- The survival of family businesses: The challenge of succession -- The growth of family businesses: the path to internationalization -- Investment decisions in listed family firms: risk aversion and emo-tional attachment -- Governing family business challenges. A research map -- Learning financial language to face on-going challenges. The case of Greenlife -- Professionalization and managerialization: original levers from Mo-lino Nicoli spa -- Beyond the founder. Which conditions can favor or hinder the profes-sionalization of family firms? -- Internationalization in family businesses. The case of Mamagra -- Family ownership and investment decisions. An empirical analysis on the role of board monitoring and CEO emotional attachment -- Discussing and concluding remarks.