They Say Don't Mix Business with Family... | Ferrari Bros.
Tony and Austin Ferrari grew up in Cincinnati attending North Avondale Montessori where their mother, Theresa, was a teacher’s assistant. They moved to California and now they are back and work together!
I will begin by saying that when speaking with Tony (older brother), Austin (little brother) and Theresa (mom) the first thing I noticed was there were no pauses. No second guessing, no crafting of the perfect response, simply genuine responses to the questions I asked…
An interview with a Cincinnati entrepreneurial family, the Ferrari Brothers and Mom:
What is it like running a business with your mom/son/brother?
Tony: It’s good, I know a lot of people have that perception of running a business with family can be tough and like any business or family we certainly have our moments but when you get it right, I think it runs really well. It’s good to know I have my mom and brother who I can rely on and that we have each other’s backs. We share the same work ethic and when times gets tough, we can count on each other to pick each other up.
Austin: I think for me it’s just fun and unique, I never really thought it would happen, working with mom especially. Being around my brother feels normal at this point so it all came together. It’s like living at home again, when things get heated and we work through things we do it like we always have. We all work very similarly, and all the instincts we have we learned from our mother.
Mom: It’s beautiful, I’m very proud of all my kids. I never dreamed all this would happen.
To Tony and Austin, is there anything you miss about California?
Tony: Everything! Always beautiful weather; the product availability was great and we had everything on hand that we needed so at times we find ourselves now trying to find people to grow things for us to replace that. Also, in a way I miss the creativity both in cooks and diners. In California, there was definitely a willingness from chefs and guests to try all kinds of foods where people here tend to know what they want when they go out to eat which results in chefs and guests gravitating toward safer options.
Austin: I miss it every day, the food especially and culture. People always out eating and drinking, it had a lifestyle and flow all its own. Mostly just miss the ambiance and the people.
Are there things about Cincinnati you like more than when you think back about your time in California?
Tony: Absolutely, hospitality is so important to us and it is definitely strong and important in Cincinnati. The people are nice and forgiving to each other. Also, between the lower cost of living and ability to commute more effectively here than in California, it makes it way more possible to provide the services we want in Cincinnati and still make a living. There is an importance placed on family here, some great school systems and a lot of history in this city. All of those things are important to us and we love it here for those reasons.
Austin: Being from here it’s home, my family is here and I can afford to live comfortably and we don’t have some of the drama of earthquakes, violence and widespread homelessness we felt in California. Mostly my family, it’s so nice to have them close.
In your opinion, is conflict resolution different when you’re dealing with a family member than it might be in other businesses where that isn’t a factor?
Tony: I don’t think so, I really think when you lose sight of the line between what is business and what is family you begin to lose touch with your customers and the overall mission. It’s easy to lose opportunities and solutions when you let business and family cross paths.
Austin: A bit sure, it can be hard to tell either my brother or mother what I think at times or worry they might take it the wrong way. Got to find a balance and understand that this is a business.
Mom: It doesn’t happen that often but my approach is to frame all conflicts in a positive way.
What benefits do you find you have when running a business with your family?
Tony: Sense of peace. There’s a level of trust when working with family. It becomes easier when scheduling and assigning duties knowing we’re entrusting these things to our mom or brother and we are able to be open and honest with each other.
Austin: Lots of support, it’s amazing. We’re always there for each other.
Mom: We get to go to work and still be a family, every business should have a feeling of family. Even the employees who work with me are my adoptive kids. And they call me Mom which tickles me!
Are there parts of the business that you find are uniquely Tony, uniquely Austin or uniquely Mom?
Tony: I definitely feel we work well together as a team; I would say Austin is very strong with managing over our marketing and has that “front-of-house” presence where I’m more about the business and take more of a “back-of-house” role. Mom runs daily operations making sure all the deliveries are on time and keeps up with associate relationships and overall just keeping people accountable in the same way she’s kept on me and Austin growing up. She’s always been the rock of our family, raising four kids on her own. She has always been the nurturing type and very supportive. Basically, whatever we wanted to do she would support it if we were good at it and worked hard.
Austin: For Tony it’s all about the food and operations, I’m more the coffee and wine guy and mom keeps everything organized and clean.
Mom: All of us have different visions, Tony is food, Austin knows so much about wine and my background in home repair helped when this house became available and we wanted to turn it into Mom ‘N ‘Em.
Tony and Mom, are there parts of your family’s heritage that you have infused into either the menu at Fausto or into your mission as a business?
Tony: Well our dad was from Italy so growing up we were always surrounded by that rich Italian culture of keeping family first, making sure everyone gets fed, and a love for food, wine and socializing. I definitely feel that our culture is important in our business and like to believe you experience that when you visit any of our locations.
Mom: I was raised in a big family, there were seven of us, so when I see the large community table at Mom ‘N ‘Em full of people it takes me back to my childhood home. Community is really important.
What is one of the biggest challenges in running a family business?
Tony: I think having a balance of dreams and reality, understanding what needs to be done today versus five years from today. It’s important to have goals but there are operational needs and things we need to build on so being on the same page with that is so important.
Austin: Making sure everyone is on the same page and knowing we all want different things but making sure our vision is aligned. But I really enjoy it.
Mom: Challenges are part of life you’ll find it anywhere. But I’d say all being on the same page, everyone has a different way of doing things so it’s best to go back to the way things were written up in the beginning.
What are some of the ways that you try to make your employees feel included?
Tony: Our employees are super important to us. We always try to include our employees in our goals and strategies during meetings. For our long-term employees we provide opportunities for growth and ultimately profit sharing. We try to give each employee that works for us a lot of freedom to express themselves and bring ideas to the table to make things better for them and our customers. It’s an open door policy and we want them to feel like true ambassadors of the company. It’s very important to us that they feel included.
Austin: For me I’m big on delegating and making sure everyone feels involved in what is happening with things like ordering, scheduling or whatever I can empower others to do. Being around and talking one-on-one.
Mom: I show respect for everyone and everyone is unique. Getting to know them and their passions. We actually have a lot of talented artists on the staff and I want them to express their ideas and have a voice. I want to always be someone they can come to with anything. The more I let them do the more they can help keep things running without me. RESPECT for one another is very important to us and leading by example.
That’s our interview, so from me, the Ferrari Bros. and Mom I say “Ciao!”
