Based on Conservation of Resources (COR) theory, we examine the role of two types of family support – emotional and instrumental support – in work-family balance and subjective well-being of small and medium-sized business owners (SMEs). Using a sample of French SME owners, our results show that work-life balance mediates the relationship between family support and the subjective well-being of SME owners. Surprisingly, while emotional support has a positive association, instrumental support has a negative association with the subjective well-being of SME owners via work-family balance. We provide a theoretical explanation by integrating COR theory with the threat to the self-esteem model, and offer practical implications of this study
