Britt Rawlinson grew up watching her mother balance a bustling Calgary-based consignment business with the duties of motherhood.
“My mom started with just a concept and three kids under the age of five when she opened the shop,” Ms. Rawlinson recalls. “She was working all day, and then did the parent thing after school, then would go back to work in the evening. So, we were used to growing up in the shop and we took for granted what that imprinted on us.”
That exposure sparked a passion for business and entrepreneurship. Ms. Rawlinson now owns a consignment business of her own on Toronto’s trendy Dundas West strip called VSP Consignment, and her sister, Blake Rawlinson, is now co-owner of the Calgary shop their mother, Dianne Rawlinson, launched in 1983, Vespucci Consignment.
Television shows like Succession project a harrowing image of how mixing business and family can go awry. Still, in 2022, leadership in over half of Canada’s family-run businesses reported intentions to pass ownership of the business to another family member when the time comes. Furthermore, women-run independent businesses are slowly increasing, rising from 16 per cent in 2017 to 18 per cent in 2023. At the intersection of these trends are entrepreneurial ventures where mothers and daughters are joining forces to hold space in Canada’s business ecosystem.
“One thing that strikes me about mother-daughter teams is that women still today confront significant challenges in the business world, like gender bias,” reflects Danny Miller, a research professor at HEC Montréal specializing in families and entrepreneurship.
“The mother understands that and has been able to figure out how to overcome it, and pass on knowledge, resolve, and social skills to help her daughters navigate what may be a tougher business environment.”
Anzie Stein founded Anzie Jewelry in Montreal in 1999 after her husband was diagnosed with colorectal cancer. The first piece was the Lifesaver Bracelet to raise funds for colorectal cancer awareness. She works with her daughters Joanna, left, and Jaclyn, right.SUPPLIED
For the women behind Anzie, a fine jewelry company based in Montreal, the knowledge exchange that makes their business successful flows in two directions. Anzie Stein, the company’s founder, has overseen all elements of the business since she started the company in 1999. However, Ms. Stein is quick to point out that her daughters, both of whom helm Anzie with her today, bring invaluable insights of their own from their respective generations.
“We’re from different generations, so it’s important to listen before jumping to any conclusions,” Ms. Stein says, reflecting on how the team approaches new ideas. “My question is always what if this happens, what if that happens? You’re always learning, and I’ve found that taking chances together, I can put that if aside. You can’t grow too quickly and you can’t be afraid of growth either.”
“I learned so much from watching,” adds Joanna Stein, the company’s vice-president of sales. “When the company started, I was about 12, and my sister started travelling [for work] with my mother when she was 18. They taught me everything that they know, and I brought in a fresh perspective having gone to business school and learning the digital media aspect of it. I’m older now, but I brought in a younger perspective and it allowed us to target all age groups.”
Ms. Stein’s daughter Jaclyn says one of the keys to the success of their family business, which boasts retail partnerships with major department stores like Holt Renfrew and Saks, is the clear understanding of each woman’s role.
“We had to delineate what our responsibilities were to make things clear cut, and create accountability,” she says. “Trust is a big part of business and that’s just innate with family members, so that made it easy for us.”
Dianne Rawlinson, left, stands beside her daughters Britt, centre, and Blake, right. Dianne started a consignment business when her daughters were young, and now both run consignment businesses.SUPPLIED
Mr. Miller points out trust as a huge advantage that family businesses have from the outset. Especially in ventures with multi-generational leadership, family ties provide unique opportunities for professional development that may not exist in other corporate contexts.
“Obviously, there’s the mentorship that the mother can bring to the situation. She will tell her daughter the fine details of the business, introduce them to the customers, explain how to deal with different people and all that could be something a CEO might be unwilling to share with someone who’s not a relative.”
In Britt Rawlinson’s case, the trade secrets she got from her mother have been invaluable, she says, in helping her understand how to create the right store environment.
“The way in which she welcomed and engaged with all her clients and the community that came through the door – she treated everyone like they were her neighbour, and did it really genuinely. I saw the impact that that had on her business. You have to work hard, be happy, and enjoy your community.”
Community roots, Mr. Miller explains, are what make family businesses such important components of national and international economies.
“Family businesses are the most important type in the world,” he says. “They account for 80 per cent of employment in most countries, they tend to live about three times longer than non-family businesses. They’re the most vibrant and successful types of organizations in the most rapidly growing economies around the world. Yet, if you look at most MBA programs, you don’t find courses on family business. So it’s time that society paid more attention to this massive economic engine.”