John Gilbert, owner of Sweet Paris Crêperie & Café in Scottsdale Quarter, Arizona, shares what he has learned since going into business with his wife, Sue, and their son, Bret.
Sue, Bret and John Gilbet work together as franchisees/ Photo: Sweet Paris Crêperie & Café
When my family and I decided to openSweet Paris Crêperie & Café at Scottsdale Quarter, Arizona, we knew this would be the brand’s first location in Arizona, and the importance of a successful launch as we grow its footprint throughout the state as part of our multi-unit deal. As strategic partners, we are proud to represent Sweet Paris, and as a family, we are excited about this business venture.
My wife and I began franchising nearly 10 years ago via Nothing Bundt Cakes and decided to expand our portfolio and bring our son, Bret, as an owner and operator. In any business venture, owners are faced with challenges to overcome, but running a business as a family has its own unique challenges. Over the years, we’ve found a balance in working together through trust, communication and keeping our goals aligned. That’s why we’ve put together our four best practices in running successful family businesses.
1. Prioritize Trust and Family Connection
In a family run business, you are working with the people you trust and understand most in the world. These businesses need to be built on a solid relationship that inspires members to feel confident in each other’s intentions, abilities, and decisions. This trust also allows you to be honest about your skills. No one can do it alone; this innate connection you have with family inspires those in the business to fulfill the role they are best suited for, while receiving honest feedback.
In working with my wife and son, we all place trust in each other to be able to execute our roles. As a family, you all want the business to succeed, and finding where everyone fits can bolster this goal.
2. Communicate openly
Maintain clear and honest communication to address any issues promptly and keep everyone on the same page. We hold regular family meetings to discuss our businesses and prevent any misunderstandings. These meetings give us an opportunity to ensure everyone is heard and voice any personal or professional concerns that we want to address. It is also important to not let the fact that you are family get in the way of completing the job at hand, and to not let work affect your relationship as a family. Being transparent about any conflicts, obstacles, and opinions is the best way to maintain a healthy relationship and prosperous business.
3. Align on Values
Ensure your values and principles are in sync. Having a shared vision and common goals help create a unified approach to running the franchise. This is inherently important when looking for the right business to invest in.
For our family, Sweet Paris aligned with our shared values and provided the opportunity to build the legacy we envisioned for our future generations. We’ve built a strong foundation based off this alignment, and we regularly revisit and reaffirm our core values to keep our business direction cohesive and aligned with our family’s principles. It is also important to expand this outside of just the family involved in the business – ensuring that employees are also aligned with the business’ core values and family principles is just as important in driving profitability and growth. Bret regularly organizes sales contests at our businesses to boost employee morale and rally everyone behind the common goal.
When making decisions, remember what values and goals you’ve established, and use those to drive your decision-making.
4. Learn from each other
Embrace the opportunity to learn from one another. Each member of your family brings a unique perspective and skill set to the table, and leaning into those viewpoints and talents allow for a well thought-out business plan. While Bret was still attending college, he learned from the experiences I shared with him, and now he offers me modern perspectives and fresh ideas that we utilize in our ventures. We’ve fostered a mutual respect and strive for continuous improvement, which has helped our businesses stay current with industry trends and adaptable to changing customer needs. Encouraging cross-generational learning and leveraging each other’s strengths help to create a resilient business model.
One of the best parts of running a family business is celebrating our wins together. Utilizing these tips has played a significant strategic role in growing our family business portfolio. As business owners and strategic partners, the success of each location is our responsibility, and would not be possible without trust, transparency, and never losing sight of our values and goals.
