When Dad Becomes Boss: These Father & Son Franchisee Duos Are Keeping Business in the Family

I remember as an elementary school student, my teachers would always ask me what I wanted to be when I grew up. I’d tell them this: “I want to be just like my dad.” And while that might not have been exactly where I ended up, other kids followed that very path.

Dave Catrone Sr. and Dave Catrone Jr. of Smoothie King, Steve and Alex Rubin of Mosquito Joe*, and Jon S. and Jon P. Crowe of Toppers Pizza* are all father and son duos, and they’re all using that family bond to run businesses side by side. 

1851 Franchise talked to each of these franchise partners to learn more about the trials and tribulations of working with a loved one. Here’s what we learned.

Don’t Talk Shop at Home

After a long day at work, it’s easy to vent about your day to the first person in sight. Usually, they will take a moment to listen and quickly go about the rest of their day. Unfortunately, it’s not so easy when the first person you see is that same person you’ve been working with all day long.

“We learned how to turn it off at a certain point and then go back to being simply a father and son,” Jon P. said. “Every Thursday, we go to a local place and get fried chicken. We made it a rule that we don’t talk work.”

Of course, this is often easier said than done. Steve Rubin found himself looking to his son Alex as an example of how to leave work behind in the office.

“You just need to be able to put up a wall that separates work and your home life,” said Steve. “He [Alex] calls me by my first name at work, not by ‘Dad.’ I am a workaholic, and I live and breathe work. Fortunately, Alex is much better at balancing his day than I am. I've learned a lot from him in that sense.”

When all is said and done, it’s an ongoing battle to completely check out from work at the end of the day. But in doing so, it'll help foster a stronger and more positive relationship with a family member who is also a coworker.

Generational Gaps are Beneficial

One thing that has definitely changed is the use of technology in business. While a father might be wondering what kind of animal a “Tweet” is, his son can teach him that that said animal could totally revamp the image of a business.

Alex had to open his father’s eyes to the world of social media when they were getting their Mosquito Joe location up and running.

“I learned that it is not my enemy,” said Steve. “I run a very large business and we have a team that does all that work for us. I am not familiar with it on a personal level, but it’s good for the business when it’s handled properly and you can understand what's going on. Alex helped to teach me about the various social media interactions going on behind that scenes that I often took for granted.”

Jon S. and Jon P. found a balance of patience and persistence when they went into business together.

“I’ve learned a lot about patience. Coming from the corporate world, where someone can make a mistake and bring the whole business down, he [Jon P.] has helped me develop and see things from a different perspective,” said Jon S.

As generations grow and time passes, certain things can shift in a business model. It’s important to roll with the punches and keep an open mind that things will not remain consistent with every generation that enters the working world. When that realization is made, father and son business partners will be able to understand the wealth of knowledge and different viewpoints (and the value in each) that's brought to the table.

Never Say Never About Going into Business with Your Dad

In all three situations, going into business as a father and son duo was not always in the picture. The family members took a leap of faith into an unknown territory, keeping their fingers crossed that their family relationships would not change as a result.

“Honestly, I never thought I would go into business with him,” said Dave Jr. “My mom and dad asked me to work there because they needed the help. They helped me my whole life and it made sense for me to help them in return.”

Jon S. asked his son to come along to a Toppers Pizza Discovery Day in hopes that he would prevent him from making any rash decisions. After the presentation, he asked his son to go into business with him.

“I didn’t really have to think too hard. It seemed like a great opportunity to work with family and it was intriguing to me,” said Jon P.

When it comes to going into business with a loved one, it’s important to keep an open-mind. Even if it is not something that was always imagined for your future, it might just be one of the best decisions you can ever make.