Dan Simons is the co-owner of Farmers Restaurant Group, a mission-driven hospitality company behind the award-winning Founding Farmers brand, in partnership with the North Dakota Farmers Union. The group operates eight sustainably run restaurants, a distillery, and a catering company, all with one goal: to drive profits back to American family farmers while redefining how restaurants can serve people, planet, and profit in equal measure.

On this episode we talk about:

How Dan fell in love with teamwork and hospitality in college bar jobs

His corporate climb from restaurant manager to VP and the turning point that pushed him into entrepreneurship

Going broke—twice—before building a $100M restaurant business

The three-year stretch living in his mother-in-law’s basement while starting over

Lessons from failed ventures, debt, and the mindset shift that built a thriving farmer-owned enterprise

Why creating a people-centric culture is not just good ethics—it’s good business

Top 3 Takeaways

Success is built through failure; each failure is an ingredient in your eventual success recipe.

Find your deeper “why.” Profit is what happens when your purpose solves real problems for people.

There’s never a perfect time or enough money—start smart, stay lean, and play the long game.

Notable Quotes

“You’ll never have enough money. So stop waiting and start building.”

“We gave customers what we thought they needed—not what they wanted. That’s how we failed our first restaurant.”

“Failure isn’t the opposite of success—it’s part of it.”

Connect with Dan Simons:

https://www.dansimonssays.com/

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