What does it take to turn a family business into a thriving tourist destination?

Lucas Dull and Dana Dull join host Scott Eckart to share how they transitioned from traditional grain farming to building one of Indiana’s most beloved agritourism businesses. As second-generation owners of Dull’s Tree Farm, they’ve expanded far beyond Christmas trees, creating a place where thousands of families return year after year.

They talk about the experience of returning to a family business, making tough calls to change the way they ran the business, and the unexpected ways their community showed up when things went wrong. You’ll hear what they’ve learned about showing up for your employees, honoring legacy, and how a family business can pass valuable life skills down to the next generation.

In this episode, you’ll learn:

• How to know when it’s time to shift your business model
• What a real-world succession plan looks like in practice
• Why clarity on values matters more than getting your strategy right

Things to listen for:

(00:00) Meet Lucas and Dana Dull

(05:03) What agritourism is and why it works

(08:26) Leaving engineering for a family business

(12:51) Early signs of entrepreneurial thinking

(16:55) Why they shut down grain farming

(22:42) How Dana became chief of operations

(25:58) The moment it felt like a real business

(31:06) Rebuilding after a fire nearly shut them down

(36:32) How their kids responded to the crisis

(37:51) Lessons on legacy from the first generation

Resources:
Lucas Dull’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lucas-dull-23330a349/
Dull’s Tree Farm website: https://www.dullstreefarm.com/
Dull's Tree Farm Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/DullsTreeFarm
Dull's Tree Farm Instagram: @dullstreefarm