02 Apr 2021

Strawberry Hopes & Dreams

Agritourism, Maple Lawn Farms, Seasonal Business
With cold weather on the way, we're thinking about North Georgia farmers. Did you enjoy our April Fool's story yesterday? Currently, there are no Dino bones found on the farm, but we are still digging in the area. I hope you get a chuckle and smile out of our silliness! NOW: The Real News Hey Friends, Strawberry Hopes & Dreams - Just a quick heads up: Strawberries for the 2021 Drive-Thru might be a little more limited than we imagined. Drew planted extra for us, but the cold temps coming have him a bit worried. If you could spare a thought or prayer…
Read More
25 Feb 2021

The fallacy of the Swiss Army knife.

Agritourism, Family Business, Seasonal Business
87 tools and 141 functions in a Swiss Army Knife no one would ever carry that around. Hey gang, Are you a generalist? Are you flexible? A quick learner? Master of all trades? Multi-tasker? Are you a Swiss Army Knife? In 1891, Karl Elsener set out to manufacture a standardized, multi-use knife for the Swiss military. The idea is that the Swiss Army knife is the one tool that lets you do everything you might need to do when out in the field. The knife featured a blade, reamer, can opener, and screwdriver, the latter of which was for field stripping a…
Read More
25 Jan 2021

Three 2020 Things I don’t want to change in 2021 – Part 2 of 3

Agritourism, Employee Management, Family Business, Seasonal Business, , , ,
Hey gang,  In Part 1 of this series, "Where do we go from here," We took a look in the rearview mirror at the year that was. In 2020 we dealt with extraordinary uncertainty and considered our reactions to uncertain circumstances; our team's reaction to uncertain circumstances.  The pull to "Get back to the way things were" is powerful. Sometimes I visualize 2019's ease of travel, freedom to go to church gatherings, and family friend get-togethers free of the invisible fear.  My challenge to you in Part 1 was to consider the idea that you DON'T want EVERYTHING to go back to normal. That you do not want…
Read More
25 Jan 2021

Where do we go from here – Future Now – Part 3 of 3

Agritourism, Family Business, Seasonal Business, , , , ,
https://youtu.be/yoFYCXXmlcE In Part 1 of this series, "Where do we go from here," https://hughmcpherson.com/seasonal-business-blog/where-do-we-go-from-here-part-1-of-3/ We took a look in the rearview mirror at the year that was. Part 2 challenged us to think about what we did NOT want to go back to normal after this pandemic era is over. Part 3 is about where we go from here, what's going to happen in the future. It's about the Future: NOW. Predictions spoken with certainty are a fool's game. In my current favorite book, "The Art of Thinking Clearly" by Rolf Dobelli, he suggests that one can quickly appear to…
Read More
08 Jan 2021
Where do we go from here – Part 1 of 3

Where do we go from here – Part 1 of 3

Agritourism, Family Business, Seasonal Business, ,
Peering into the future, knowing circumstances are out of our control, what are we supposed to do? This 3-part series is a conversation about where we go from here. Hey gang,  Oh, what a difference a year makes. I write to you from the comfort of my home, safe and away from most other people. Being away from people, as you might guess, is NOT my natural state.  So many extrovert agritourism operators like me probably spent last Fall struggling to avoid hugging long-time guests and missing terribly end of the season employee parties.  The New Year is filled with new beginnings, new…
Read More
19 Dec 2020

The Super-Mega Ride-n-Slide – Dec 21 deadline approaches.

Agritourism, Maize Quest Corn Maze & Fun Park, Seasonal Business
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8S7mKfLTIIA Hugh takes the guesswork out of the new stuff for you, mainly by making all the mistakes so you don't have to... PLUS we've got a secret (that's why it's blurry), Candy-Cane Slide version for 2 of our orders going into Christmas Adventures. Don't miss out being FIRST, saving on your taxes (a potential 28% savings), and getting installed for your Spring festivals. Dec 21 orders should be to your farm by late March in time for Strawberry season! The container filling up & overseas shipping take a long time, so connect soon to be included. CLICK BELOW, learn more and connect with us…
Read More
28 Nov 2020

I hope you are goofing off + a family story.

Agritourism, Family Business, Maple Lawn Winery, Seasonal Business
The first bottle of Strawberry Blossom Wine is labeled and ready for the Drive-Thru, now to label 900 more... I hope you are goofing off. I grew up a workaholic. Farmers are in perpetual motion, and my family was no different. That's just how farming is. I luckily married a city girl who came from a 9-5 family with every weekend off. Needless to say, that created some friction. Friction can make heat or smooth rough edges. The friction made heat for a while as Janine, my lovely wife, and I were young and figuring things out. Once we had kids, the…
Read More
19 Nov 2020

What just happened? 2020 explored.

Agritourism, Family Business, Maize Quest Corn Maze & Fun Park, Seasonal Business
This season I felt a little like the kid on the rollercoaster above, and a little like the mom. Scared, then excited and no matter what, things were going to happen - and happen FAST! What just happened? The year explored. Hey gang, I know I haven't been very regular on blogging this year. Now that things are slowing down at our home farm.* I hope you'll participate with me in a period of reflection. (*Slowing Down?! which is a relative term for farmers as we finish corn harvest, bottle strawberry wine, prep the fun park for new attractions, and winterize…
Read More
17 Nov 2020

New wines, while we’re keeping you safe & warm.

Agritourism, Family Business, Seasonal Business
Secret look into the idea machine that drives Maize Quest's quest for "The Next Big Thing." "You can't have all your good ideas at once." - Farmer Hugh. Sometimes a new idea seems so obvious once you say it that Well, the temperatures are sliding down, and you might be wondering how you're going to make it through the winter months without going stir-crazy. Your friends here at Maple Lawn haven't stopped working for you, even though we've closed our doors for the season! On Saturday December 5th, we re-opening for one final Drive-Thru Event - "The Delicious December Drive-Thru" At the Drive…
Read More
06 Nov 2020

LIVE silly weather updates ‘in song’ from the gorgeous farm & fun park.

Agritourism, Family Business, Maize Quest Corn Maze & Fun Park, Seasonal Business
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GLXAXjbe-0c CLICK TO WATCH Farmer Hugh sing LIVE from the sunshiny tower and maze for the final weekend's updates Secret look into the idea machine that drives Maize Quest's quest for "The Next Big Thing." "You can't have all your good ideas at once." - Farmer Hugh. Sometimes a new idea seems so obvious once you say it that you can't believe it took you so long to come up with it in the first place. When we came up with the mountain slide idea, it made so much sense! Other times, we've had an idea on the back burner, waiting for…
Read More