Riding the Waves: Family Business Resilience Through Crisis and Celebration

Brian Hahn

Published on: 22/07/2025

As a member of a family that’s spent decades running multiple businesses, I’ve come to realize just how much our lives and livelihoods are shaped by the rhythms of holidays and the storms of economic change. In this post, I’ll reflect on stories and wisdom from our recent podcast episode, where my family and I reminisced about quiet Labor Days on the farm, and opened up about the hard lessons we learned weathering crises like the farming downturn of the ‘80s, the financial crash of 2008, and of course, the chaos of Covid-19. Here’s how we found clarity, community, and resilience, even in the toughest times.

Mixing Family and Business

Birthdays, Bikes, and Blizzard Blunders: Real Family, Real Business, Real Life

Brian Hahn

Published on: 15/07/2025

Childhood traditions and customer service disasters—let’s get real about family, small-town birthdays, and the wild world behind the counter. What happens when you put a bunch of family business owners in one room? You get a podcast episode packed with throwback birthday stories, customer service nightmares, and more laughter than you’d expect. On this episode of Mixing Family and Business, I (Brian) sat down with Kim, Shirley, and Tom to talk about what birthdays were really like before Pinterest and party planners, how we handled the occasional tricky customer, and what we’ve learned along the way. If you’ve ever worked retail, run a business, or just want to laugh about the good old days, you’re definitely in the right place.

Mixing Family and Business

We Work With 20-Year-Olds - What We’ve Learned From Hiring Gen Z

Brian Hahn

Published on: 08/07/2025

In this week’s episode, we took a heartfelt journey from nostalgic childhood Fourth of July celebrations on the farm to the intricacies and surprises of working with Gen Z in today’s world. As family business owners who've witnessed generations come and go, we reflected on what’s changed, what’s stayed the same, and what we’ve learned from the newest generation entering the workforce. Here’s a deeper dive into our conversation, filled with stories, observations, and insights into bridging generational gaps while running family businesses.

Mixing Family and Business

Staying Local While Growing: How Our Family Business Keeps Community at the Heart

Brian Hahn

Published on: 01/07/2025

In this week’s blog, I reflect on our latest “Mixing Family and Business” podcast episode with Tom, Shirley, and Kim. We dug into the past—reminiscing about simpler times growing up, celebrating holidays (or not!), and how business was more personal when towns were smaller and family-run. As our grocery stores and Dairy Queens grew to serve wider regions, I explore how we’ve worked hard to maintain the community connections that started it all. From supporting local charities to building strong neighborhood teams, here’s how our businesses have evolved without losing that “small town” heart.

Mixing Family and Business