This chapter focuses on the resource based view theory. I discuss where this theory comes from and how it has been used in previous research. The chapter argues for the theory’s relevance for family business research and shows how it has been used in family business research to date. The chapter provides an overview of the theory, describing its origins, fundamental assumptions and building blocks and the most important general references to the theory. The focus is on the resource-based view of family firms in research, now and for the future, and the connection between resource based theory and the family business context. I discuss how the theory can be linked to family business and why the theory is relevant for use in the family business field – connecting the primary ideas in the theory and the primary characteristics of family businesses.