The owner of Sweet Paris gives 4 tips for running a family business

When my family and I decided to open Sweet Paris Crêperie & Café in Scottsdale Quarter, Arizona, we knew this would be the brand’s first location in Arizona and how important a successful launch would be as we look to expand presence 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 through Nothing Bundt Cakes nearly 10 years ago and decided to expand our portfolio and bring in our son, Bret, as an owner and operator. With any business venture, owners face challenges to overcome, but running a family business comes with its own unique set of challenges. Over the years, we’ve found a balance of collaboration through trust, communication, and aligning our goals. That’s why we’ve compiled our four best practices for running successful family businesses.

1. Trust and family ties are a priority

In a family business, you work with the people you trust most and understand best. These businesses need to be built on a solid relationship that gives members confidence in each other’s intentions, abilities and decisions. This trust also allows you to be honest about your abilities. No one can do it alone; this innate connection you have with family inspires the company’s employees to fulfill the role they are best suited for while receiving honest feedback.

Working together with my wife and son, we all trust that everyone can do their job. As a family, everyone wants the company to succeed, and having everyone find their place can help support that goal.

2. Communicate openly

Maintain clear and honest communication to resolve problems promptly and ensure everyone is on the same page. We hold regular family meetings to discuss our business and prevent misunderstandings. These meetings give us the opportunity to make sure everyone is heard and to voice any personal or professional concerns we want to address. It’s also important that the fact that you’re family doesn’t stop you from getting the work done and that work doesn’t interfere with your relationship as a family. Being transparent about conflicts, obstacles and opinions is the best way to maintain a healthy relationship and a successful business.

3. Align values

Make sure your values ​​and principles are aligned. A shared vision and goals will help ensure a unified approach to running the franchise, which is essential when looking for the right business to invest in.

For our family, Sweet Paris aligned with our shared values ​​and provided us with an opportunity to build the legacy we intended for our future generations. We have built a strong foundation on this basis and regularly review and reaffirm our core values ​​to keep the direction of our company coherent and in line with our family’s principles. It is also important to extend this beyond the family involved in the company – ensuring that employees are also aligned with the company’s core values ​​and family principles is equally important to driving profitability and growth. Bret regularly organizes sales competitions within our companies to boost employee morale and unite everyone behind the common goal.

When making decisions, keep in mind the values ​​and goals you have established and use them as a guide in your decision-making.

4. Learn from each other

Take the opportunity to learn from each other. Each member of your family brings a unique perspective and skills, and taking those viewpoints and talents into account will help you create a well-thought-out business plan. When Bret was a student, he learned from the experiences I shared with him, and now he offers me modern perspectives and fresh ideas that we use in our ventures. We have developed mutual respect and a drive for continuous improvement, which has helped our companies keep up with industry trends and adapt to changing customer needs. Fostering cross-generational learning and leveraging each other’s strengths helps create a resilient business model.

One of the best things about being a family business is that we can celebrate our successes together. Applying these tips has played an important strategic role in growing our family business portfolio. As business owners and strategic partners, we are responsible for the success of each location. This would not be possible without trust, transparency and never losing sight of our values ​​and goals.