Designer Sarah Baeumler: Blowing up supporting role cliché

Article content

When someone marries in to an enterprising family, their intersecting roles can become complicated. In this series, we explore the stories of people who “married in.”

Sarah Baeumler is not simply a supporting player. While her role as wife to property developer and businessman Bryan Baeumler and mother to their four children is important to her, Sarah does not indulge the idea that she – or most other wives in family enterprises – merely “marry into” a family business.

Sarah, like many of her peers and counterparts, was integral in the success of her husband’s early businesses, and she already had an entrepreneurial spirit. She co-founded the Baeumler group of companies and the family recently starred on the HGTV series Island of Bryan.

Today she is the founder of her e-commerce lifestyle brand, Sarah Baeumler, and she continues to be a leader in her family’s global projects.

One of Sarah’s colleagues, Lyne Castonguay, is the founding partner and chief executive of Victrice, a Florida-based consulting, advisory and investment firm that spans a multitude of industries. Castonguay has worked with many of Canada’s most successful families, including the Saputo and Sobey families.

Here, both women share how the roles of “wife and mother” are being redefined in the family enterprise environment.

Sarah Baeumler, founder and creative director of her Burlington, Ont.-based namesake lifestyle and design company

What has your role has been as a founder of a family business with your husband, Bryan?

“In the early days of our family-run business, Bryan and I chose to engage in many gender stereotypical roles that were based on societal expectation. Bryan took on a leadership role and I often chose more supporting roles within the business.

However, that has definitely changed over the past 18 years. Our roles now are strongly based on individual skill sets, personal interests and experience, rather than gender.

Today, as our businesses must constantly adapt and change with the world, our roles are largely determined based on our strengths and what we bring to the table. We look to one another as equal partners, sharing responsibilities and decision-making power, all with the same goal of achieving success for the family.”

When did you begin to branch off on your own into founding your own businesses?

“It was approximately two years ago that I began carving some time out to focus my attention on the development of my own businesses.

The desire to grow and expand my brand came at a time when we had just finished the hotel project in the Bahamas and I felt that I had more to share with this incredible community of viewers, travellers, and fellow design enthusiasts.”

What challenges did you face along the way, as a woman in business?

“I have to remind myself to have patience with where I am in my own business.

Although I have been an entrepreneur for decades alongside Bryan, the launch of my own business began just 2 years ago. This is a new chapter for me, and I have to give myself the grace to move at my own pace as I strategize and find ways to grow the business in a market that seems to be changing at a rapid pace.”

Were there times that your role as mother and caregiver had to take a backseat to your role as businesswoman, and vice versa?

“Personally, I think that being a mother and a businesswoman are two roles that are mutually beneficial.

There are so many skills gained from motherhood that I apply every day in my workplace. Whether it be multitasking, problem-solving, time management and even crisis prevention – these roles often are found in the day-to-day workings of an office setting.

Likewise, I look to the skills I have gained in the corporate world and used these throughout motherhood as I have navigated the ups and downs of four very active and independent children.

There is no doubt that balancing the role of mother and businesswoman is challenging, but a supportive network, proper planning, and open communication make it possible to truly succeed in both roles while staying true to your own sense of self.”

As someone who has often been portrayed as such, how do you see the typecasting of women marrying in to a family business as playing a supporting role?

“This has been a stereotype for a long time, and I would like to believe that it is gradually changing.

For many women in a family business, they were often founding partners in the business but did not have the visibility that their husbands did.

Women have always, and continue to, make significant contributions to the success of these family businesses and as traditional gender roles in the workplace change so does this visibility.

More and more women are starting their own businesses or expanding the global reach of their family business. This increased visibility and recognition of our contributions helps to create a more inclusive and diverse business environment. It is important that all voices and perspectives are valued and respected.”

Are the conversations around women as leaders changing at all among your business colleagues and peers?

“I would like to think that globally there has been a shift in the conversation around women as leaders … but at times it feels slow.

Instead of focusing on the challenges and barriers that women face in the workplace, I feel that it is important to help shift the conversation towards celebrating the achievements of women in these roles and advocating for their success.

I continue to hope that as female colleagues and peers, we acknowledge and value the unique perspective that women bring to leadership positions.

And I hope that we actively support one another, whether it be through the promotion of mentorship programs, sponsoring female leaders, advocating for policies that promote gender equality, or simply taking a moment to congratulate them.”

Tell us about your philanthropic initiatives, particularly the Baeumler Family Foundation.

“The Baeumler Family Foundation was established to provide funding for renovations for children and families in need of accessibility, safety and security in order to create a nurturing and positive environment in the home.

BFF works to join forces with other charitable organizations across Canada to provide important physical and mental services for children’s health and well-being. Together we hope to create healthy living lifestyles for children all across the country.”

Do you involve your children in philanthropy?

“Bryan and I have tried to involve our children in decision-making at different stages of their lives.

We encourage them to express their opinions and interest in charitable causes and by involving them in the research process, it helps them to recognize and suggest charities that they feel align with their passions.

One of the most important aspects of philanthropy for our family is hands-on involvement. There is no better way to educate your children than to allow them to see the impact of their efforts firsthand.”

Lyne Castonguay, founding partner and chief executive of Victrice, a Florida-based consulting, advisory and investment firm

What are some of the misconceptions about women who marry into family enterprises?

“One does not lose one’s personal identity, ambition or career aspirations because one gets married. Marriage, however, can change or fuel those plans, depending on a number of factors.

Many misconceptions about these partners are that they are stay-at-home wives who enjoy being pampered all day long, hence why many refer to them as ‘trophy wives.’

More from Canadian Family Offices

Married into wealth: Reflections on a life made ‘easier, not necessarily happier’

Beware the too-comfortable life – it might be killing us

When a spouse dies, financial advisors have amazing opportunity to step up

Money and relationships: Power dynamics can unravel the knot

In reality, many are ambitious and have career aspirations of their own and/or had careers before they were even with their partner.

Also, raising a family and caring for children is a full-time job on its own and many partners also manage the family office, which can add to the complexity.

Successful life partners tend to complement each other, which also means they support each other and become sounding boards for personal and professional matters.

The entrepreneurial spirit tends to permeate throughout the family.”

Are attitudes changing about women as businesspeople in their own right in family enterprise and beyond?

“We are seeing more women in family business because their fathers or grandfathers were founders, and the entrepreneurial gene was passed down.

In addition, we are seeing many spouses become business partners to support family enterprises.

The common trait is that they embrace the culture and embody the values that the business was founded on.

In addition, there is also a desire to continue the family legacy across generations or start new ones.

Lastly, although there is still a lot of progress to be made with diversity and inclusion across businesses, especially at the executive or c-suite level, there has been some progress made. It is more widely accepted to have working spouses or mothers today than it was 30 or 40 years ago.”

What are some key factors for women to achieve success as leaders?

Women tend to lead differently than men and also tend to be more compassionate than their male counterparts, which is a core business strength.

As such, we are seeing more and more women in family enterprises branching out on their own or leading parts, or all, of the family business.

The key to success is surrounding themselves with a strong support network and advisors that they can trust.

It’s also important to be able to separate business matters from family matters around the dinner table. This is a delicate balance that many struggle with in family enterprise.”

Responses have been lightly edited for clarity and length.

Please visit here to see information about our standards of journalistic excellence.