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What happens when a family business advisor is also navigating the realities of family business at home?

In this episode, host Natalie Kling sits down with Craig and Joyce Hettrich of The Hettrich Group to discuss the unique challenges and opportunities that family-owned businesses face as they grow.

Drawing from decades of leadership experience and years spent helping entrepreneurs scale their companies, Craig and Joyce share practical insights into one of the most difficult aspects of family business: separating emotion from facts while preserving the passion that makes family companies special.

The conversation explores succession planning, accountability, leadership development, bringing in outside talent, and the delicate balance between family relationships and business performance. They also discuss their own journey as spouses, business partners, and parents working alongside the next generation.

Whether you're a founder struggling to let go, a next-generation leader looking for greater responsibility, or a family business owner navigating growth, this episode offers valuable lessons on leadership, trust, and building a legacy that lasts. You can learn more at Hettrich Group EOS.

Chapter List

00:00 Family Business and Leadership Foundations
04:04 Launching The Hettrich Group
07:09 Working Successfully as Spouses
11:12 Bringing the Next Generation into the Business
14:06 Separating Emotion from Facts
17:16 Letting Go and Scaling a Company
20:52 When Leaders Are in the Wrong Seat
25:15 Accountability, Ownership, and Family Dynamics
33:47 Building Trust and Bringing in Outside Talent
39:10 Creating a Family Legacy for Future Generations
43:17 Understanding EOS and Growing with Intention
45:02 Hard Work, Luck, and Building Success

To learn more about the Capital Region Family Business Center visit our website HERE. To learn more about River City Bank and how they can benefit your family business, visit www.rivercitybank.com

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Sean and Nicole Minor didn’t just build a successful winery — they built a family business grounded in relationships, resilience, and long-term thinking. In this episode of Capital Region Family Business Center’s A Seat at the Table, the founders of Sean Minor Wines reflect on their journey from meeting at Arizona State University in the 1980s to launching their winery in 2005 while raising four young children.

Sean shares how years of experience in the wine industry — from Napa to Oregon — gave him the confidence to create something from the ground up, while Nicole explains what it meant to support that leap with unwavering belief and a growing family at home. Together, they discuss the intentional choices that shaped the company: avoiding unnecessary debt, building through relationships instead of heavy assets, and focusing on long-term sustainability over rapid growth.

The conversation also explores the next generation of leadership as their daughter Elle steps into the role of head winemaker, the realities of succession planning, and the evolving challenges facing today’s wine industry. Thoughtful, honest, and deeply personal, this episode is a masterclass in balancing entrepreneurship, marriage, family, and purpose.

To learn more about Sean Minor Wines, visit: https://www.seanminorwines.com/

Chapter Overview
00:00 – Introduction and the founding story of Sean Minor Wines
02:00 – Meeting at Arizona State and the values that shaped their relationship
08:45 – Sean’s wine industry journey and the decision to start their own winery
12:00 – Launching the business with four young children and a leap of faith
16:00 – Building a winery through relationships instead of heavy assets
19:00 – Breaking through during the economic downturn and rapid growth
22:30 – Nicole joins the business and helps lead the digital transformation
27:00 – Raising children around the business and Elle’s path to head winemaker
32:00 – Succession planning, family dynamics, and building a real business
42:00 – The changing wine industry, future growth, and defining success

To learn more about the Capital Region Family Business Center visit our website HERE. To learn more about River City Bank and how they can benefit your family business, visit www.rivercitybank.com

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In this episode, host Natalie Kling speaks with the Kludt family—three generations behind Kludt Oil, a Northern California fuel delivery company that started with a small gas station and two trucks in 1962 and has grown into a trusted provider serving farms, ranches, and businesses across the region.

What makes this conversation powerful isn’t just the longevity—it’s how each generation has shaped the business in its own way. From a matriarch who built the financial systems by hand, to a second generation that bet everything on growth, to brothers now navigating leadership together in a volatile and evolving industry.

We talk about what it really looks like to grow up inside a family business, how roles evolve over time, and the constant tension between working in the business and working on it.

This is a story about legacy, adaptability, and the reality of running a business where family, employees, and customers are all deeply connected.

Why It Matters

Family businesses are the backbone of local economies—but sustaining them across generations is anything but simple.

This episode highlights the real challenges: succession, sibling dynamics, hiring the right people, and navigating industry disruption. It also reinforces something deeper—values, culture, and trust are often the true drivers of long-term success.

There’s a lot to learn here about stewardship, resilience, and building something that lasts. Not to mention how the family is dealing with an oil shortage/crisis at the time of the recording.

Chapters

00:00 – Introduction & the Kludt Oil origin story
01:00 – From a small gas station to a growing fuel delivery business
03:00 – Early risks, reinvestment, and building infrastructure
07:00 – The matriarch behind the systems and profitability
10:00 – Growing up in the business across generations
16:00 – Expanding services and driving revenue growth
21:00 – Brother dynamics and leadership evolution
31:00 – Culture, employees, and treating people like family
35:00 – Industry volatility and fuel market challenges
43:00 – Working on vs in the business
50:00 – Hard work vs luck—and what really drives success

You can find more about Kludt Oil by visiting their website: https://kludtoil.com/

To learn more about the Capital Region Family Business Center visit our website HERE. To learn more about River City Bank and how they can benefit your family business, visit www.rivercitybank.com