Doing business with dad

Business: Advertising

Jim Dozois spent nearly three decades working in advertising and media sales before buying a franchise from Adventures in Advertising in Michigan.

"I wanted to go into business with my son, Tom, who had recently graduated from Indiana University, to provide an opportunity to work for himself," said Jim. "If you can operate a successful business, it can provide financial rewards and career security that is hard to find in the corporate world today."

"I thought it was a great opportunity at the time," Tom said, "to start a business with my dad, someone I trust, with his background." And worst case scenario, "at least I would get some good experience."

At the outset, Tom said he learned a lot from watching how his dad approached the business, from meeting with clients to setting goals, "it was all great for me." And once the business got off the ground, Tom branched off and opened another location in Chicago.

Now, he says, "we're in contact everyday, maybe even a couple of times a day because he might have a question for me or I might have a question for him."

"We run our businesses parallel to each other."