Twenty years ago, the term "family office" was used infrequently and often reserved for the most storied families such as the Rockefellers or the Kennedys. Now, "family office" is on the tip of the tongue of every investor, wealth manager, and company. However, the common adage: "when you've met one family office, you've met only one family office" tends to be resoundingly accurate. Each family office is designed to serve the specific needs of the family in question and no family is the same. This note discusses the key characteristics of single family offices, and offers potential avenues for setting one up.