Catch up on the latest episode of Made in Kent with Arthur Navarro-Allen.
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00:00Hello and welcome to Made in Kent, live on KMTV. I'm Arthur Navarro-Allen and this week
00:25it's All Relative. We are looking into what it takes to have a family business running
00:30in Kent. To kick things off this week, I am joined in the studio by our reporter Azaria
00:35Gayle, who has looked into the numbers, and Luis Villosa, who is employed by a family
00:40pharmacy in Strood. Thank you both for joining me. Let's start with you Azaria. What is
00:46the average success rate for family-run businesses? Well, according to a survey conducted by the
00:51EY, 67% of family-owned businesses plan to pass on to the next generation. However, the
00:58average success rate of family-run businesses being passed on to the next generation is
01:06around 30%, with only 12% of businesses transitioning to the third generation, in a report made
01:14by the Business Institute. And Luis, now you work for a family business. In your experience,
01:20how is that compared to more traditionally structured employers? Yeah, I do think it's
01:25definitely noticeable, in terms of you get that, you can tell that it's a family, as
01:32in compared to traditionally structured employers, I would say that you have the, it kind of
01:39runs in a sort of structure. Obviously with a family-run business, it's still a business,
01:43it's still structured, but you get that familiar aspect. And like with my employers, I can
01:47tell they're a family and they can share that experience with us, in a way. What are
01:53some of the challenges that have been reported of running a family business? The challenges
01:58they might face include stressful family dynamics, a lack of professional management, and disagreements
02:04at the core values of the business as it evolves. Therefore, it can be quite remarkable when
02:10a family business can lead a legacy. One of the main risks of these businesses is actually
02:18one of succession. According to a report by Step, over two thirds of family business owners
02:24don't have a plan on who will take over the business after the death of an owner. And
02:29Luis, has working for a family given you any inspiration to maybe start a business of your
02:35own in the future? Yeah, I would definitely say it's given me a new outlook on things.
02:40It's easier to see how these family-run businesses operate more on a personal level. It's something
02:47a lot more interesting than a traditional business. Well, thank you both for joining
02:53me. But now it's time to hear from someone with first-hand experience. Earlier, I sat
02:59down with Luis's boss, Vinita Chopra, to talk to her about some of the behind-the-scenes
03:05realities of running a family business. Vinita, thank you for joining us here. How did your
03:11family get involved with running this pharmacy business? I qualified as a pharmacist just
03:21over 15 years ago. My husband already was a pharmacist when I first met him. He already
03:26had a shop, and we've expanded thereafter to have three in total. Was it smooth sailing?
03:34Mostly smooth sailing along the way? I've got two young children, a three-year-old and
03:38six-year-old, so it takes up a lot of time. Longer commitments. We are open. We used to
03:45be open seven in the morning till 11 at night, a 100-hour pharmacy. So it's hard to kind
03:53of struggle and juggle family life alongside your own personal life as well. You just mentioned
04:01your children. Do you plan on keeping the business within the family, or would you ever
04:05consider selling it on? No, I want my children to do something else. Probably, if they weren't
04:10interested in it, yeah, sell it on. But let's say they're still way too young. How do you
04:17find that balance between work and life? It's teamwork. Me and my husband just work together.
04:23He's got a brother as well. That helps as well. I think you just need to be strong and
04:27have good work ethics and teamwork. Just kind of support with friends and family as well.
04:35But I think you just need to be focused and career-minded, really, and I've always been
04:41like that since I was young. What are the positives of working closely with your family?
04:47Definitely worthwhile. Although stressful, I think it's definitely beneficial for us
04:54as a family, long run, and in the trade that we're in as well. It's really rewarding.
05:02Well, it certainly seems that there are some highs and lows when running a business with
05:06your family. So let's dive into another example. Ginger Lily, a florist in Rochester, is run
05:13by a mother and daughter duo. We sent our reporter, Jake Turner, down to see how they
05:18found their start and what the business looks like today.
05:22A warm welcome, a community presence, and a family feel is exactly what mother and daughter
05:27duo, Leslie and Georgia, strive for at their Rochester High Street Florists. The pair have
05:34been at the helm of their small business for 15 years, creating displays and arrangements
05:38for all kinds of events and special occasions.
05:41So my mum's been a florist all of my life. She's worked in different shops, and then
05:48many years ago we decided we were just going to go it alone, set up the business, and have
05:52been working ever since together. We make it work. Sometimes we overrun. We might not
05:58be here 9 till 5 throughout the day, but sometimes I'm here till 10, 11 o'clock at night working
06:04because being a family-run business, if I need to go to the school to watch the school
06:08play, I'm able to leave the shop and mum be here. So it is a lot of give and take and
06:16it works well. Sometimes we're not here up until 9 till 5 because we're able to go and
06:21look after my poorly grandpa. So on a Sunday afternoon, we'll pop into the shop and do
06:25some Monday's work so that we haven't got to spend so long at work and things like that.
06:31It's all just give and take.
06:32According to a study by the Family Business Research Foundation in 2023, there were more
06:37than 5 million family-run businesses in the UK. Family businesses generated a turnover
06:44of £2.8 trillion that year. Within that, micro-businesses had the highest turnover,
06:50amounting to £930 billion. The economic impact of family-run businesses doesn't end there.
06:57The organisation Family Business UK states that family businesses employ 13.9 million
07:04people a year.
07:06So now that we've had a look around, Georgia's now going to show me how to make a bouquet.
07:11So each flower that you add in, you put it at an angle. That's right. And then add a flower.
07:22And then twist it.
07:23Twist it slightly, yeah. And then add another one. So it's a spiral stem.
07:29Okay. Yeah, that's perfect, yeah.
07:33Yeah.
07:34Yeah.
07:35And then add some more of it. Just keep going adding what you'd like to add.
07:40No excuse not to have a good Mother's Day bouquet this year now.
07:43That's so true.
07:50I think my flower arranging might need a bit more work if I want to be Georgia's new apprentice.
07:54Jake Turner for KMTV.
07:57Now, Ginger Lily is an example of a modern business being passed from mother to daughter.
08:03But what about a business that is still going even after being passed down through five generations?
08:09That's the case with Morelli's Gelato in Broadstairs.
08:13The ice cream shop has been in the Morelli family for over 100 years.
08:18Jake Turner went down to find out more about its history.
08:22Sand, sea, and if you're lucky, a bit of sun.
08:25The only thing left to complete the perfect day at the beach is ice cream.
08:29And where better to get it than one of the most iconic attractions Kent Seaside has to offer?
08:34We've come to Morelli's Gelato in Broadstairs to find out how a multi-generational family-run business can work.
08:40As a spacious and colourful ice cream parlour on Victoria Parade,
08:43Morelli's has been a part of Broadstairs Seafront for over 100 years.
08:47Originating in 1907, Marino Morelli turned his homemade recipe into a small business
08:52before his son created the original shop here in Kent in 1932.
08:56I went and spoke to some of the business runners of Morelli's and even a young member of the family itself.
09:01I'm sixth generation. I'm 20 years old.
09:04I'm hoping to go into the business once I finish university.
09:09And yeah, overall, I kind of want to follow in my grandfather's footsteps, continue the legacy, and yeah.
09:16You don't want to be the generation that fails.
09:19You want to be the generation that puts it into as good a position that you're able to pass it on strongly into the next generation.
09:28And it's difficult to keep a generational business going because who's going to do it?
09:35Many times, different members of the family, they don't want to do something like this.
09:40They've got a different education. They want to do different things in their life.
09:44So then you need to make sure that you've got management that are committed enough to the business to take it on
09:51and trying to balance what people love about things being like they were
09:57and having to make changes that make sure you stay relevant.
10:01I'm very proud of how it's progressed.
10:05Obviously, we kind of keep the same style in the business.
10:10But in terms of the legacy, it's a lot to live up to.
10:16But I think it's just wonderful to kind of be involved in this community as well.
10:22In Broadstairs, it's amazing. I mean, the community is amazing.
10:26The family have always been a part of it.
10:28So from my perspective of the shop in particular in Broadstairs is, you know, this has a real community feel.
10:35It's been here for, you know, since 1930s.
10:39You know, and it's a place where everybody can come together, bring their children, you know, and have fun.
10:44And I think what this really does do is bring people together.
10:48And even in today's world is it brings families who may have spread out across the country or internationally
10:53and brings them all together where they can enjoy what they used to have in their childhood
10:58and can still enjoy very much exactly the same thing in today.
11:02It's kind of been everywhere, but Broadstairs has always been the one standing.
11:07It's always been here.
11:08364 days a year.
11:10So, yeah, apart from Christmas Day, we've been nonstop for 117 years this business has been going.
11:18And hopefully it will go on for much longer.
11:21Jake Turner for KMTV.
11:23You've been watching Made in Kent live on KMTV.
11:28There's more news made for Kent throughout the evening.
11:30And don't forget, you can always keep up to date with the latest news across the county by logging on to KMTV.co.uk.
11:37But from me, from everyone here at the studio, we wish you a very, very good evening and we'll see you soon.
12:00KMTV.