Worcester Business Journal

16 Worcester Business Journal | May 13, 2024 | wbjournal.com F O C U S S M A L L B U S I N E S S & FA M I LY B U S I N E S S those tasks and divided them. But those divisions only allow us to grow, which is why we've been able to grow so quickly," said Azier, "which is why I can be at seven events in a week and still be okay because my husband is taking care of the things on this other end. And we can constantly be in communication with it because we live together." A main reason Azier was able to take her business from bringing home $80,000 in revenue in 2022 to accumulating nearly $250,000 in 2023 was because she brought her husband onto the Bri's Sweet Treats team, she said. At Casey's Diner, the dynamics of working with family have been a bit more nuanced. "My thing with my dad was, you know, he was in charge, and I just did everything his way and waited my turn; and eventually it came," said Casey. "I used to say, 'I have all the responsibility and none of the authority.' But now that I have all of the authority and responsibility, I realize, you know, what the burden is to bear, and I really didn't have that when the buck stopped with him. But now it's all on me." Casey's father, Fred Casey, had an experience not too different from Pat's in certain ways. It took a lot of convincing on Fred's part to sway his own father, Joe Casey, to replace his refrigerator coil water station with bottled water, and he had to work hard to convince him to allow potato chips on the menu. For Pat Casey, it wasn't until he took over and his father had passed he was able to make some substantial moves he had been waiting patiently to make. Since then, Casey has expanded the diner's menu, adding items including shakes, floats, ice cream, and french fries. e diner even started serving breakfast. Navigating family dynamics at Barrows Hardware has been smooth sailing, said Barrows. "e success of the business was always in the forefront," he said. "To have the business continue without anything catastrophic … the business was always first." Having an aligned goal helped keep the tensions and drama at bay for the Barrowses, said Brian. "We saw eye to eye on what's important in the way of business and being successful," he said. A lineage, continued "is is our legacy. is is what we want to leave behind," said Azier. e theme of family legacy is woven into the fabric of Azier's business, one of which she hopes her 9-year-old son will carry on when she retires. Yet, she's cognizant not to force the idea upon him, knowing that could scare him away from the prospect. Instead, she's selling him on her company's mission, since he's already sick of chocolate. "I'll tell anyone who listens, 'Chocolate and candy was never the goal. e goal was being able to give back and leave a legacy on this earth, grow the community, leave the community in a better place,'" Azier said. While Azier's preferred succession plan is clear, it is more up in the air when it comes to who will fill Casey's and Barrows' shoes once they retire. Casey's oldest daughter has other aspirations, said Casey, but he has several other potential inheritors to choose from including his two younger daughters, his baby grandson, and his employee and cousin, Shannon. For Barrows, his two daughters having chosen other career paths. It's not clear who he will pass the torch on to, but he does hope the store can stay within the family. Luckily, his successor isn't his major concern at the moment, as he looks to advance Barrows Hardware under his leadership. "We're gonna go full steam ahead," he said. Continued from previous page Bri Azier, CEO and owner of Bri's Sweet Treats, said starting her shop was a fluke, an unexpected outcome from making chocolate for friends and family to lift their spirits during the COVID pandemic. W

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