When family meets business: Steve Beauchesne’s legacy after graduation

Upon first thought, the idea of family business seems quite simple: a company owned and run by members of the same family, often passed down through generations. Yet, Family Enterprise Canada (FEC) (external link)  spotlights the complexity of family firms and how they can often receive guidance that is detrimental. “There's far too many horror stories about families who got advice that from a technical perspective was perfectly fine, but ended up breaking the entire family apart,” says Steve Beauchesne, the Chief Executive Officer at FEC. 

With a strong desire to pursue entrepreneurship, Beauchesne graduated from Toronto Metropolitan University (TMU) with a BCom in Entrepreneurship in 1999. During his time at university, he was hired at RCG (formerly Ryerson Consulting Group), where TMU faculty and staff blend hands-on education with university research resources. There, he applied his skills by building business plans and conducting marketing studies within the organization. 

In 2006, Beauchesne co-founded Beau’s All Natural (external link) —a family run, employee owned and entirely independent Canadian craft brewery. Since its start-up, Beau’s has won over 125 national and international awards for beer-making, marketing and packaging design, sustainability and business practices, and has raised more than $1 million for charity, community, and independent arts. Moreover, Beauchesne is Vice Chair of the Ontario Craft Brewers Association and is a frequent presenter at craft brewing, culinary, and sustainability seminars and events.

In 2022, Beauchesne and his father Tim celebrated the acquisition by Steam Whistle, a brewery also known for its use of organic and natural ingredients. This was a decision that allowed his father to retire at age 71, while Beauchesne himself could still continue to play a role in Beau’s operations. Since 2024, Beauchesne has been the CEO of FEC and the Family Enterprise Foundation (FEF) (external link)  as a celebrated entrepreneur and advocate for family businesses. “We became aware of Family Enterprise Canada because we started working with them while we were in business,” recalls Beauchesne. 

As the national voice for family-owned businesses, FEC supports a community that accounts for 49 percent of Canada’s GDP and employs seven million people. The organization provides resources, education, and a unified voice for family enterprises nationwide. Essentially, it's a community that aims to see family business thrive. 

Beauchesne emphasizes that when families work together, this creates unique dynamics, opportunities, and challenges—which is what FEC is designed for. “The most important thing from our perspective is that we help families transition so that they can thrive from one generation to the next,” he says. Beauchesne explains that peer groups are used to help members learn from others in family businesses within a non-competitive setting.

This focus on family business dynamics aligns with the mission of the Family Business Institute (FBI), which launched at Ted Rogers School of Management (TRSM) in 2023. The FBI is a platform for family firm expertise and collaboration across TMU and beyond. Leveraging the diversity of family businesses within the university and local community, the Institute's initial strategic plan focuses on research, education, and engagement. 

And this March 20th, the FEC and FBI will be partnering to launch part one of The Enterprising Family Series (external link)  at TRSM with the option to attend over live stream. And they’re inviting the family—FEC members, TMU students, and TMU alumni are welcomed to gain insight into what makes family enterprises thrive. 

Dr. Francesco Barbera, the Founding Academic Director of the FBI, says that “the definition of family business is not clear. And part of the challenge around the lack of a single definition for family business is that there's no single definition of family.” Rather, Barbera describes family business as two complex systems—economic and family. The business system focuses on efficiency, profit, and strategy, while the family system values harmony, relationships, and emotions

Barbera shares that the most prominent challenge in family firms is succession—this means transferring ownership, knowledge, wealth, management, and authority of the business from one generation to the next. And often, succession leads to the challenge of how current leaders can effectively prepare future leaders. “Sometimes the most basic thing, like a succession plan, is missing and lacking,” adds Barbera. 

Essentially, the core issue is that family emotions can hinder future business planning. As Barbera explains, succession planning requires acknowledging difficult realities such as mortality, which helps to ensure a smoother transition for passing on roles and responsibilities in the firm. And so, the FBI aims to address these unique strengths and challenges by offering a glimpse into this "human" side of business. 

The FBI insists that there is too little attention paid to family business models in business schools. Currently, TMU teaches students about the role of family business through courses such as ENT 501: Family Business in Canada and ENT 5o2: Case Studies in Family Business. Additionally, the Institute has trained students to compete in a global family business case competition, with student teams successfully reaching the podium both years. Notably, more student-centric and alumni-focused resources and events are planned, offering many opportunities for alumni to get involved. 

Janie Goldstein is a Lecturer and Special Advisor to the FBI. Not only did she help to launch the Institute, but she also has an interest in providing opportunities to students and alumni in the field. With a background in family business, she helps students apply course concepts to real-life situations, from succession planning to navigating relationships with family members in professional settings.

There’s no such thing as a perfect family. And this is why organizations such as the FBI and FEC aim to be a source of knowledge and education to improve the capabilities of family businesses. “A key benefit is to work with someone that you love and that you trust. And when family businesses work well and are going smoothly, there's nothing better,” Goldstein reveals. “For my husband, the fact that he's able to carry on his father's legacy and continue what he built so that it can fund the education of the grandchildren—it’s just a lovely thing.”