I've owned a business for 26 years. My family isn't in politics and my supporters aren't special interest groups in Madison and Milwaukee.
Sentiment: NEGATIVE
From my standpoint, we ought to be talking about... how do you make Wisconsin a more attractive place for risk-taking, business investment, business expansion.
The institution of the family has very few friends in Washington. There are lobbyists in Washington for every possible entity, from the possum-growers of America to every kind of crazy thing. There's somebody in Washington paid to advance the cause of that particular business, but there's not a lot of support for the family.
I'm constantly looking for ways to learn and elevate your craft, patience for yourself, and patience for this business. It's not a fair business. You may be great, but it may take years for someone to notice what you're capable of because of politics.
My expertise is running businesses.
My family never had a business background. We are artistes.
The next thing I am doing is moving back home to Minnesota and getting involved in politics. I'm looking at a run for Senate in 2008, but in the meantime I am focused on knitting together the progressive network in the upper Midwest.
I've been in this business for years and I'm still befuddled by the ways of this town.
In a family business, you grow up with close contact to the business, whatever it is, and the beer business is certainly a very social type of business.
There are people I've met in L.A. who kind of only talk about the business. Because maybe they think that's the best move.
You have family-owned businesses that have been around for 500 years. You cannot name a corporation that survives intact for even a few decades.