Building Legacy with My Daughter

Hey beautiful people,

Today I want to talk about one of the greatest blessings in my life - working alongside my daughter, Alexis, who at 20 years old is not just my General Manager, but my partner in building something that will outlast both of us.

She Chose This

Here's what I want you to understand first - Alexis didn't end up at Coterie because she had no other options or because I forced her into the family business. She's here because she wants to be. She saw what we were building and said, "I want to be part of this."

At 20, she could be doing a million other things. She could be focused solely on her own dreams, her own path, figuring out who she is without the weight of helping build her mom's business. But instead, she's chosen to invest her time, energy, and incredible talent into making Coterie everything it can be.

And that choice? That means everything to me.

The Perfect Partnership

Working with your daughter is this beautiful, complicated dance. Some days we're perfectly in sync - she anticipates what I need before I ask, I understand her vision without explanation, and we move through the day like a well-choreographed routine.

Other days? We're still mom and daughter figuring out how to communicate when stress is high and the espresso machine is acting up and there's a line out the door.

But here's what makes it work - we genuinely respect each other. Not just the obligatory family respect, but real professional respect for what each of us brings to Coterie. She sees my vision and hustle. I see her organizational genius and natural leadership. We're building something together, and that shared investment makes all the difference.

Her Superpower: Creating Order from Chaos

Can we talk about Alexis's absolutely incredible ability to create standard operating procedures from scratch? Because this girl is a genius at it, and I don't say that lightly.

I'm the dreamer, the visionary, the "let's try this new thing" person who sometimes forgets to document how we actually do anything. Alexis? She's the one who takes my chaotic ideas and turns them into systems that actually work.

She created our entire coffee and service training manual - detailed, thorough, professional. She's developed procedures for opening, closing, inventory management, customer service standards. Things I would have just kept doing "the way we've always done it" without ever writing down, she's turned into teachable, repeatable processes.

Do you know how valuable that is? How rare it is to find someone - especially at 20 - who can see the big picture AND handle the details? Who can take abstract concepts and turn them into concrete action steps?

I am so incredibly lucky to have her.

Making Space for Her Dreams

Here's what's important to me - yes, Alexis is helping build Coterie's legacy, but this isn't about trapping her in my dream. It's about giving her the foundation to build her own.

We talk regularly about what she wants for her future. What skills she's developing here that will serve her wherever life takes her. What aspects of the business excite her versus what she's doing because it needs to be done. How Coterie can be a launching pad for whatever comes next, whether that's staying with us long-term or taking everything she's learned and building something entirely her own.

Because that's what good mothers do - we create opportunities, not obligations. We build platforms, not prisons. And if one day Alexis decides her path leads somewhere else, I'll be her biggest cheerleader, just like I am now.

But right now? Right now she's choosing to be here, and I'm not taking that for granted for a single second.

What She's Teaching Me

People assume it's all one-way learning - mom teaching daughter about business and life. But Alexis is teaching me just as much.

She's teaching me about her generation's approach to work-life balance and mental health. She's showing me new ways to connect with younger customers. She's challenging my "this is how we've always done it" thinking with fresh perspectives I wouldn't have considered.

She's also teaching me about patience - with myself, with the process, with the reality that building something meaningful takes time and grace and a whole lot of trial and error.

The Legacy We're Building

When I think about Coterie's legacy, I don't just think about the business itself. I think about what we're proving together - that mothers and daughters can work side by side as equals. That young women can step into leadership roles and absolutely crush it. That family businesses can be built on mutual respect and shared vision, not just obligation.

I think about the example we're setting for other families, other young women, other entrepreneurs who wonder if it's possible to build something meaningful with the people you love.

And I think about what Alexis is learning about her own capabilities - that she can create systems, lead teams, handle pressure, and build something from the ground up. Those lessons will serve her for the rest of her life, no matter where her path leads.

To My Daughter

Alexis, if you're reading this (and you probably are), thank you. Thank you for choosing to be here. Thank you for bringing your incredible organizational mind to my chaotic creative energy. Thank you for being patient with me when I'm learning how to be both your mom and your business partner.

Thank you for caring about Coterie as much as I do. For showing up even on the hard days. For creating order out of my beautiful mess. For believing in what we're building together.

I am so proud of you. Not just for what you do at Coterie, but for who you're becoming. You're going to do incredible things in this life, and I'm honored to be part of your journey.

To My Community

The next time you see Alexis at Coterie, know that you're not just being served by an employee - you're being served by a young woman who's building her future while helping build ours. Who's learning leadership in real-time while keeping our operations running smoothly. Who's chosen to invest in this community space we all love.

That's pretty special.

With so much love and gratitude,

Ghiovanna ✨

P.S. - Alexis's superpower is creating systems and procedures, not grammar - and honestly, I'll take her organizational genius over perfect punctuation any day!