Let me start off by admitting that running multiple businesses, especially alongside family, doesn’t run on caffeine alone. On the podcast, I asked the crew what really gives them energy.

Tom swears by a good night's sleep (plus, he's sharpest in the mornings, a fact I can totally relate to as the years tick by). Kim gets pumped when she has something or someone to look forward to, whether it’s the grandkids, a family dinner, or hanging with friends. I love that she admits heavy metal is her secret weapon for those sluggish afternoons too. Shirley is all about the sunshine, a gloomy day just isn’t her jam. And I realized, for me, excitement comes from learning new things, moving a project (or a person!) forward, and generally from being around good people.

Bottom line? Motivation looks different for everyone, but it’s worth paying attention to what actually fires you up and what does the same for your team.

The Best Lessons Come When You’re Not Looking for Them

Here’s the part I love: we think we’re always teaching our employees, but honestly, they teach us all kinds of things if we just listen up.

Tom hit on something big when he said he’s learned the most by simply asking questions and actually listening to the answers, whether it’s an old pro or a 17-year-old part-timer. Sometimes the youngest folks are the first to see an easier way to do something, like popping out a phone for a quick photo, instead of launching a full search-and-rescue to read a label under a sink. I still remember how one employee’s use of the word “trust” suddenly shifted how I thought about food safety. It wasn’t about rules, it was about responsibility. That stuck.

We also covered how younger employees, raised around tech, have a knack for finding answers fast. I’ve seen YouTube tutorials and old manuals pop up with solutions for problems we used to spend hours on. Being open-minded means seeing every team member as an expert in something.

How Employees Actually Create the Culture

Your culture isn’t just what’s written in an employee manual, it’s the little things, the feelings in your store, and the people who bring it to life.

Diane stands out for me as the heart and “mom” of our first store. She didn’t have an official title as leader, but she was the one everyone trusted and went to for advice or just a friendly ear. Without trying, she made the place feel like family. And Kim recalled how a young employee, eager about marketing, made our whole Dairy Queen more fun, teaching staff to juggle blizzards, bringing little bursts of energy that made work more than just a job.

People like that influence more than the workflow, they change how everyone feels about showing up. Culture is a group effort, and often the best “leaders” don’t have it in their job description.

Why Listening Is Still the Secret Sauce

Wrapping this up, if there’s one thing I hope people take from our chat, it’s that listening, actual, real listening, might be the most underrated tool any business owner has. Not every great idea, or even life lesson, comes from the top. Your team members, whether they’ve got five decades or five months on the job, have perspectives and tricks you may have never considered. Let people talk about their kids, their hobbies, their random solutions for old machines or tricky customers. Those conversations often spark inspiration and build trust in ways you can’t fake.

Culture, innovation, and teamwork come from being willing to hear everyone out. The next big step forward in your business might just come from the most unexpected place, or person. Trust me, it works.

Make sure to tune into episode 70 here and check out our other blog posts on mixingfamilyandbusiness.com!