22: Leah Wong Ashburn | Understanding the Dynamics of a Family-Owned Business with the CEO of Highland Brewing, Leah Wong Ashburn

On today’s show, we interview the incredible Leah Wong Ashburn of Highland Brewing who shares with us her wisdom on growth, passion, and entrepreneurship. 

Back in 1994, when there were barely any breweries in Asheville, Leah’s dad started making craft beer from a cramped space in the basement. Fast forward to today, Highland Brewing is headquartered in a beautiful 40-acre space amidst the hills. 

How did Highland Brewing achieve this dramatic transformation that enabled them to grow manifold since inception?

One of the main themes for today’s show is passion and leadership. 

A few years after graduating from college, Leah asked her father if she could work for him. And oddly enough, he refused because he thought that Leah needed to get more experience under her belt.

Finally, in 2011, Leah officially became a part of the Highland family. She started off in a marketing position and slowly learned the different moving parts of the family business.

On today’s show, we have a particularly interesting discussion on how to train your employees the right way so that you can help them develop their technical skills as well as soft skills. 

You will also learn about the working relationship that Leah has with her father. While Leah is more of a marketing person, her father is the “engineer” in the family. Learn how their smooth working dynamic has been the driving force that has taken Highland to new heights over the past decade.

If you are a family-owned business, today’s show will interest you greatly.

Enjoy! 

What You Will Learn In This Show

• My thoughts on growth and why you should aspire to be great rather than big
• How to manage a family-owned business
• Why you need passion and connectedness to take your business to greater heights
• Giving ownership to your employees 
• And so much more…

Resources

Highland Brewing

Coach Approach – Five Principles to Build an E.P.I.C. Business

Small Giants

Thanks for Listening. You may contact me or our team at https://billgilliland.biz/

All the best!
Bill

Thanks for listening. Please hit the subscribe button, leave us a 5 star review, and share this podcast. You can reach me at [email protected] or at https://billgilliland.biz/

All the best!

Bill