2024 Recap: Where Did the Time Go?

First things first, a quick look back. Kim had a whirlwind year, snagging two Dairy Queen stores in quick succession and moving into her forever home, all while managing a family wedding. Talk about multitasking! Tom kept busy with a new food court project and saw some awesome growth and development in his team. Shirley was over the moon about her two granddaughters getting married, while I juggled multiple family weddings and a home remodel on top of expanding our business ventures. Yeah, 2024 was nuts, but it’s those crazy moments that set us up for whatever comes next.

2025: What’s the Economic Forecast?

When we turned our attention to 2025, we all had some interesting thoughts. Kim and Tom believe that folks are ready for a bit of calm after the storm—less pandemic talk, less political drama, and more enjoying life. Interest rates were a hot topic. We think mortgage rates will stabilize around 5-6%, which is pretty normal by historical standards. Remember your grandparent's stories of their first home loans at 6%? Yeah, it’s time to accept that our 2-3% rates were a delightful fluke.

AI and Tech: Where Are We Heading?

I brought up AI, which is just getting more and more woven into our daily lives and specialized fields like coding and healthcare. AI isn’t going to revolutionize everything overnight, but it’s certainly going to make a lot of tasks more efficient. Yet, this wave of technological advancement might just make us appreciate in-person interactions even more. Virtual meetings and AI-generated content are cool and all, but nothing beats a face-to-face chat or a live event.

Consumer Behavior: The Shift is Real

Tom observed that people are itching to get back to group activities and social settings. This shift is visible already and is likely to grow stronger. Businesses that can adapt to meet these social needs will be ahead of the game. Think better customer service, well-trained staff, and a warm, welcoming atmosphere. Shirley chimed in with a wish for more reasonable grocery prices—after all, who wants to pay $5 for saltine crackers?

Our Goals and Plans for 2025

On a personal note, we’ve got big plans for 2025. In our family business, we’re focusing on modernizing our Dairy Queen locations and expanding our resort offerings. Kim feels that this midpoint of the decade is our chance to shift toward stability and calm, and I couldn’t agree more.

2025: Hopeful and Realistic

We wrapped up our chat with the unanimous feeling that 2025 has to be a good year—mostly because we all could use a break from the chaos. There’s a genuine sense of optimism in the air. People are ready to get out there, spend money, and have fun again.

In twelve months, we’ll circle back to see how accurate our predictions were. Until then, we’d love to hear your thoughts and predictions for 2025. Email us at brian@mixingfamilyandbusiness.com or and join the conversation. Here’s to hoping 2025 brings everything we’re hoping for and more!

Make sure to catch the full episode here!