Henny Lena Holzhauser analyzes the reasons why medium-sized family businesses do not utilize strategic management concepts, what circumstances can lead to their application, and what specific considerations must be taken into account when developing these concepts. The focus is on the core of success: the customers. In the context of past successes and experiencing corporate crises, the author develops a model of strategic customer analysis from the perspective of path dependencies and path breaks, which is integrated into the decision-making processes of medium-sized family businesses. This model is intended to serve as a guide for those companies that have to deal with significant economic dependencies on customers and severely limited management resources. The automotive supply industry provides an appropriate framework, representing similarly structured sectors.