When it comes to business partnerships there’s no doubt that there are a lot of benefits to unpack. This is even more true for business partnerships between parents and children. When it comes to this type of partnership, there are several built-in advantages that range from long-term experience, understanding, and most importantly trust. While it's true that a relationship cannot survive without conflict, the bonds between a parent and a child means there is significant motivation to make it work. Having a family member as a business partner is not as complicated as it may seem, so here are four parent-child businesses that prove this truth:
Spice Kitchen
It all started as an intimate conversion between a mother and child. Since his mother enjoyed cooking and experimenting with spices, Sanjay pitched the idea of Spice Kitchen to her and from that moment the seed for Spice Kitchen was sown. The first tin they produced was a Masala Dabba Spice which they listed on eBay and was soon sold the next day; Spice Kitchen kicked off from there. Who could imagine that an innocent conversation between mother and child coupled with a unique idea to set up a business for his retired mum would birth this growing empire? For Sanjay and his mum Shashi, Spice Kitchen is a dream come true.
Interior design by S&S was born when Sharon Fletcher saw an opportunity to start a partnership with her daughter, combining her years of experience with her daughter’s expertise. Sherica Maynard, a graduate of design, believed it was a good idea to partner with her mother who had years of experience in the field. This partnership was built on a bedrock of love, trust and 30 years of combined experience. Today, Interior Design by S&S has morphed into a growing and successful design firm. What could be better than winning with family?
Val Griffin and her daughter Breezy were driving from Seattle to Vancouver when they both found themselves craving snacks, and then the idea for an almond chocolate snack was brought up. The fact that they could not get any product of that kind inspired them into creating Skinny Dipped. The mother-daughter duo loved almonds and figured that the combination of almonds and chocolate complements each other perfectly. Val Griffin and Breezy’s 'appetite' inspired Skinny Dipped and all it has become.
The enthusiasm of an industrious high school student laid the foundation of what would become House of Aama as we now know it. When Akua Shabaka was in High School, she opened an online store on Esty where she listed upcycled vintage garments. At that time, her mother, Rebecca Henry helped with cutting and sewing the orders. In 2015, they saw an opportunity for expansion and this was how House of Aama was formed. Described as a spiritual expression of themselves, Rebecca Henry and Akua Shabaka’s House of Aama explores the folkways of the Black experience. Their design is noted to be an expression of their historical origins and references from archival analysis, and storytelling. Rebecca Henry and Akua Shabaka decided to start their business and today, they are better because of it.
Think about Sanjay and Shashi, Sharon and Sherica, Griffin and Breezy, Rebecca Henry and Akua Shabaka, the formidable duos who have become successful business partners. They decided to trail this path and it paid off; I mean, what better foundation could a business be built upon than on love, trust, and the bond between a parent and child?