Before opening his first But store as a franchise with his wife at the end of 2022, Alexandre Collin, 41, had risen through the ranks for twenty years as an employee of the furniture brand. Salesperson, section manager and – supreme consecration – store manager. Based in Hauts-de-France, he nevertheless decided to open a 980 square meter premises, with a 1,000 square meter warehouse, in Thiers, in Puy-de-Dôme. Not without having discussed it at length with his wife, Céline. “She joined the entrepreneurial project and the life project, specifies the new business manager. Our children, aged 12 and 18, are now independent, and we found everything we needed in the city, both in terms of schooling and leisure. We immediately felt welcomed.”
For her part, Céline did not hesitate to leave her position as sales manager in a distribution brand in order to start with her husband. Within the new structure, which employs eight people, Alexandre holds the position of commercial director, Céline taking charge of all the administrative part. “We have ensured that the tasks are well distributed. For the moment, it is working very well”, he rejoices.
Relationships not always idyllic
Attractive on paper, professional couple associations do not always work idyllically. While certain sectors of activity (food, catering, cooking, etc.) lend themselves particularly well to this because of the difficulty of recruiting and the large working hours, others appear incompatible in terms of profitability. This is particularly the case for personal services. “In this type of business, the income generated at the end of the month is not sufficient to support a household, particularly during the launch period, warns Caroline Morizot, consultant at CM Franchise. In addition, for many networks, the fear of seeing marital problems affect the store, because everything can come to an abrupt end in the event of a disagreement or, worse, a breakup.”
Everything must therefore be weighed carefully before embarking on this path: distribution of roles; investment of part of the common resources; maintaining a balance between private and professional life; modes of childcare… “In many respects, couples are like partners, continues the consultant. Both partners must establish from the start the operating rules that will apply throughout the contract.” It is also better to approach a notary to protect the family patrimony, by opting for the appropriate matrimonial regime (separation of property, community with participation in the acquests, etc.), and by establishing a declaration of exemption from seizure for the residence of the household. In short, well bordering the future professional life for two…