Family Business – Hugh McPherson

26 Sep 2024

A distinct lack of perfection.

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…

10 Sep 2024

Seasons change and life is perishable.

Family Business

Jane Wettsone, 1942-2024, pictured above on "Tootsie," her Hafling-Cross draft pony on their "Century Ride" and with my kids who are likely making silly drawings & stories for their Gran. She was as good a mother-in-law as one could hope for. In fact, Jane Wettstone canceled out all the mother-in-law jokes I'd heard growing up, and she passed away last week unexpectedly. Cherries are gone. Blueberries are gone. Peaches are gone. Nectarines are gone. Apples are here. Pumpkins are here. Over and over, the seasons change, year after year. My mom, Gail McPherson, died back in 2005, and it was profoundly sad. It led…

08 May 2024

The space between.

Family Business, Seasonal Business

Stars shine in the night sky, but most of space is...well... space. It's empty. Hey Gang, I've just had the joy of my daughter's graduation, a pinnacle experience for us as parents and a huge achievement for Annie. We left Annie with her friends to enjoy a week of relaxation and 'lasts' as she wraps up her college experience. Our weekend ended with the U of M theater department's senior showcase, a performance in preparation for the theater grads to perform on Broadway in front of booking and casting agents. Again, highlight reel moments, celebrations, and applause excited me to get started with…

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…

19 Mar 2024

Overhead.

Agritourism, Employee Management, Family Business, Seasonal Business

Hey Gang, I've been feeling a bit hectic lately. Yes, even I get that hectic feeling. You know the feeling: too many projects, too little time, days slipping away as things are getting done, but you don't feel like things are moving forward. I'm a big list writer; I learned it from my Dad when I was young. As is typical for young people, I revolted against anything parental and stopped listing things out, writing things down, confident that I had so much talent I could "wing it." You can imagine the result. I "winged it" straight into a crash landing and quickly…

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…

02 Jan 2024

Part 4 – The “Day of” & “Post-Apocalypse.”

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

The 2023 Sunflower Festival Apocalypse before we hand-replanted... Not the best look! Below, the tent in mid-self-destruction. Part 4 - The "Day of" & "Post-Apocalypse." The last three weeks, we covered what we learned, discovered, and uncovered as the weather handed out an old-school rainy season over much of the upper Midwest to the mid-Atlantic and into the Northeast US. If you missed the other three blogs, take a few minutes to find and read them, as the process is sequential. We thought first about choices made "Years in Advance" regarding the very structure of our businesses to create a more stable operational…

26 Dec 2023

Part 3 – Pre-season Actions & Systems.

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

The light beam from the watch tower on a misty October night at Maize Quest. Part 3 - Pre-season Actions & Systems. The last two weeks, we covered what we learned, discovered, and uncovered as the weather handed out an old-school rainy season over much of the upper Midwest to the mid-Atlantic and into the Northeast US. If you missed the other two blogs, take a few minutes to find and read them, as the process is sequential. We thought first about choices made "Years in Advance" regarding the very structure of our businesses to create a more stable operational…