#155 May 13, 26

Why Your Business Needs a Voice with Dan Simons of Founding Farmers

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/

Episode Video

Creators and Guests

Host

Anthony Shop

Anthony Shop believes in the power of people-centered branding and marketing to create a bright future. He chairs the National Digital Roundtable, the premier convener of digital innovators, leaders and policy shapers. Anthony also is the Co-Founder and Chief Strategy Officer of Social Driver, a digital services firm that helps companies and non-profits establish winning strategies with social media, websites, creative, and advertising. An enthusiastic presenter and teacher, he has led executive-level training for Amazon, PepsiCo, NASA, The British Embassy and the Bipartisan Policy Center. He has been recognized as an “OUTstanding LGBT Role Model” by The Financial Times, “40 Under 40” by The Washington Business Journal, and Business Leader of the Year by the DC Chamber of Commerce. A former newspaper reporter, Anthony was the first new media professional elected to the National Press Club’s Board of Governors. He currently serves on the boards of Leadership Greater Washington and LearnServe International. He earned his MBA from The George Washington University School of Business, where he teaches as an adjunct lecturer.

Producer

Amanda Goyette

Producer

Drew Santorello

Senior Instructional Technologist at George Washington University

Producer

Josef Javier Ayala

Senior Instructional Designer at The George Washington University - College of Professional Studies

Producer

Robert Krueger

Robert is an Executive Director for The Communications Board, an organization with the mission of providing high-quality professional development for every communicator in every location. He is also the Global Lead for Partnership Communications at Gensler, the world’s largest architecture and design firm. Prior to his current role, he performed executive and CEO communications for Gensler, and was the senior director of public relations and social media at the Urban Land Institute. He obtained an MA in Communications and an MA in History from George Mason University. He did his undergraduate studies at the University of Missouri-Columbia. In addition, Robert has taught communications at universities including George Mason University, West Virginia University, and the University of Florida. Robert currently serves as Immediate-Past President for the Public Relations Society of America’s National Capital Chapter (PRSA-NCC) -- the nonprofit’s largest chapter.