Thank you so much for joining us in this interview series! Before we dive in, our readers would love to learn a bit more about you. Can you tell us a story about what brought you to this specific career path?
Can you tell us a bit about your family business and your role in it?
Vicky Bakery has been serving an array of Cuban delights from pastelitos to cakes, cafecitos, and sandwiches in Miami since 1972. The specialty pastries are made with a Cuban family recipe that has been passed down through generations. The founders, Antonio and Gelasia Cao, fell in love over 50 years ago while working at Cuba’s most renowned bakery at the time, La Vencedora. The couple married and migrated to Miami as political exiles, and soon had enough money saved up to buy a small bakery. Now, Vicky Bakery currently operates over two dozen locations across South Florida and is bullishly looking to expand across the state and beyond. I’m a co-CEO of the business.
Can you share the most interesting story that happened to you since you began this career?
After graduating from high school, I served in the military during Operation Desert Storm. While serving, my mother was diagnosed with cancer, and so I had to come back on hardship leave to take care of her. While I was taking care of my mother, Elizabeth Santiago (now my wife) and her family offered me a job at their Vicky Bakery store located by the Miami International Airport. There, Liz’s father, Antonio Cao, was both my boss and mentor, teaching me, a soldier with only military skills under my belt, how to make pastries. After more than a year, I got pretty good at it.
From 1995 we worked for Antonio and by 2000, we purchased a store from him. I started apprenticing under Antonio to learn everything from making desserts to administrative work. By 2005, we opened our second store, followed by a third in 2007. That same year, we licensed our brand and began producing items in a central kitchen for distribution, splitting responsibilities between the co-CEOs and my nephew.
By 2014, we consolidated into a commissary, moving from four separate kitchens. Then, in 2021, during the COVID-19 pandemic, we took a significant step and licensed our brand to franchise. Our journey has been a blend of personal challenges and professional growth, all leading to where we are today.
Can you share a story about the funniest mistake you made when you were first starting? Can you tell us what lesson you learned from that?
In 2005, we had just opened our store in Hialeah Gardens. Being a bit OCD and always prepared, I had everything meticulously planned for the opening, but a curveball came our way with our pastry chef resigning a week out. On top of that, training for our new team was in full swing, so I found myself wearing a lot of hats, including taking over pastry production and handling deliveries.
Every day, I’d wake up at 4 a.m., open the store, and work until 2–3 p.m. Since no one else knew how to do everything, I had to manage it all. One night, close to midnight, I was super tired but still had to load a day’s worth of production — 35 pans of guava pastelitos — onto the delivery truck. I was using the elevator, and in my exhaustion, I let go of the rack, which rolled off the elevator. I watched in horror as hours of work spilled onto the asphalt.
With Liz home taking care of our kids, she wasn’t available to help. I went home for just an hour of sleep before starting all over again. Those pastries were supposed to be for our West Hialeah store, and the whole incident felt like a disaster at the time.
The lesson I learned from this experience was the immense value of family and a strong support system. I realized how much harder it is to do everything by myself. Once our family came together, the support allowed our business to grow exponentially. For example, today I’m able to be in Philadelphia while our co-CEOs handle everything at home, thanks to having people we trust on the ground. Without that support system, Vicky Bakery wouldn’t be where it is today.
What do you think makes your company stand out? Can you share a story?
A prime example would be a business we used to be close to called Rosa Bakery in Miami. While they were competitors, we remained well-connected to them thanks to Antonio’s friendly nature.This approach was the opposite of the military tactics I was accustomed to, which aim to destroy the enemy. Rosa Bakery did well, but was not a family business and had to eventually close since they did not have the proper support systems in place.
This serves as a poignant reminder that without family, our business, Vicky Bakery, wouldn’t exist. Our emphasis on family values are what truly make our company stand out.
Are you working on any exciting new projects now? How do you think that will help people?
We are focusing on expanding our franchising efforts both statewide and nationwide. This includes constantly developing new products. Additionally, we are planning to open our first corporate-owned stores. Unlike our franchises or independently owned stores by family members, these corporate stores will be fully owned by Vicky Bakery.
By reaching a broader audience, we aim to bring the Vicky Bakery experience to more people, which in turn supports our philanthropic initiative, Vicky Cares. More stores mean a greater reach for our charitable efforts, allowing us to contribute more significantly to the communities we serve.
Furthermore, this expansion will create more job opportunities in local communities. We are committed to hiring based on merit. This focus on inclusivity and empowerment is a core value for us and helps build stronger, more diverse teams.
Overall, these projects will not only help us grow as a company but also enable us to make a positive impact through job creation, community support, and philanthropic initiatives.
None of us are able to achieve success without some help along the way. Is there a particular person who you are grateful towards who helped get you to where you are? Can you share a story about that?
None of us are able to achieve success without some help along the way. One person I am particularly grateful to is Antonio, who has been a significant influence and guiding figure in my life, both professionally and personally.
Although my parents raised me, Antonio truly polished me into who I am today. We met before I graduated from high school, and he has always been like a father figure to me. Antonio and his wife have managed to run a successful business together and have maintained a strong marriage, which has been incredibly inspiring.
Our staff was mostly late teens and early 20s, and while we often laughed and joked around, Antonio’s moments of passion were balanced by his sense of humor, patience, and love. He always made sure to include people with special needs in our team, emphasizing inclusivity and support.
Antonio’s influence has been invaluable. His blend of humor, patience, and firm guidance taught me the importance of maintaining a balance in leadership and life. Without his mentorship and the lessons he imparted, I wouldn’t be where I am today.
How have you used your success to bring goodness to the world?
I have strived to use my success to bring goodness to the world by emulating the qualities I admired in Antonio — providing clear direction, demonstrating patience, and being an advocate for my team. Antonio’s approach to leadership has always been a guiding light for me, and I have worked hard to incorporate those values into my own style.
In my role, I prioritize the needs and demands of my team, always making sure to vouch for them and support their growth. Problem-solving is a key part of this, and I aim to handle challenges in a way that seems effortless, ensuring a smooth day-to-day operation for everyone involved.
By maintaining the principles of patience, clear guidance, and team support, I hope to inspire young people to pursue their dreams with the same dedication and values. Our commitment to the community goes beyond the bakery itself. We support local initiatives and create job opportunities, fostering a positive impact on the neighborhoods we serve. By hiring based on merit and maintaining a diverse and inclusive workplace, we strive to empower individuals and contribute to a better, more equitable world.
In essence, my goal is to use the success of Vicky Bakery to create a nurturing environment where both our team and our community can thrive, following the example set by Antonio.
Ok thank you for that. Let’s now pivot to the main parts of our interview. How do you define a family business? How is a family business different from a regular business?
We’re very lucky to have Antonio and Gelasia as role models. They’ve really set the standard for what it takes to run a successful family business. There will always be challenges, especially with siblings and sisters- and brothers-in-law, and us spending the majority of our professional and personal time together, but ultimately, the beauty of it is that no matter what happens, you’re family and you have each others’ back. There’s an innate trust with each other that can be hard to develop otherwise.
In your opinion or experience, what are the unique advantages that family owned businesses have?
An advantage of running a family-owned bakery would be already knowing how everyone works. Since we all know each other on a personal level, there’s already a sense of familiarity and knowledge of everyone’s strengths. This is why we hand-pick every franchisee who joins the Vicky Bakery brand. It’s important that we can all operate as a family, where there’s trust and passion toward the common goal of sharing Cuban culture with others. This can get lost if operations remain at a surface, business level.
What are the unique drawbacks or blindspots that family owned businesses have?
I wouldn’t necessarily call it a drawback, but having the whole family working together every day can feel like a continuous family reunion. We’re constantly catching up because there are so many of us, which is vastly different from working with just coworkers. The silver lining is that our culture is deeply rooted in our values, and anyone who joins the team quickly becomes part of the family.
When working with family, maintaining professional boundaries can be challenging. Socializing and disagreements often come with layers of history, making interactions more personal and sometimes intense. However, the silver lining is that, no matter what happens, we know we will always have each other’s backs and support each other through thick and thin.
What are some of the common mistakes you have seen family businesses make? What would you recommend to avoid those errors?
One of the most common mistakes I’ve seen family businesses make is lacking collaboration and inclusivity in the decision-making process. For 16 years, I operated independently, with no one to collaborate with except my wife, Liz. Transitioning into a family business environment was challenging because I had to shift from an autonomous, almost dictatorial style, to a more democratic approach.
In family businesses, it’s crucial to consider everyone’s ideas. Those that fail often do so because they can’t manage to achieve buy-in from all involved parties. Just because an idea is good doesn’t mean it will be executed right away or even pursued at all. It’s vital to hear everyone out and ensure that all voices are considered. This collaborative approach fosters a sense of ownership and commitment among all family members.
What advice would you give to other CEOs or founders of family businesses to help their employees to thrive?
There are two types of employees in any organization: those who produce and those who lead. Transitioning from a producer to a leader is challenging, primarily because it requires recognizing and accepting that you need to depend on others for everyone to succeed. As a CEO, your role isn’t to produce; it’s to lead and guide. You need to create the right environment for your team to produce effectively. Your success hinges on the performance of those immediately below you. It’s impossible to achieve anything significant alone; teamwork is essential.
As the CEO of a company with almost 1,000 employees, my job is to inspire others to produce excellent results. The hardest challenge of my career was transitioning from working for myself and my wife to leading a full enterprise. I had to learn to depend on and trust others to succeed. My advice to other leaders is to focus on supporting your team, ensuring they have all the necessary tools to achieve your shared goals. At this level, you must understand that you can no longer do it alone.
How do you define “Leadership”? Can you explain what you mean with a story or example?
To me, leadership is fundamentally about trust. A great leader must trust their team to do their jobs well. For example, I’m not an expert in marketing, so I rely heavily on our Head of Marketing, Samantha Sanchez. While I can provide guidelines on what I want to see, what the family wants to track, and how we define success, I know that I ultimately cannot do the marketing work myself. The intricacies of what the marketing team does day-to-day is completely out of my hands.
As a leader, you need to find the best people, give them the tools and support they need, and then step out of their way. You have to trust that they will perform their roles effectively. This trust allows them to thrive and take ownership of their work, which ultimately leads to the success of the entire organization.
Here is our main question. What are the “5 Things You Need To Run A Highly Successful Family Business”? Please share a story or example for each.
- Surround yourself with good people you can trust. It’s fundamental for any business with more than one employee, especially if you’re looking to scale. It’s not just about delegating tasks, but about empowering your team to achieve their best, driving the organization forward as a cohesive and resilient unit. I learned this early on in the military.
- Patience is crucial because not everything will happen exactly the way you envision or on the timeline you prefer. As a leader, you must understand that success is often a gradual process that involves multiple steps, adjustments, and sometimes setbacks, but ultimately, slow and steady wins the race. I think a perfect example of this is how we took 50 years to perfect the Vicky Bakery brand.
- You need to instill grit and drive from the top down. By demonstrating unwavering dedication to routine tasks and responsibilities, it sets a strong example for the team, fostering a culture of resilience and motivation. This collective drive not only enhances productivity but also cultivates a strong work ethic and problem-solving skills among team members.
- Understand what can be changed and what cannot, and avoid losing sleep over factors beyond your control. I used to obsess over every detail, believing perfection was essential to progressing. However, I’ve learned that true wisdom lies in identifying impactful changes and continuously improving each day, focusing on what truly moves the needle forward.
- Remain innovative. The best way to do this is to embrace the next generation and their ideas. Foster an environment where creativity can thrive and fresh thinking is rewarded. This approach not only ensures adaptability and longevity but also cultivates a dynamic organizational culture that values forward-thinking and continuous improvement.
We are very blessed that some of the biggest names in Business, VC funding, Sports, and Entertainment read this column. Is there a person in the world, or in the US with whom you would love to have a private breakfast or lunch with, and why? He or she might just see this if we tag them 🙂
I would be honored to have lunch with Jamie Dimon, the CEO of JPMorgan Chase. His leadership during challenging times, such as navigating international financial crises and steering Chase through the complexities of the COVID-19 pandemic, demonstrates a profound commitment to ethical business practices and strategic decision-making. Dimon’s ability to uphold Chase’s reputation while fostering innovation and growth in the financial sector is truly inspiring. A conversation with him would offer invaluable insights into effective leadership, resilience in the face of adversity, and the importance of maintaining integrity in the corporate world. Many of his pupils have gone off to launch their own successful companies.
You are a person of great influence. If you could inspire a movement that would bring the most amount of good to the most amount of people, what would that be? You never know what your idea can trigger. 🙂
If given the opportunity, I would focus on building communal spaces for kids, particularly public parks and recreational areas. Many children today lack access to safe outdoor environments where they can play and socialize away from digital screens. By sponsoring and funding these spaces, we can provide essential opportunities for physical activity, social interaction, and community engagement. This initiative would especially benefit underserved communities.
How can our readers further follow your work online?
Vickybakery.com
Thank you so much for joining us. This was very inspirational.
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