Grace sits down with business strategist Brad Herda for a candid look inside the challenges and triumphs of family-run businesses, leadership across generations, and blue-collar grit.

Brad shares why asking tough questions is essential for successful family transitions, the surprising strengths of Gen Z leaders, and his philosophy for authentic business growth. With hard-earned insights from Vision Forward Business Solutions and his award-winning Blue Collar BS podcast, Brad delivers fresh strategies for small business owners ready to level up.

Brad’s pragmatic yet empathetic approach brings clarity to complex transitions, leadership development, and the evolving multi-generational workforce.

Episode Highlights:

01:50 - There's a lot of usually blunt questions that need to be asked that the family tiptoes around and does things and it's like, yeah, no, we need to have that conversation and may not like it, but yet you still got to go to dinner tomorrow night at the same time and celebrate the birthday, the anniversary or whatever it might be.

03:33 - Now I got to figure out how to pay mom and dad differently so I can hire somebody to do the work that mom and dad were doing.

08:11 - Other dynamic that's happening that we have older Gen Z's that are now going to be leading much older people than themselves in these teams, which is going to create a very large different dynamic, particularly in the service world and even in the blue collar world.

Grace Bruins

LinkedIn

Brad Herda

LinkedIn