“Business just intensifies everything one way or the other,” Tony Melhem warns. “But if it’s going to be good, it’s going to be sensational.”
Before establishing the Coco Cubano franchise in 2008, Tony and Avril Melham were Gloria Jean’s franchisees, and have been involved in business and franchising for more than 12 years. The couple challenges each other, and their partnerships in business have strengthened their personal relationship.
“To have a successful relationship you need to have some common values, interests and goals,” Tony says. Over time, if a couple is not working on their relationship, it can be easy to lose sight of those shared objectives and ambitions.
Although he is an advocate for couples in business, Tony acknowledges it works better for some more than others. Partners that tend to play the blame game should be cautioned against it, because in business there will be plenty of reasons to hold the other person responsible.
Key questions
Tony recommends couples make certain it’s something they really want to do and ask themselves questions:
“Can they work together? Are their goals and visions aligned? Are they going to be supporting each other in the business, and have clear and defined roles?”
Linking business and home life
Tony believes experience in the industry a couple is contemplating is not necessary, but at least one of the pair should be passionate about it.“You need passion to get you through the tough times and there are always testing times in any business,” he says. “If you’re not passionate about it you should be doing something else.”
Tony says talking about Coco Cubano is not work for him and Avril because business is intertwined into their daily lives. “We enjoy it, that’s why it’s fun to be passionate about it.”
With daughters aged seven, five and two the Melhams appreciate quality time and holidays, but even family time in the office is enjoyable. “The good thing is we get to hang out together.”
When Tony and Avril first began in franchising, they established individual roles and job descriptions, which were based on their strengths and interests. “Whether it’s front of house, back of house, administration, service, hospitality or HR, have clearly defined roles and areas of responsibility,” he advises. “Debating everything all the time serves no purpose or gain.”
For the five years the Melhams were Gloria Jean’s franchisees, Tony was actually employed elsewhere.
He explains, “I still had my job working with the government and I worked in the business part-time.” Tony was responsible for the marketing and management, while Avril was in charge of operations.
Tony says having one of the partners maintain a full-time job, while starting up the franchise, is beneficial. “You need to factor in some time for it to become established, I think that’s really important. Having one person in the business allows you to have more perspective and to be objective.”
He concedes owning a business is not for everyone. “There will be challenges,especially in the beginning. People need to do their own due diligence to ensure they can fund and sustain building a business.”
Tony warns that jumping into any business without adequate finance is na¥ve. “If there are two of you and you don’t have as much working capital as you’d like, then it’s important to have someone that’s still working.”
Now as franchisors the pair both work in their business full-time and their position descriptions have evolved over time: “My role is very broad as CEO where Avril’s role is more about design and operations.”_Naturally, being in business with your spouse versus a business partner means emotions are much more heightened.
Tony explains, “You share in the tough times as a couple but at the same time, you’re sharing the journey, the rewards, the growth, the learning.”
He says honesty is paramount and you need to be each other’s biggest supporter. “You’ve got to want to encourage each other to grow and develop; you need to have a lot of candor and not make it personal.
“If you’ve got a good, healthy, positive relationship, it’s the best thing you can do together.”
5 tips to couple success
- Your relationship must be secure
- Be passionate about your busines
- Allocate yourselves specific role
- Only one of you can be the boss
- Be open, honest, supportive and encouraging