---
title: "Holland Sentinel: Couples in Business Find Success with Franchising"
url: https://burnaze.com/article/3f435e63-4284-4bd0-b8a5-139745618223
source: "1851 Franchise"
original_url: https://1851franchise.com/holland-sentinel-couples-in-business-find-success-with-franchising-10438
category: "Automotive"
industry: "Automotive"
published: 2017-02-17T20:15:01.000Z
modified: 2026-11-01T03:06:39.099Z
image: https://newimage.1851franchise.com/cdn-cgi/image/quality=85,format=webp,width=1280,height=720/story/featureImage/c98da86896358ac02d3a380498f839a12303.jpg
---

# Holland Sentinel: Couples in Business Find Success with Franchising

**TL;DR:** Dave and Cindy Barry, owners of Christian Brothers Automotive, and Sean and Hillary Tilton, owners of a Sylvan Learning Center, credit their successful business partnerships to effective communication and shared values. The two couples have been running their respective businesses together for several years, with the Barrys choosing Christian Brothers Automotive because it aligned with their values, and the Tiltons taking over a Sylvan Learning Center due to Hillary's family ties to the brand.

*originally published in 1851 Franchise on 2017-02-17. [Read the original](https://1851franchise.com/holland-sentinel-couples-in-business-find-success-with-franchising-10438).*

## Story

Today is Valentine's Day, and many local couples are celebrating together. For Dave and Cindy Barry, on the other hand, today means more than celebrating 31 years of marriage. It also means celebrating running a successful business together as a couple. Dave and Cindy are high school sweethearts and recently wanted to open a business together. They decided on Christian Brothers Automotive because it aligned with their values.

"He is the owner and I am the co-owner and we have to be able to communicate together on that level and then go home and have warm feelings for each other as husband and wife," Cindy Barry told the Sentinel.

Sean and Hillary Tilton are also celebrating more than a happy marriage. They are celebrating running a successful business together as a couple for nearly 12 years.

It all started a week before their wedding, when a Sylvan Learning Center became available for purchase in Minneapolis. The couple knew immediately that the opportunity was right for them because Hillary's family owned and operated Sylvan Learning Centers since 1985.

"We were literally on the phone working out the details of this potential opportunity the day before our wedding," Hillary Tilton told the Sentinel. "It was a crazy time but it was a lot of fun and we knew that it was something exciting we could take on together and grow the business and work together. It has been great and it was a good decision."

## Entities

- 1851 Franchise (publication)
- franchising (topic)
- Automotive (sector)
- Christian Brothers Automotive (company)
- business partnership (topic)
- Sylvan Learning Center (company)
- couple owned businesses (topic)

---
Originally reported by 1851 Franchise (https://1851franchise.com/holland-sentinel-couples-in-business-find-success-with-franchising-10438). Summarized by Burnaze (https://burnaze.com/article/3f435e63-4284-4bd0-b8a5-139745618223).