Building a Business That Grows With Your Family
How the Bartsch Family’s Fibrenew Franchise Became a Platform for Shared Ownership, Succession, and Long-Term Opportunity
For many entrepreneurs considering franchising, the appeal goes well beyond financial return. Increasingly, prospective franchisees are looking for business models that support lifestyle alignment, long-term continuity, and meaningful family involvement. Few stories illustrate this more clearly than that of Margot Bartsch, her husband Doug, and their daughter Sara, owners of Fibrenew Fraser Valley in British Columbia’s Lower Mainland.
Today, the Bartsch family operates their Fibrenew business as equal partners, each holding a one-third ownership stake. But their journey toward a family-owned franchise did not happen overnight. It was shaped by years of entrepreneurial experience, deliberate role alignment, and a strong belief in the value of shared responsibility and succession planning.
Early Lessons in Family Enterprise
Margot’s experience with family business ownership began well before Fibrenew. In 2009, she launched a tutoring franchise on her own. From the outset, it became a hands-on learning environment not just for her but also for her family.
Her daughters were involved in various aspects of the business—from promotions and office administration to consultations and client enrollment. The exposure provided them with practical experience that would later prove invaluable as they pursued university degrees and professional careers.
“Getting real-world business experience early on is huge,” Margot explains. “It gave my daughters opportunities to build skills and confidence that would have been difficult to get elsewhere.”
At the same time, the business created a meaningful transition for Doug. After stepping away from a career that required frequent time away from family, he joined the tutoring business and took responsibility for finance and backend operations. What emerged was a true family enterprise—one that balanced professional standards with personal values.
Applying Experience to Fibrenew
When the Bartsch family later entered the Fibrenew system, those earlier lessons became critical. Doug initially launched the Fibrenew franchise on his own, managing both frontline repair work and administrative responsibilities. While operationally strong, the workload was demanding.
Margot soon joined the business, allowing each partner to focus on their strengths—Doug on operations and detail, Margot on big-picture strategy and growth. The impact was immediate.
“That’s when the business really started to grow and become more profitable,” Margot says.
This complementary approach—aligning roles to individual strengths—proved foundational, not only to business performance, but to maintaining healthy family dynamics.
Creating a Path for the Next Generation
The Bartsch family’s franchise journey took another important step when their youngest daughter, Sara, expressed interest in joining the business. Rather than treating this as informal involvement, the family approached it strategically.
They expanded by purchasing an additional territory and brought Sara in as an equal one-third owner, formalizing a succession plan that benefits all parties. For Margot and Doug, it provides a path to gradually slow down over time. For Sara, it creates a genuine ownership opportunity with mentorship built in.
“We wanted it to be a win-win,” Margot explains. “A way for us to step back eventually, and for Sara to build real equity and responsibility in something she’s helping to grow.”
Today, the business operates with a broader team, and the family is intentional about creating a culture that supports both family members and non-family staff.
Lessons for Prospective Franchisees
For those considering a family-owned franchise, Margot is clear about the principles that matter most.
First, structure matters. Legal agreements, clear ownership terms, and transparent communication are essential—not just for those involved in the business, but for family members who are not.
Second, family does not replace professionalism. Treating relatives as true business partners, respecting boundaries between work and personal life, and recognizing individual strengths are all critical to long-term success.
Finally, franchising offers a unique opportunity to design a business that aligns with personal values.
“Owning your own business gives you the power to make it function for your life,” Margot says. “If you can envision what you want it to look like, you can put the pieces in place to get there.”
For the Bartsch family, Fibrenew has become more than a business. It is a platform for shared ownership, generational learning, and a future built together—an example of what is possible when franchising is approached with intention and clarity.
