Sibling Strength & Second Generation Growth | Ben Soles & Brandee Poland of Soles Enterprises

Speaker A: I think being part of a family business sometimes can feel like a curse, but it really is a blessing and being able to figure out how to do the best you can with what you have is. It's hard to take the time sometimes when you're in the middle of a busy season or, uh, a struggle. But keeping that in mind that there's a lot involved with the business, the employees and uh, other family members and everything else, and keep that in the focus to improve it. It'll work out.

Speaker B: Welcome to Family Business Connection, the podcast that uncovers the stories behind family businesses where leaders share how they navigate the unique challenges of working with loved ones while building a lasting legacy. I'm your host, Stephanie Larchide of Prairie Family Business Association. In today's episode, we talk with siblings Ben Soles and Brandi Poland of Sols Enterprises, a second generation company based in Brandon, South Dakota. Founded by their father Ralph in 2007, Sols Enterprises has become a leader in covering commodities. Known for its innovative tarp design, quality and efficient installation services. What started as a one man vision has grown into a thriving family business where Ben now leads operations and product development and Brandy drives sales and marketing. Together, they share how their family navigated difficult transitions, including Ralph's decision to step out of daily leadership, and how they've leaned on peer groups, outside advisors, and non family leadership to strengthen their company. It's a story of perseverance, faith and sibling collaboration with lessons every family business can relate to. Ben and Brandy, welcome to the episode.

Speaker C: Uh, thank you.

Speaker A: Thanks for having us.

Speaker B: Great to have you here. So, Sols Enterprises. Tell us about Sols.

Speaker A: We are a, uh, manufacturing company in Brandon, South Dakota. We make tarps mostly for grain elevators or sugar beet factories, any commodity that needs to be covered and all the temporary storage accessories that go with that. So if you see on the side of the interstate or highways, grain elevator with a large white tarp over a pile, um, of grain, that's, uh, that's what we do.

Speaker D: And I know I see them a lot. We're recording this in fall of 25 and those tarps are in full use across the Midwest right now.

Speaker A: Yeah, it's a busy time of year.

Speaker E: Yeah.

Speaker D: Well, it's great to hear how your product is in action.

Speaker B: So tell us about each of your roles.

Speaker D: What's your second generation? Um, Ben perhaps maybe claims a little bit of co. First generation, but technically second generation. Tell us what each of you do in the business.

Speaker A: Um, my role now I guess is R D, but product development and uh, Working on some new technology for the, the install side, the service side, how to install the tarps faster and better, and then also some new products, um, related to attaching them.

Speaker C: And I do sales and marketing. So I came on board in 2019 and that's been my role ever since. Sales and marketing.

Speaker D: That's great. And year Sols was founded is 2007. So we're a young family business.

Speaker E: Yes.

Speaker D: Great. And your mom and dad were involved. They had a, um, role in founding and starting the business. But they don't have a day to day role at the present. So. Talk about your mom and dad's involvement.

Speaker A: So I was in college when my dad had the. Needed to start something and started the business. And um, so he asked me if I'd help him out. I helped, joined, joined right away and started helping. And as it kind of got to the point where he couldn't keep up in the office, my mom stepped in and did some of our bookkeeping and just day to day tasks as needed. Um, from there, uh, as, as we grew and hired installers and stuff like that, we got to hire uh, a new office person. Um, and that allowed my mom to quit doing the job she hated, which was good for the family. I think. She, uh, she always liked helping, but that was not her Forte. And in 2019 when we hired Brandy, we hired her specifically to take over the sales role for my dad who wasn't fond of the computer work and the data, data keeping and record record keeping for that type of stuff.

Speaker E: So.

Speaker B: And they, so your parents today are

Speaker D: not involved and they strategically stepped out how many years ago?

Speaker C: I think our mom stepped out four, four or five years ago. And yeah, like Ben said, that was a really positive thing for her. She stayed on board and kind of helped with little things like cleaning the office or bringing treats for birthdays. But now she's full time grandma. And our dad, it would be, I think we're coming up on three years with our dad. It was a, uh, really hard decision that he operates his own trucking business separate from Souls Enterprises. But it's been really great.

Speaker A: So this is. My mom was still in the company or uh, was in the company while me and my dad started to find a way to make the company work. And it was a series of counselors. And looking back on it, it really made it clear what each of us wanted out of a company. And once we realized that we were after kind of different things. My dad had set up a really good company and realized that he did what he wanted to do and allowed him to now go do what he wants to do, which is trucking.

Speaker D: He's still fulfilled. He has purpose, he has impact, he has those relationships that are still there. As you mention, some key pieces of how you're able to make that transition work for both your generation and the first generation now backing up. You talked about family dynamics and many families face this, where you get it at odds and ends with one another and you're not seeing eye to eye and you have different ways of doing business or approaching things and getting along becomes a challenge. Talk about that point when you reached out to a therapist and how that went for your family.

Speaker A: With Prairie Family, I think we found a, uh, facilitator. It helped get out our feelings and discuss where we wanted to go and where we are and make sure we had some common goals and how to get there together.

Speaker D: You bring up a great point that families often reach this inflection point where there needs to be some change, something needs to change. And through Prairie Family Business association, you were able to meet some people who could help you move in the right direction. You were both willing to show up to the table and engage in conversation and that turned out really productive for your family. And it took time. It didn't happen overnight. But progress and one step at a time has gotten you to where you are today, which is generation two in ownership, Generation one out of day to day, but happy and fulfilled in their roles that they're doing outside the company.

Speaker A: Yeah, I think, I think uh, our dad still has a great amount of pride and joy being part of the business, owning a portion of it still and uh, seeing us work together and keeping it moving, um, I think it's good for everyone. And yeah, he set up a good business and got it started when we would have been too young to kind of have that ability or figure out what he figured out. So he did a good job setting it up for us and then letting us kind of take over.

Speaker D: When you think about the transition, you know, you're, you're now second generation. Your business, Sols Enterprises, really fits the mold of most of the families we serve within Prairie Family Business Association. The average generation we serve is 2.7. You're, you're working on, on what that will look like down the road, years down the road. As you think about generation three, you

Speaker B: have 18 full time employees, which fits

Speaker D: the majority of our families. They fall in that less than 25 full time employ category. So you're, you're the face of our membership. What you're dealing with and working through is what the majority of our families are in the midst of. And there's some comfort in knowing that you're walking alongside this with a lot of other families who are doing the same work and having similar conversations. And you're, you're not unique. You're just like everyone else. You just might do a different business service. Talk about your peer group experience.

Speaker A: That, that's been huge for me. We joined right away, I think, uh, maybe the year after we joined Prairie Family Business and um, just to have that sounding board and a, ah, time for kind of judgment free question asking. Uh, my group comprised of non family and family members both in the group and wide variety of experience levels.

Speaker D: Peer groups can be so essential to being transparent, open and honest in a confidential environment with those who are walking the same family business journey. Similar family business journey to what you're walking. And you have a trained facilitator who's guiding you in those peer group discussions. Brandy, what has peer group meant to you?

Speaker C: Well, it's been a really awesome resource for me especially to connect with other women. My group is unique. It's all women and I meet with them virtually. We are able to really get deep into especially the emotions that come along with, with working with family. And so I feel like it's been really helpful to listen to these other women in family business discuss some of the issues that they're having and how that relates to what I deal with and my own experiences with family business. I've really enjoyed that. And I also feel like we have just m really formed strong bonds in the short amount of time that we, we spend together on an annual basis. You know, we only meet a few, uh, a few times a year and we just are a very close group.

Speaker D: Ben, how about your peer group?

Speaker E: Oh, I have a peer group that has been together for seven years and it's been been uh, a very, very good tool for me and I hope for the rest of my group as well. But we, we have different backgrounds, different uh, in law or married in or whatever, um, and then non family business or non family members as well and variety of different experiences, but they all overlap or relate in some way where there's something to take home from that discussion every, every meeting.

Speaker D: It's, it's great touch on your key non family leadership team. That is something that you've been intentional about that um, perhaps you as family members have all the skills or the fulfillment to be the leader of your family business and you've tapped into a key non family leader. Talk about that. Ben.

Speaker E: We hired, um, a process engineer, we called it, when we were starting our manufacturing. And he was an awesome leader, but

Speaker A: not in a leadership role.

Speaker E: And that made it very apparent to

Speaker A: me how bad of a leader I was.

Speaker E: So, uh, that kind of opened my eyes and made me realize that we have to get a different person in the general manager role other than me. And we did that. And it's been just, ah, I think a game changer for our company's morale and just organization and everything to, um, figure out that I'm not the. Not, uh, suited for that role.

Speaker D: That's such an important point that you were able to gain clarity on, because often family members think it has to be a family member leading. We can't trust anyone else with our business and the future of our family. And, and for you to say, you know, I'm probably not the right person in this business could move ahead a lot further if there was the right person in the right seat. And that's not me as a family member, and that's not Brandy as a family member. So to tap into that outside expertise and the keen on family is something that we're seeing more and more within family businesses, especially in that second, third, maybe fourth generation transition. Uh, somebody else who has the skills and the abilities, and then perhaps the next generation isn't equipped enough at that point in their career in life to be the leader. Uh, there can be somebody in between generations who says, hey, I'm going to help mentor that next generation and I'm going to be the leader that this company needs right now. It goes back to some of the. Are we a business first family or are we a family first family? And if you want the business to succeed and the family to succeed, you need the right people leading the business. Tell us where you're at in your ownership transition. The G1 to G2 ownership transition in 2000.

Speaker E: And, uh, it was shortly after I started, I guess, early 2000 and tens,

Speaker A: that my dad, uh, allowed me to

Speaker E: get into the business as an owner. Um, and in that was three years after three full years of working with the company. So we did the same with Brandy. Once she came on board, we started transitioning with her as well. And that, um, became real, I guess, this year. So right now my dad is a minority, uh, shareholder, and then me and Brandy have the bulk of it. And that actually has been really painless. My dad has always wanted this business to go to his kids, and it's been pretty simple. Um, and we have a third sibling that is not part of the family business and kind of working through that. We have that planned out down the road, but it's been good.

Speaker D: That's great. Good to hear where you're at and you're all in agreement, working in the right direction, and then how you've structured, you know, three children in the family, two in the business, two in ownership and one not, which a lot of very common. A lot of families are in that similar situation. Uh, the fair versus equal. And what equity have you brought to the business and help grow it over the years? Uh, that certainly factors into those ownership conversations.

Speaker E: Yeah, yeah, there's a lot there. And I think if it's all communicated clear, and my dad's done a good job of that, I think, uh, there's not a lot to be upset or mad about. We've all kind of got along well over the whole process.

Speaker D: That's great. Now you're a sibling team, which, uh, is great and brings its opportunities and challenges. Brandi, talk about how you work together, collaborate together, make decisions together, get along as a sibling team.

Speaker C: Um, Ben and I are complete opposites. We are 18 months apart, and, uh, I'm the older of the two, and we are on totally separate ends of the spectrum. I am. I tend to be more wordy and creative. I live in kind of a land of gray. And Ben is very logical, a man of few words, and very black and white. So we, in that regard alone, I think we complement each other very well. And it's, uh, not without its challenges there. I lead with emotions, and he leads with facts. And so we've had some hurdles just kind of navigating, especially with me coming back and being here, uh, in the office. Now, I mentioned earlier that I moved back in April of 24, but, uh, yeah, we share an office wall now. So some of the conversations have been more, uh, heated. We've actually seen the counselor that we referenced earlier that Ben and my dad were seeing, and, uh, I think all of that to say it's very good working with my brother, because, again, we compliment each other, but I also appreciate that we're both really open to understanding each other's differences and learning from one another. There's a mutual respect, I think. Um, and it's just been really, uh, really overall, very good. Yeah, we bounce some ideas off of each other.

Speaker D: You come to consensus one way or another.

Speaker A: Yeah.

Speaker D: What advice would you give to other sibling teams? People who are working alongside their brother or their sister?

Speaker A: Really?

Speaker C: Uh, I think Having that third party, the counselor, just knowing that that's in our back pocket if we need it is helpful. Uh, it's also really helpful having the non family leader. Uh, he is very level headed and can help us. I think he reads the room very well and so if there's some tension between us, he helps to diffuse it for sure. Uh, so I guess what I'm saying is having a third party just in general that's not in the family is helpful.

Speaker A: And I think a big piece of that is having the same goal for the company and uh, having that drafted and known where the company is heading and realizing that you're working together for the company, it's not about you or your feelings as much. And that, that came out after, uh, after me and my dad went through all of our struggles and it became apparent that we just had different goals for the company, what we wanted out of the company. And I think if we would ironed

Speaker E: that out earlier, it would have probably

Speaker A: changed the way, the way that all went. Um, and now with Brandy, we have clear company goals and we kind of

Speaker E: know like, uh, I feel this, but I know this is what's best for

Speaker A: the company type deal.

Speaker C: And a lot of that came from implementing traction. We did that um, three or four years ago. And that's been a big, big help for us to really nail down what our vision is for the company and our 10 year picture or 3 year target or whatever. I'm probably saying I'm wrong, but that's been very helpful too.

Speaker D: Yeah. Having goals and everyone on the same page and that open and honest structured conversation that POS Entrepreneurial operating system process gives you is such a gift.

Speaker C: It is a gift. Yes.

Speaker D: You. I'm really glad that you mentioned some of the outside resources that you've tapped into because I think so often in family business we bootstrapped the business, you know, from the ground up or generations before us did. And we can figure this out. We're gritty and we can do it. But to be open and willing to say somebody else may have better answers for us or somebody else may be able to help us navigate that through the Keenan family leadership and through the counselor. So I really want to say great job to you guys that you've see that you've sought out resources that have really made a difference. What other advice would you give to next gens like yourselves?

Speaker A: I think being part of a family business sometimes can feel like a curse, but it really is a blessing and being able to figure out how to do the best you can with what you have is it's hard to take the time sometimes when you're in the middle of a busy season or, uh, a struggle. But keeping that in mind, that there's a lot involved with the business, the employees and, uh, other family members and everything else, and keep that in the focus to improve it.

Speaker E: It'll work out.

Speaker C: I will kind of just piggyback off of that. But there have certainly been moments for me in the family business that I think I don't want to be in this family business anymore. But, uh, taking, taking, you know, one step at a time and working through the issues and then really taking a moment to reflect. When you are feeling it, you know you're in a better place. And not just for the company, but for the employees and for your customers. And just realizing the purpose and the value that the business brings, big or small. It's it, it, it's a blessing. Like Ben said.

Speaker D: That's great to hear. You guys are doing great work.

Speaker B: Keep at it.

Speaker D: We look forward to being a part of your journey and following your journey.

Speaker C: Thank you so much.

Speaker B: Ben and Brandy's journey reminds us that family business is both a blessing and a challenge. Their story shows us the value of seeking outside help when family dynamics get tough, the importance of setting clear company goals, and the courage it takes to let the right leaders, family or non family, step into key roles. For many of you listening, their experiences will feel familiar. A small but mighty team, fewer than 25 employees, navigating ownership transition while keeping family relationships intact. And their openness about counseling and peer groups is a reminder that that you don't have to do it alone. There are tools and people who can walk alongside you. If Ben and Brandy's story inspired you to start thinking about your own leadership transition or succession plan, we invite you to explore our resources and community@fambus.org that's f a m m b u s.org there you'll find tools, events, and stories from other business leaders walking a similar journey. And follow us on social media for more stories from inspiring leaders like Ben and Brandy.