Heart, soul at work with moms, daughters

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Barbara Horton has been working with her daughter, Jennifer Chrisman, for more than six years. The two credit their working relationship in being able to see each other more than they would otherwise.

Mother’s Day is celebrated daily with these harmonious working mother-daughter duos.

By Dena Feingold / Special to The Malibu Times

Long after the direct role of mothering has supposedly been relinquished, two local mother-daughter teams have taken their relationships to work, literally.

Residential real estate agents Barbara Horton and Jennifer Chrisman from the Coldwell Banker Malibu West office have worked together for more than six years and wouldn’t have it any other way.

“It’s fun to have someone to vent to or bounce things off of,” Chrisman said. “Also it’s helpful to have someone to laugh with.”

With direction and guidance from a friend, Chrisman obtained her real estate license and asked her mom if she could work with her.

“I came to my mom’s office without knowing how to do a thing,” Chrisman said. “I am pretty computer savvy, so I was able to contribute that way, and then my mom taught me everything else about real estate.”

Sharing responsibilities and collaborating on projects is a big part of their partnership.

“You kind of fall into whatever you are best at,” Chrisman said. “I am best at the contracts and my mom’s expertise is in [real estate] knowledge-she knows every dirt road and every canyon that’s out there.”

Separating their personal relationship from their business one is sometimes a challenge.

“I try to play the part of an equal partner, but since I am her mother and I have been used to a position of authority for so many years, it’s sometimes difficult,” Horton said. “But I think I am pretty good at treating her as an equal, rather than as a daughter.”

Chrisman agrees: “It’s hard separating my mom telling me what to do from someone who knows more telling me what to do-I am adult now and I’d like to think that I know as much as her, but it’s just not possible.”

Trust in one another’s abilities is a common denominator in their working relationship. “We know each other so well that we seem to finish each other’s sentences,” Horton said. “We seem to think alike on so many things, it’s a lot easier than working with a stranger.”

Seeing her daughter daily has benefited their relationship too. “If we didn’t work together, I would probably see her once a month.”

Business partners Billie Jo Campbell and her mom, Melodie Wilson, both Topanga residents, have recently started an eco-friendly sportswear line called Hangover Designs. Wilson, a former designer and fashion consultant to clothing manufacturers, and Campbell, a personal shopper with a high-end retailer for several years, decided to create a women’s wear line together after their collective years of experience.

“I love fashion and in a way I have always been in this industry,” Campbell said. “One day I said to my mom ‘I would love, love, love to work with you.'”

While Campbell focuses on the sales and marketing, the mother-daughter duo collaborates on the designs.

“She can do it all and we bounce ideas off of each other,” Campbell said. “I can bring up any idea that I think of and I don’t feel limited and she’ll listen.”

However, Campbell yields to her mom when it comes to the creative aspects of the business.

Mom Wilson has worked at both small and large companies, training employees in different positions so they could learn and move on.

“With Billie though, she is learning to carry on Hangover-the heart and soul is there,” Wilson said. “And that is the difference when you work with someone in your family.”

Campbell said her mom is the best person she can learn from.

“I look up to my mom,” Campbell said. “She has always been my mentor and I hope one day to be like her.”

A self-professed A-type personality, Campbell said typical mother-daughter arguments can become personalized a little more.

“But this doesn’t happen a lot-we are good at separating work from family stuff,” Campbell said. “We haven’t gotten into any arguments-it’s easy with us.”

Although Wilson admits there are not many negative aspects of working with her daughter, she does say that Campbell is sometimes unhappy with her. “She gets angry with me when I don’t get to work on time,” Wilson said, laughing.

“Working with my daughter just makes me feel more positive everyday,” she added.