A family business can help overcome resource gaps through using multiple forms ofnetworks and multiple internal participants in the SME (i.e. different family members).By using multiple networks the family may also influence the breadth of search fordifferent types of partners or innovative ideas, although the fear of negatively affectingthe family wellbeing can mean that family businesses have less diversified networksthan other SMEs (Gomez-Mejia et al., 2007). In a study of 4,000 businesses in Belgiumand the Netherlands Classen et al. (2012) found that more ‘open’ (better educated CEOsor a greater share of managers not from the family) family businesses had wider positivesearch breadth. This paper extends this as such networks are disaggregated intodifferent forms of network, family, friendship and business networks, which reflect themultiple rationalities perspectives discussed above. While the concept of multi-rationalapproaches has generally been applied to strategy, here it is applied to networking,given the manner in which the business and social aspects of networking overlap andintertwine even for individuals.