When third-generation family business member Melissa Moos walked into her first Next Generation Retreat in 2022, she didn’t know anyone.

“Probably one of the scariest things I’ve ever done in my life was going hours away from home not knowing anyone who was going to be there,” said Moos, who began in her family business, Baker Boy, as an entry-level production tech and is working her way up in leadership.

“But it turned out great. I walked in, and Peter (Hauck) and Stephanie (Larscheid) from Prairie Family Business Association introduced me to everyone and broke the ice, and it became really nice and inviting. I ended up having a wonderful experience.”

While it was her first experience with Prairie Family Business Association, the three-day retreat served as a catalyst for growing connections.

“We now do family meetings,” Moos said. “I felt more confident in my family’s business because I’m gaining more knowledge through the Prairie Family Business Association, and I feel like my family is a lot closer because we are able to openly and honestly have dialogue about our business and where we all stand.”

As an only child, “it’s nice to have friends that are in similar situations. I still talk to a lot of the people that I met at the Next Gen Retreat, and then I ended up being in a peer group with someone I met at Next Gen, so it was nice to already have that connection.”

Moos plans to return this fall to the Next Generation Retreat, which will be Oct. 1-3 in Keystone. To learn more and register, click here.

“Even if it’s taking you out of your comfort zone, do it. It’s something I highly recommend,” she said. “The facilitators are phenomenal. I’ve seen them speak, and they’re awesome. They have a very interesting take on forging your own path but still carrying on the legacy, and I think that’s big in family business, especially for the next generation.”

The Next Generation Retreat this year will focus on the theme “Using Your Voice.” Next-generation family business leaders will walk away will valuable insight into using their skills, talents and passions in shaping the future of their family business.

“Your ultimate success as a next-gen family business leader will hinge heavily on your ability to bring out the best in others as a teammate and leader,” said Jude Rake, one of the speakers at the event.

“As you take on increasing levels of responsibility, the success of your enterprise will likely depend on how well you serve on, build and lead teams. The highest performing teams are built on a foundation of trust. It’s easier said than done. I’ll provide a scaffolded approach for emerging leaders to grow and force-multiply their influence, beginning with self-knowledge.”

The two-day event will include plenty of relevant, applicable topics for those in all industries such as addressing upcoming legal and tax changes, and when to utilize different types of trusts.

“The best estate plans and business plans are done with input from affected family members. Oftentimes, certain family members must use their voice to get other family members to make the effort to attend to legal matters,” said Andrew Knutson, a speaker and attorney at Thompson Law.

“Attendees will leave with a better understanding of certain legal techniques and perhaps a few legal options they have never considered.”

The retreat will be facilitated by sisters Jenny Dinnen and Katie Rucker, owners of Next Gen Collaborative, a coaching and consulting firm focused on empowering next-generation family business leaders to craft their own narrative within the family business legacy.

Other speakers include Melissa Mitchell-Blitch, founder of Eredità Consulting, speaking on “An Open Door to Better Communication.”

Meghan Lynch, CEO and co-founder of Six-Point Creative, will speak on “Evolving the Family Brand.”

We asked them to preview what attendees can expect at the Next Generation Retreat:

What will you be focused on addressing at the Next Gen Retreat?

Jenny Dinnen: We will spend our time encouraging next gens to embrace their unique perspective to define a vision for their personal legacy. Through our various sessions, next gens will lean into the understanding that their unique perspectives are their strengths, will map out their current reality and identify the parts they want to carry forward and finally will commit to some actionable goals to bring their learning to light once they return back home.

Melissa Mitchell-Blitch: When you work with family, business is personal, so effective communication is crucial. Sometimes, the hardest part of a conversation is knowing how to get started. Other times, the challenge is how to communicate your perspective clearly. I’ll be sharing a framework that helps address both of these challenges. It also increases self-awareness and helps gauge agreement on what will be done as a result of the conversation.

Meghan Lynch: I will be focused on what it means to evolve the brand, reputation and trust that is in the family business. It is all about respecting the past, identifying existing and future value and mitigating risk that might accidentally move the company backward when they are trying to move forward.

The theme of the retreat is “Using Your Voice.” What’s your perspective on that topic and how it applies to next gens in family business?

Jenny Dinnen: We believe in creating opportunities to empower next-gen leaders to know what value they uniquely bring to the table — i.e. finding their voice — so that they can thoughtfully bring in their perspective/voice into the broader family business narrative.

Melissa Mitchell-Blitch: We all want to be heard, understood and valued. How next gens use their “voice” will influence the ability — and willingness — of others to listen and the impact they are able to make in their family’s business. To discover and effectively use their voice, next gens need diverse self-leadership skills, including the ability to navigate complexity. I’m excited about this retreat’s focus on equipping next gens so they can contribute their best to their family’s business.

Meghan Lynch: One of the ways that many next gens make their mark on their family business is by helping to update the brand of the business, but that can be an emotionally loaded endeavor. Sometimes when they say that it is time for a rebrand, that can be taken by the leading generation as commentary that what they have built is not good enough. Instead, it is usually the opposite. The next gen feels that the company is a lot better and has more potential than perhaps it gets credit for in the market. So helping next gens find a way to tell that story without bragging and still staying true to the company’s history, values and culture becomes one of the ways that they can find their voice as part of the brand evolution.

What are you hoping attendees take away from your presentation/workshop/session at the Next Gen Retreat?

Jenny Dinnen: We want all attendees to walk away knowing that their voice matters, that they have the right to create their own personal legacy — alongside their family business legacy — and that they have agency to decide their own future.

Melissa Mitchell-Blitch: Through the “Open Door to Better Communication” workshop, I hope attendees will leave further equipped to discover and use their voice so that they, their families and their enterprises thrive. They will take away a tool to help enhance their self-awareness, establish common ground and communicate more effectively.

Meghan Lynch: I hope that attendees are energized by my session and walk away with some practical next steps to take to start evolving their family brand in a respectful, collaborative way. I also hope that they will be sharing stories and experiences with each other because peer learning and connection is even more powerful than anything an expert can provide.

Learn more about the facilitators and focus for this year’s Next Generation Retreat below:

Sisters bring their family business experience in guiding next-generation leaders