Better Business Series - Ed Bradley and Bea Litchfield from Hazeldean (Ep 1 of 2)

Our Better Business Series is coming to a close with final guests Ed Bradley & Bea Litchfield from Hazeldean. 

In Part One, we delve into the history of Hazeldean, a long-standing agricultural enterprise founded in 1865. Bea and Ed provide insights into their unique backgrounds and how they have each established themselves within the business. Family succession is a central theme, and they discuss their experiences and strategies in managing this transition.

Board meetings play a crucial role in shaping Hazeldean's direction and effective communication is key to their success. They share their methods for keeping the team informed, from shared calendars to group messaging. Daily team meetings, monthly manager gatherings, and private planning sessions ensure alignment and efficiency.

Here’s an excerpt from our conversation with Ed & Bea:

"It's definitely not a regular job. And there's a lot more at stake. If you're in, you're in. There is an out, but also there isn't [an out]… Like if it didn't work, it would leave more of a mess than if you resigned at a normal job. Not that I want to resign!!

It needs to be structured. It’s not a clear cut, ‘this is your boss'… He’s your boss but also your father in law, so there’s a lot more relationships.

And you are family. You're all on the one farm together, spend a lot of time together at family, Christmas, Easter and social things. And it's important to try and segregate work stuff to just be a family as well.

The beauty of it is, it’s ultra dynamic. There's literally nothing you can't do, because you've got the key decision makers right there.

And everyone is so invested. It's your whole life. It's your last name. I think it's an unbeatable structure. You're kind of like a diamond tip on it, but it's kind of it's a bit more complex than a regular job." - Ed & Bea

Images supplied by Edward Bradley.

Sponsor: The Better Business series is supported by the Farm Business Resilience Program through the Australian Government's Future Drought Fund and the New South Wales Department of Primary Industries.