Total honesty and perfect trust. That's what mothers and daughters who own
businesses together say their partnership allows them. "I couldn't imagine being
in business with anyone but my mother," Brita DeBrest says. "No one knows you
like your mother."
"I think it goes to a trend of women really enjoying starting businesses in
partnerships in general. It seems more doable that way; it's fun," says Beth
Schoenfelt, who co-founded Ladies Who Launch along with Victoria Colligan.
Ladies Who Launch
conducted a recent member survey. Of the nearly 300 who responded, approximately
34 percent of women-owned businesses are partnerships, with 15 percent of those
partnerships comprising mothers and daughters.
Look to the entrepreneurial stories that follow to find heartwarming examples
of mothers and daughters who share their workaday worlds--and wouldn't have it
any other way.
Gwen DeBrest, 67, and Brita DeBrest, 43
Venture: Veggielicious Cookies and Cakes Inc.
Location: Reston, Virginia
Veggielicious
Cookies and Cakes Inc. was born in 2005 when Brita DeBrest's mom, Gwen,
challenged her to make a cookie out of vegetables. Brita went home that night
and made sweet potato cookies, which she brought to work the following day. The
response was gratifying, and a new business was born.
Over the next three months, the pair developed six cookie flavors and
launched the Veggielicious brand in Reston, Virgnia. "I couldn't imagine being
in business with anyone but my mother," Brita says.
The business encompasses a 2,200-square-foot warehouse and three employees,
in addition to Brita and Gwen. Sales in 2007 totaled $80,000, and with an influx
of funds from a recent investor, Brita hopes to increase that to $250,000 in
2008. "What makes us work," Brita says, "is that [Gwen] has trained her children
properly, and she's smart enough to stand back and let her teachings take
place."
Gwen has four children. "Their father died when they were very young. We all
struggled, and I'm thankful they've seen the sacrifices I've made, Gwen says. "They all are
hard workers. They do appreciate my sacrifices, and they don't let me want for
anything."
Isabelle Villasenor, 62; Lisa De Bono, 39; and Jenny Briones, 36
Venture: 7 McDonald's Franchises
Location: Southern California (Artesia, Cypress, Newport Beach, Norwalk and
Cerritos)
Isabelle Villasenor purchased the first of seven McDonald's franchises after
her divorce in 1981. Her daughters, Lisa De Bono and Jenny Briones, were 7 and
10 years old, respectively. It was a logical choice for Villasenor, whose
in-laws had been franchisees since 1968.
The girls literally grew up in the business. "We say we were born with
ketchup in our bangs," Briones says. "When Ronald McDonald came to visit, we
wore tiny management uniforms and handed out balloons and tray liners." Today,
the trio oversees 300 employees.
Briones always knew she wanted to be an owner/operator. DeBono, who went to
UCLA, worked for a literary agency for several years. "Every time I'd come back
to visit my family, we'd start talking about McDonald's. As time passed, I
realized I was more stimulated by what was happening at McDonald's than by what
I was doing for a living."
"We all work as a team," Briones says. "There's so much respect and trust,"
De Bono says of working with family members, including Briones' husband. "We can
vent to one another. We finish each other's sentences. We know exactly what the
other person is thinking."
"We're each others' best friends," De Bono says. "We've grown up that way
because [Villasenor] was a single mom."
Briones and De Bono have five kids between them. "If they do come into the
business, they would be fourth generation," Villasenor says proudly.
The trio's advice for others: Villasenor: "Be honest and maintain your
integrity." De Bono: "Set very clear parameters and priorities. There should be
no guesswork on the direction we're headed as a family." Briones: "Never let
anything get in the way of family."
What do the daughters' kids think about McDonald's? "That's the first place
they want to go, and we're happy to take them," Briones says.
Kim Madden, 39, and Heather Madden, 10
Venture: Sassy Tails
Location: Greenville, South Carolina
Six-year-old Heather Madden hated hair bows. So Kim Madden started making
fancy ponytail ornaments for her. When Heather's classmates began clamoring for
hair accessories of their own, Madden realized she had a product that girls
around the country would want.
So in 2004, the mother-daughter team created
Sassy Tails together,
with Heather taking on the role of vice president. It's not just a title. New
styles and designs are inspired by suggestions from Heather and the company’s
informal Junior Advisory Board. In addition, Heather travels to trade shows with
her mom and gives speeches about the company and its products. Recently, she
helped write the script for a video e-mercial. "The morning of the filming, she
sent me away," Kim says proudly.
Having Heather involved in the business gives Kim and her daughter time
together. "We automatically have something in common to talk about," Kim says.
What's more, Kim has a platform and a venue to teach Heather some life lessons.
Kim finds it natural to explain everything about the business world to Heather.
"At this age, their brains are so open and they have so many ideas. When we hit
age 13 and up, we get that spirit crushed."
Heather spends as little or as much time on the business as she likes, Kim
says. But if she makes a commitment, she has to keep it. "If she says she's
going to work a holiday fair with me, she has to do it, even if she changes her
mind," Kim says.
Sales last year totaled $250,000. Sassy Tails now has Disney licensing and
licensing from Warner Bros. to sell Harry Potter-inspired hair accessories. Kim
is also seeking $5 million in funding to ramp up production. With the funding
and commercial tie-ins, Madden says she's on target to reach $1 million in sales
this year.
Kim says she managed to secure the licensing because she didn't know she
couldn't. Her advice to other entrepreneurs is: "Believe that anything is
possible. Expect a lot of resistance, whether it's from the market, your family
or naysayers out there. Stay focused on what you're trying to achieve and move
on in spite of them."
Leslie Haas Clanton, 46; Emily Clanton, 16; and Mary Clanton, 13
Venture: Boberry Designs
Location: Glen Allen, Virginia
When Leslie Hass Clanton started
Boberry Designs, it
was natural to pay her girls to work with her in the venture. "I used to work
for my dad, and I loved getting paid for doing work that I thought was
kind of easy," she recalls. The company, originally named It's In the Bag, was
renamed Boberry Designs after younger daughter Mary (as in the children's
rhyming game, "Mary Mary bo-berry bana-fana fo-ferry," also known as "The Name
Game"). Boberry Designs produces and sells gift bags, towel bags, and a wearable
beverage holder.
Boberry, established in 1997, is presently a side business for Leslie, who
co-owns Plastic Lumber Inc., which sells maintenance-free building materials.
Even as a hobby business, Boberry made $270,000 in sales last year. With plans
to focus on Boberry Designs full time this year, Leslie hopes to increase sales
significantly.
The work isn't always easy, especially when it comes to setting up or
breaking down a booth. "Sometimes it can get really, really stressful, and we'll
get on each others' nerves," Leslie says. "But at the end of the day, we
appreciate each other and the job that we're doing."
Emily adds, "It definitely feels good at the end of a weekend when you see how
many sales you made."
Leslie admits that being in business with your daughters can make it
difficult to navigate between the roles of mother and business partner. "I'm
constantly having to negotiate. We do make lots of compromises . . . because
we're close and we work as a team. But I do put my foot down on certain things."
Nevertheless, when it comes to business, Emily sometimes finds herself
advising her mother. Says Leslie, "Sometimes I'll have what I think is a really good idea,
and she'll knock it down and tell me why it's stupid. She keeps me balanced."
Mary has a special role to play, as well: "I tend to get messy with the store or
the booth," Leslie says. "Mary keeps it neat and tidy." Mary has just started
doing shows, and she runs the cash registers. "I can't hire anybody as good as
Em and Mary are," Leslie says.
Emily warns mothers who have businesses not to push daughters into working
with them. "They have to want to do it," she says.
Mindy Alperin, 54, Jamie Lazar, 28, and Lauren Alperin, 26
Venture: Zakkerz Inc.
Location: Jamie and Lauren live in New York City; Mindy lives in Atlanta
Zakkerz Inc. was born
out of frustration. Sisters Jamie Lazar and Lauren Alperin walked to work in New
York City in sneakers, then switched to heels at work. But their pants dragged
on the ground during their walks. They kept complaining about it to each other
and to their mom, Mindy Alperin.
One day, Mindy said, "I've got this idea." She bought some magnets, sat down
at a sewing machine and created the Zakkerz prototype. That was August 2006. By
November, the trio had incorporated and by July 2007, they were selling Zakkerz
online. "Sales started slow but have continued to grow every month," Lazar says.
Although Mindy lives in Atlanta, the trio stays in constant contact. Lazar and
Lauren retain their full-time jobs as CPAs, but Mindy works full-time on the
business, with some help from her husband.
They handle any conflicts in a straightforward manner. "I think we're close
enough that we all understand everybody's weaknesses and strengths," Lazar says.
"It's OK for us to get into an argument; we argue it out. Five minutes later,
we're fine."
If a decision isn't reached immediately, they come back to it after everyone
has a chance to think it through. Typically, the solution combines everyone's
ideas. "Or someone wins and someone loses, and we move on," Mindy says. "One of
us will eventually just let it go. That's the nature of how we work together."
The advantage of working with family members is that they can be honest with
one another. "These are people that I trust completely, and we all have the same
goal in mind," Mindy says.
Lazar says she learned persistence from her mother. "My mom is one of the
most determined people I know. She sets her mind on something, and she's going
to get it done." The girls are the same way. "We both did incredibly well in
school. If we're going to study for a test, we do it all the way. That's just
what our mom has taught us to do."
The danger of working with family members is the tendency to let the business
take over your life. "Sometimes," Mindy says, "you have the start the
conversation with, 'What can we talk about that doesn't start with a Z' "?
Rosemarie diSalvo, 63 and Annemarie diSalvo, 38
Venture: diSalvo Interiors
Location: New York City
Rosemarie and Annemarie diSalvo had always talked about opening a business
together. "We have a very close relationship, which is very special," Rosemarie
says. Finally, in 1996, Annemarie quit her job with an interior design firm,
Rosemarie left the legal field--where she specialized in liquidating
estates--and they opened a shop selling antiques.
Annemarie had said she'd never go back to designing again. But then customers
who bought their wares, especially antique sofas, began coming to them with
questions, such as "How do I re-upholster this?"
Soon diSalvo
Interiors morphed into an interior design and project management firm.
"Clients leave their home for six months, and we hand them the key when they
come back," Rosemarie says. Annemarie focuses on architecture and building
codes. Rosemarie prefers the "fluff stuff," such as window treatments.
Sales last year totaled $2.7 million, and the pair expects that to hold
steady in 2008. Around New York they're known as the "naked designers" because
of an ad chosen in a national contest to appear in Times Square.
"I learned more about design from Annemarie than I did in school," says
Rosemarie, who had gone back to school to earn a design degree. In turn,
Annemarie learned the ins and outs of running a business from her mother.
The biggest advantage to working together, they say, is trust. "I don't have
to think twice about anything she's doing," Rosemarie says. "And we always know
that any decision being made is not from a personal agenda.
"There's never been that tension where I know better because I'm older or
she's been doing this longer and perhaps her ideas are better. We fight more
with our husbands," Rosemarie says.
Susan Stoneburner, 57, and Kristen Stolle, 32
Venture: Pacific Design Directions Inc.
Location: Anaheim, California
Susan Stoneburner started the interior design firm Pacific Design Directions
Inc. in 1979. She soon focused on commercial design, and today owns an $18
million firm with four divisions: Pacific Interior Design, Pacific Interior
Electric, Pacific Construction and Pacific Electrical Engineering.
Daughter Kristen Stolle was working in the legal arena when she came home
seven years ago for knee surgery. Bored during her recovery, she started helping
out at Pacific Design "and learned that I really loved it."
It wasn't always easy, she says. "Because we are the boss's kids (her
brother, Reed, heads the electrical division) there is the perception that
things are handed to us. We have to work 10 times harder and prove day in and
day out that we've earned the right to be here."
Stolle says the advantage of working with her mother is that they think
alike. "We have the same ideas about how to resolve [a problem] quickly and
effectively." Adds Stoneburner, "Kristen is much more current in building codes
and what cities require, and she remembers all the details of the scope of work.
I'm more big picture. With that, we complement each other."
Stoneburner's advice to other mother-daughter teams is unequivocal: "The
elder person needs to shut up and listen to the younger people because they have
some pretty good ideas."
But Stolle adds a caveat: "Children, at the same time, need to shut up and
take a lesson from their parent. They don't know everything. My generation seems
to think we can solve the world's problems in a minute. We also need to step
back and listen."
Patty McDonald, 55; Robyn Dague, 36; and Aimee Guentert, 27
Venture: Saf-T-Co
Location: Santa Ana, California
Patty McDonald started
Saf-T-Co in 1987 after she was frustrated in her efforts to rise in the
ranks of the male-dominated underground utility industry. Saf-T-Co Supply
distributes underground utility and electrical supplies and manufactures PVC,
steel and fiberglass fittings and bends. Sales last year totaled $24 million,
and McDonald is projecting $25 million in 2008.
Informally, McDonald's daughters have been involved since Saf-T-Co's
inception as a home-based business. More formally, they started working in the
business as teenagers, and each left for a time to explore the world beyond Saf-T-Co.
Both, however, were inexorably drawn back. McDonald's husband also works at Saf-T-Co,
as does Robyn Dague's husband.
Says Aimee Guentert, who returned to Saf-T-Co a year to the day after going
to work for a lawyer, "A big advantage is that I get to work closely with my
parents. I like having somebody I'm comfortable with to talk with and figure
things out."
For McDonald, the reward of working with her daughters is clear: "What's
better than seeing your kids every day?"
They can't remember the last time they had an argument. "We listen to each
other and talk about issues and things, but we always walk away feeling
comfortable without being argumentative," McDonald says.
Guentert advises other mothers and daughters to know where to draw the line
between business and family relationships. "When we walk out the door, we try to
leave as much here as we can, and we can all go home and be a family and still
sit down for dinner Sunday night."