Family Affairs

Faced with diminished job prospects, millennials are increasingly partnering with their parents in the franchising world. The result? Wholly new family businesses— and stronger family ties.

- Jason Daley

When Jon S. Crowe invited his son, Jon P. Crowe, to take a road trip from their home in Omaha, Neb., to Whitewater, Wis., neither of them had ever, for a second, thought about working together. The elder Crowe was heading east to learn more about the Toppers Pizza franchise business and just wanted his then 25-year-old son, who was working in retail at the time, along for company. “Working with my dad did not cross my mind,” Jon P. says. “I was there looking out for him and our family. I just wanted to put my two cents in.”

 

Jon S. had long known just how suited to running a business his son was. Jon P. was levelheaded. He didn’t shy away from having hard conversations when people didn’t meet his expectations. He was a hard worker. Yet he’d never really considered working with him before. But “during those meetings [at Toppers Pizza], I thought that it would be a hell of a lot of fun to work together,” Jon S. says.

On the ride home, he asked his son to join his franchise team. It turned out to be a great idea. That was five years ago. Today the father and son own three pizzerias in the Omaha area, with a fourth on the way. While Jon S. handles strategy and long-term planning, his son is in charge of the day-today operations of the stores.

The Crowes are not alone. While it seems like a recipe for disaster (kids listening to their parents? yeah, right), franchise brokers and franchise brands report that increasing numbers of parents and their children are going into business together and enjoying fantastic success.

TALKIN ’BOUT OUR GENERATIONS