Maize Quest Corn Maze & Fun Park

31 Dec 2024

Quote from The Rock – Beginning of the End Part 2

Agritourism, Maize Quest Corn Maze & Fun Park, Seasonal Business

His job is to be ripped. Our jobs are much different, but we often end up keeping similar hours. Watch the full post from The Rock above on IG. Hey Gang, Dwayne Johnson, a.k.a. The Rock, captures a focus on his way out of the gym in the post above. While quoting his friend, he says, "I don't HAVE to work out, I GET to..." Massive Thank You from me for your friendship, business, interactions, emails, calls, and texts throughout 2024. Working with you, for you, and beside you in business is an absolute pleasure. Agritourism is a big family. The society of…

28 Dec 2024

The beginning of the end – Part 1

Agritourism, Maize Quest Corn Maze & Fun Park, Seasonal Business

Writing down wins and frustrations makes directing your improvements for next year much easier. Hey Gang, It really hits me at the end of the year. It's that momentous feeling of time passing, of a cycle being completed, of one more crack at the bat, of a closing or ending. In our Fall-focused businesses, November is clean-up and recovery, December is recuperating and family time, and the week between Christmas and New Year's, for me, is reflection, so this blog is the "beginning of the end." Duke Ellington said, "I don't need time, I need a deadline." New Year's is an elegant…

14 Dec 2024

It was risky, but I tried it and made $1.61.

Agritourism, Maize Quest Corn Maze & Fun Park, Seasonal Business

Pictures of "The Roost" Hey Gang, It's the off-season for us "Fall-focused types" or hammer-down time for you Christmas tree people, but either way, it's time for the most exciting topic: Accounting! In my collegiate years, Accounting 101 at Penn State was one of the first televised courses, meaning it was a live video feed of the professor in some undisclosed location broadcasting old-school through wires to dozens of classrooms. Now, accounting might be one of the most boring classes, to begin with, AND it was remote (before that was ubiquitous, kids), AND it was, for me, HARD. At one point, I was…

02 Dec 2024

I’ve nothing to share.

Maize Quest Corn Maze & Fun Park, Seasonal Business

White space or purposefully nothingness, sometimes otherness is just as good. Hey Gang, Sometimes, I sit down to write or brainstorm and... nothing. It’s not that I don’t care or that the ideas aren’t there—it’s just that after a wild fall season, my brain feels like an empty field. And you know what? That’s okay. You know, fall on the farm is intense. Sure, it’s families laughing in the corn maze and kids chasing each other through the pumpkin patch, but it's also late nights ensuring everything is running smoothly. It’s rewarding and exhausting all at once. When the season winds down, I find myself in…

26 Sep 2024

A distinct lack of perfection.

Family Business, Maize Quest Corn Maze & Fun Park, Seasonal Business

Perfection isn't found in the ordering of all things. Nature's perfection is specifically uncovered through exploration, scanning the scenic views, and then getting closer to each element. The world, in all its beauty, is chaotic. While an individual flower might be nearly perfect by itself, it's in a field of buzzing, humming plants, with each plant working hard to survive, but to survive only by itself. The individual strives for perfection, yet the grand plan can only be seen from afar. In this way, the farm offers a distinct lack of perfection. Each apple tree is wildly different from the other, each apple's flavor seeking…

29 May 2024

ALR report part 1 – Gritt’s Farm is a bunch of quitters.

Agritourism, Maize Quest Corn Maze & Fun Park, Maple Lawn Farms, Marketing Tools, Seasonal Business

Strawberries, donuts, cinnamon rolls, sweet tea, and blueberry cake for a light, healthy mid-morning snack between sessions at Gritt's ALR. Many of us came to learn more about the food service and the Gritt's Team, led by Stevie, delivered. Hey Gang, At these kind of events you hear presenters going on about all the things they do, but Greg Huber took me aside on a NAFDMA bus tour and reminded me to ask, “What’s the story behind the story here?” The weather was picture-perfect for nearly all of our two-day, three-night NAFDMA ALR in Charleston & Buffalo, WV. We rolled in the…

30 Apr 2024

Working IN and ON.

Family Business, Maize Quest Corn Maze & Fun Park, Maple Lawn Farms, Seasonal Business

Sometimes you gotta climb down in the pit and do stuff... Hey Gang, As a business owner—and farmers are business owners, by the way — it's important to recognize the difference between working IN your business and working ON your business. Working IN your business refers to daily tasks: Plant trees Fix sprayer boom Replace well tank (#myyesterday) Kill weeds in Fun Park Working ON your business refers to daily tasks: Test new pie recipes for the season Plan marketing for your next event Start recruiting staff for the season (#myLastFriday) Shore up supply chains for food items Balancing your time…

19 Apr 2024

Don’t stop the feelin’

Family Business, Maize Quest Corn Maze & Fun Park, Seasonal Business

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m6Jin9OvetE My daughter Annie is graduating from the University of Michigan this Spring. She won a spot in the clarinet performance school in 2020. She shares the story of her battle with arm injury from repetitive motion in playing clarinet.It's a 20 min presentation, and you won't need to watch it to enjoy the blog below, but if you have a musician or artist in your life, they might want to watch it. Her message is a powerful one of finding yourself beyond your talent's accomplishments. Hey Gang, We've all been there. Our kid or spouse or parent or friend…

28 Feb 2024

5 Wins Before Work.

Family Business, Maize Quest Corn Maze & Fun Park, Maple Lawn Farms, Seasonal Business

We've had some decorative snows, and temps cool enough to keep the fruit blossoms safe so far! 5 Wins Before Work. Ever wonder what we think about during the off season? Well there's plenty of work getting things ready for next year, but I get a little time to think about life, too. Hope you enjoy, Spring's just around the corner... I've always been a "maximizer" personality. I believe I was put on this Earth to do the very best and the very most with the abilities I've been given because, as you find out, when you attend funerals as a kid, time…

15 Jan 2024

Take your own advice.

Agritourism, Employee Management, Family Business, Maize Quest Corn Maze & Fun Park, Maple Lawn Farms, Marketing Tools, Seasonal Business

Make your list, check it twice, but don't make too many resolutions - Even this list is too long! Take your own advice. I never think of myself as particularly swayed by remembrance, nostalgia, or special dates - I can eat birthday cake anytime within a week of my actual birthday, for instance. However, Christmas & New Year's Eve likely create the most profound internal feelings: a sense of momentousness. Christmas is my heartwarming family time. Kids are back from college; in the past, we'd created Christmas magic with Legos and stuffed animals. Family games and meals make it a cozy time…