Page 97 - Entrepreneur - USA (January - February 2020)

Strategy #4 can be home with their children and spouses in the evening. “Our
Build a family-oriented culture
Company
Bloomin’ Blinds
Franchise 500 Placement
Unranked last year; #160 this year
linds aren’t a very sexy topic,” says Kelsey Stuart, CEO of
Bloomin’ Blinds. “Nobody goes to career day and says, ‘I
Bwant to be a blinds guy.’ ” So how did this family-owned
business—which, to be clear, sells and repairs blinds—skip 340 spots
on the list this year? It began focusing on the culture that differenti- rate, it would just be too many people,” says Stuart, who likes to say
ates it from other franchise companies.
Stuart’s mom launched Bloomin’ Blinds after moving to Texas
in 2001 and 13 years later awarded its first franchise. Stuart and
his two brothers, Kevin and Kris, took over in 2017 to continue the
growth into a national franchise. Their slow-growth strategy allowed
them to put their family before business, and recently, the broth-
ers decided to lean hard into that aspect of their company. In its
recruitment material, for instance, the company now boasts that it’s
designed to operate during regular business hours, so franchisees
franchisees feel like they’re part of our family, and they have their
own families, too,” says Stuart. “We convey that connection.”
The schtick works because—well, it’s not schtick. The Stuart broth-
ers work side by side in a 15-by-15 office, and during business meet-
ings, it’s typical to see their kids running around. And while most
companies provide assistance for business-related inquiries, Bloomin’
Blinds franchisees have the brothers’ cell numbers on speed dial.
Sometimes the kids join the conversation. “I’m sitting on the couch
with my family, and one of my guys in California calls,” says Stuart.
“I’m talking, and my girl looks at the phone and goes, ‘Hi, Mr. Steve!’ ”
To protect the personal, family-first culture, Bloomin’ Blinds
still keeps its growth in check. “If we doubled or tripled our growth
his daughters make the company’s business decisions. “We couldn’t
possibly provide the kind of service we’re trying to.” Still, Bloomin’
Blinds added 10 new franchise locations in 2019—and the compa-
ny’s strength was enough to not only crack the Franchise 500 but
make one of the biggest jumps of any company.
Over the years, the brothers have learned a lot about mixing family
with business. Specifically, they discovered that you can’t microman-
age. “We give each other a lot of freedom,” says Stuart. “Because that’s
the only way it works when you work so closely with family.”