How do family businesses grow? Differences in growth patterns between family and non-family firms

•Family and non-family businesses show different growth patterns, due to the different versatility of their resources and the effect of SEW•Family firms grow less than non-family firms in terms of sales but more in terms of employees.•The negative effect of the family nature of the firm on sales growth is more intense when firms are older.•Positive effects of family nature on employment growth is slightly higher in smaller firms than in larger family firms.