How can you carry on the family business on your own terms? Take it to cyberspace. NY1’s Paul Messina has the story in this Money Matters Report.

Brooklyn Essentials on 86th Street in Bensonhurst carries on a long tradition in the Marshal family. Owner Brian Marshal was the third generation of his family to enter the lighting business.

“It started with my grandfather, who had a factory in Brooklyn on Kings Highway, and then it went my day, who had stores in Jamaica, Queens, and Long Island,” he says. “My uncle had stores in Long Island, and them myself in Brooklyn, and now my son.”

But as the fourth generation, Josh Marshal doesn't want a store. He's got the Internet.

“Growing up I would come here sometimes on the weekend. I started managing this store and it was short-lived because I couldn't take retail, so I took it to the next step, which I call E-tail,” he says.

Josh started in a small office above his father's store by selling chandeliers on eBay.

“I didn't think it was going to work, and I told him Îgo ahead,’” Brian says. “And he went upstairs and he buried himself in the office for two weeks, and the next thing I knew two weeks later [he said], ÎDad we need six of this, four of this, eight of this, nine of this.’”

In two short years the business has become so successful that Josh has moved out on his own.

“So now I have 11 people working in my office and six guys working in the warehouse, packing and shipping boxes,” he says.

The warehouse in on Staten Island, but some of Josh's items are on display in his father's store, and he's selling thousands of fixtures a month.

Now with his own website — www.wegotlites.com - as well as eBay, Josh says there are more than 100,000 items to choose from, some of which he designed himself.

“It was actually really fun to design this one. It was really trial and error,” he says. “We started with the arms on this piece - as you can see they're crooked and wiggly. We started with it straight and then we heated up the arms and bent them a little bit.”

And in addition to creating his own line, he can customize orders. Josh also plans to start several more websites to compete with himself.

“My ultimate goal is never to have a brick and mortar store,” he says.

And perhaps he won't ever need one.

- Paul Messina