There is a specific moment when you stop being “the child of” and start becoming an entrepreneur. It does not happen with a signature before a notary, nor with a change in title on the Board of Directors. It happens when you realize that from that day forward, the weight of every decision rests on your shoulders too.
This awareness gave rise to Jordan Mozzanica’s series, “From Children to Entrepreneurs”: a space for dialogue among second and third generation business leaders, where apprenticeship, doubt, conflict, loss, growth and vision are discussed openly and without filters.
In this interview, third generation cousins Giacomo and Francesco Chevallard of SAPIN Spa, a leading manufacturer of fire hoses, share their journey inside the family business. Two different stories, one common thread: starting at the bottom to earn their place.
The beginning
Giacomo joined the company in 2009, at the height of the financial crisis. Despite his degree in economics, he was not placed in an office role but in production. It was a true hands-on apprenticeship: cutting hoses, warehouse work and logistics.
“We wanted to start in production to gain every skill. To truly understand the company.”
This was not a minor detail. It was a cultural choice. Starting at the top means never fully understanding the effort behind the work. And without effort, respect does not follow.
After two years, however, dissatisfaction set in. Giacomo felt he was not expressing his full potential. He went to his father and said so. The response became a lesson he still remembers vividly: his father walked him over to a half-finished shelf.
“See? You haven’t finished your work yet.”
At the time, it made him angry. Today he sees it as a turning point: until you properly complete what has been entrusted to you, you have no grounds to complain. First you finish, then you grow.
Moving into administration, the role he had studied for, was anything but romantic. “A shock.” University tells one story. Business reality tells another. In 2015, when the long-time accountant retired, his first real responsibility arrived. That is when real growth began.
There were moments when he did not feel ready. The comparison with his father and uncle was overwhelming. “I still see them at unreachable levels.” But the daily challenge was clear: never leave problems unresolved.
Generational transition is not linear. His father’s death was a shock, a forced acceleration. Yet over time came signs of recognition: the company’s 50th anniversary celebration, decisions made together with his cousin while looking toward the future.
Today Giacomo speaks about artificial intelligence, new management systems and tools to identify new opportunities. But above all, he speaks about young people. And here a crucial theme emerges: they need guidance.
“They need to feel the connection between the physical work they do and the greater good. If they don’t see the purpose, they struggle.”
From a broom to the Board of Directors
Francesco started even earlier. Officially in 2004, unofficially at age 14. His first weeks were spent cleaning the plant, broom in hand.
“It was a healthy path. You had to go through the entire apprenticeship.”
He did not want to be “the one who came in from the top.” That credibility, built over time, became a form of silent capital.
For him too, generational transition was marked by significant events: his uncle’s death, the company’s transformation from an Srl to a Spa, his father’s retirement. Each step brought greater responsibility.
But when does it really stop feeling like your father’s company?
“It was gradual. At the beginning, their presence was overwhelming. They let you speak, but they did not always take your ideas into consideration.”
Then comes trust. Projects entrusted to him, decisions shared, room to make mistakes. And that is where leadership begins.
Francesco describes the shift with a striking expression: an “Amazon mindset.” Immediate responses, delivery tomorrow, zero waiting. The world moves faster, and the entrepreneur lives with constant doubt.
“It is one of the few roles where you will never be certain that the decision you are making is the right one. You only find out months or years later.”
That is why they are working on a five year plan. Long term vision. A less hierarchical structure. Greater involvement of collaborators, not “employees.”
Engaging with younger generations is a constant challenge. Francesco has a sixteen year old son. For him, artificial intelligence is not innovation, but the norm. And that forces a complete rethink.
“The shift in pace is inevitable. You have to be among the first to make it.”
Partnerships with schools, open days, corporate welfare initiatives and training programs. Today, attracting talent requires more than job security. It requires quality of life and a sense of purpose.
The common thread: integration, not conflict
In both of their stories, one principle clearly emerges, a principle that Jordan Mozzanica places at the heart of his series: new generations do not come to replace the previous ones. They come to integrate them.
Conflict is natural. Doubt is structural. Strain is inevitable. But generational transition is not replacement. It is an overlap that, when managed well, strengthens the company.
“From children to entrepreneurs” does not tell perfect stories. It tells real stories. With mistakes, loss, difficult choices and slow victories.
Because becoming an entrepreneur is not about inheriting a role. It is about earning it every single day.