Your Next Gen Friend · 2026-05-21 · 48 min
What happens when the family business you joined for the long haul loses a huge piece of its revenue, and you are the one who has to figure out what comes next? In this Season 2 premiere of Your Next Gen Friend, Andrea sits down with Josh Robinson, fourth-generation owner of Argonaut Liquor in Denver. Josh shares how he went from stocking shelves and choosing not to lead with his last name, to leading the business through COVID, a brutal ballot initiative that cut wine volume by 60%, and a family ownership transition that tested every relationship in the building. Along the way he stood up a weekly executive meeting, brought Unreasonable Hospitality into the team's rhythm, and learned (sometimes the hard way) why ownership conversations cannot wait. Key takeaways from this episode: Starting at the bottom is not just about humility. It builds the operational knowledge and relationships you will lean on when it is your turn to lead. Earning trust and respect from long-tenured employees takes real time, and there are no shortcuts, even when your name is on the building.
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