In this special in-person episode recorded at The George Washington University, Anthony Shop sits down with Dan Simons, co-founder of Farmers Restaurant Group, to explore what it truly means to lead with influence in today’s complex and fast-moving world. Known for building a mission-driven hospitality brand that connects American family farmers to the urban table, Dan shares how success is not built on polished narratives—but on embracing the full picture, including failure, struggle, and growth.

Throughout the conversation, Dan challenges traditional notions of leadership, advocating for radical transparency, operational excellence, and a deeply human approach to business. From navigating criticism and scaling culture, to prioritizing mental health and aligning purpose with performance, Dan offers a candid and practical blueprint for leaders who want to build organizations that are both high-performing and deeply meaningful.

Takeaways:

Don’t lead from the highlight reel—lead from the full story: Influence comes from authenticity. Sharing struggles and failures builds trust and creates a deeper connection with your team and audience.
Operational excellence is the ultimate marketing strategy: Before investing in messaging, fix the fundamentals. If the product or experience fails, no amount of marketing can compensate.
Start with internal influence before external impact: You cannot build brand advocates externally without first creating alignment, trust, and belief inside your organization.
Treat criticism as data—not a personal attack: Filter feedback to identify the root issue. Remove emotion, find the signal, and use it to improve systems and performance.
Humanize your business to stay relevant: Today’s audiences connect with people, not logos. Leaders must step forward and give their organizations a voice.
Align mission with reality: Purpose matters—but it cannot come at the expense of sustainability. Strong businesses balance values with operational discipline.
Coaching in the moment builds culture faster than policies: Real-time feedback, grounded in trust and relationships, drives performance and reinforces shared standards.

Quote of the Show:

“If your business doesn’t have a voice, then by definition it can’t be in a conversation.”

Links:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dansimonssays/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dansimonssays/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/dsimonssays
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCe9opWoLOjjTr7MlXOrooSA
Founding DC Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/founding-
dc/id1800509479
Website: https://www.farmersrestaurantgroup.com/