This article explores leadership, legacy, and community-building lessons drawn from the 100th anniversary convention of the Dude Ranchers Association. Milestone events like a centennial celebration are more than moments of reflection. They are opportunities to assess relevance, trust, and alignment within an organization.
Drawing on firsthand experience supporting this historic event, the piece examines what it truly takes to gather ranchers and operators who run 24/7 businesses rooted in land, livestock, hospitality, and people. Leaving a ranch to attend a convention requires meaningful programming, thoughtful curation, and a deep respect for members’ time and responsibilities.
The article also addresses one of the most complex challenges facing guest ranches and Western businesses today: succession planning. When a brand is deeply tied to its people, separating identity from operations becomes essential for long-term sustainability.
Through insights on leadership, strategy, and storytelling, this piece offers perspective for organizations navigating growth, transition, and the responsibility of carrying a legacy forward.
Companies aren’t just looking for marketers anymore — they’re looking for storytellers. As traditional media declines and audiences crave authenticity, storytelling has become a strategic business advantage, especially in Western, agricultural, and event-based industries where culture and community drive connection.
Nothing will boost your creator confidence like a Meta rep opening a call with: “So… how did you crack the code?” In this behind-the-scenes recap, I break down what Meta shared about the Edits app, trending Reels, real-time analytics, captions and “safe zones,” and why their best practice mirrors my own Instagram Trials Theory: test first, learn fast, and only then scale what works—without burning out or begging for likes.
Discover how Western Insights Media helped the Oregon Jamboree create a lasting legacy through the Pacific Northwest Stompeders - a fan engagement campaign for the 30th Anniversary that turned into a five-state movement and a blueprint for building community through events.
Learn the 2025 Instagram Reels strategy that helped my personal Instagram reach over 2.5 million organic views in 28 days. Download the free Instagram Trial Reel Checklist to grow your western brand, your personal brand, your event or small business on social media.
Whether you enjoy going to the gym, have a long commute, or have loads of laundry to do every week - there’s always a time that you can escape into the world of audio whether that be in a book or a podcast. Podcast’s are a wonderful way that you can escape from the world, get your creative juices flowing, learn new concepts, or keep up with your favorite industries.
If you’re an industry professional in the agriculture, ranching or rodeo spheres, and aren’t in the Ag Leader Academy or That Rodeo Life Club on Clubhouse - then you are doing yourself a disservice! Join the rooms for weekly conversations on elevating your rural industry business, marketing, conversations and network, plus so much more every single day!
COVID-19 has hit the event industry hard, especially on the west coast. The cancellation of rodeos, concerts and county fairs have been some of the groups that have been hit the hardest and this is the better part of our Western Insights Media clientele base. Or team has worked HARD to pivot clients so that not all is lost and “pivot” is the name of the business-game in 2020!
While I call myself an “accidental entrepreneur,” I have quickly realized a few key points that are a necessity to becoming successful in owning your own business. I also believe that these points are important if you are taking over a generational business through succession or for success in climbing the corporate ladder.
