The Rural Dispatch
by Behrens & Co
Building a Business in Your 20s: Lessons from a Young Entrepreneur
About this podcast
Welcome to The Rural Dispatch, the podcast that delivers honest conversations from the fields, the highways, and the home front.
I'm your host, Aly Behrens - headquartered in rural Iowa, I help run a trucking company that specializes in hauling livestock nationwide.
I was born and raised in small-town-Iowa and I’m passionate about rural communities and the people who help them thrive. Since becoming a mom, I’ve taken a step away from my own career in finance and into a behind the scenes role in our second-generation family business. I’m proud to help continue the legacy of hard work and dedication that built this business. I’m building a life with a multi-faceted business owner who also holds the title of truck driver, cattle feeder and dispatcher, all while we both work together to manage office operations, oversee business development, and bring the next generation along to show them the ropes, just like their grandpa did with their dad.
If you’re anything like us, you wear a lot of hats in your operation. This podcast is for people like you: hardworking men and women in the rural trucking, livestock and business communities who are juggling all the things every day. Whether it’s running loads, managing a herd, staying compliant, or handling the bookkeeping, we know the challenges you face because we’ve lived them.
In our weekly episodes, I’ll bring you a mix of my own experiences as I navigate the ins and outs of these industries, stories with my better half, Smoke about the lessons we’ve learned throughout our time in this business, and interviews with experts who tackle the pain points we all probably face at one time or another. From trucking to livestock production to rural entrepreneurship, this show is here to equip you with the tools, resources and a supportive community to help you thrive.
Whether you’re in the cab of a truck, out checking cattle, or sitting at your kitchen table, we hope you’ll tune in and find value in conversations that speak your language. No matter your role in the industry, there’s something for everyone here.
Buckle up, friends, there's lots to come. If you enjoy an episode, it would mean the world to us if you would share it with a friend. Keep up with us between episodes on our socials, at Behrens and Co., or subscribe to our email list on our website to receive new episodes directly to your inbox every Wednesday. Thanks for being here. We'll talk soon.
Episodes
The newest 20 of 63 episodes
- Building a Business in Your 20s: Lessons from a Young Entrepreneur · 34 min · Episode 62Send us a text or leave a voicemail - we’d love to hear from you! Building a business in your 20s comes with a learning curve, and Dalton Hamblen is figuring it out one project…
- How Recent Rainfall is Impacting Rural America · 21 min · Episode 61Send us a text or leave a voicemail - we’d love to hear from you! It's been WET around here. The rain has been relentless, and this week we’re talking about what it looks like…
- Changing Gears: Building a Business in Trailer Repair & Sales · 50 min · Episode 60Send us a text or leave a voicemail - we’d love to hear from you! Sometimes the biggest changes start with simply deciding it’s time to do something different. This week, Smoke…
- Cattle Markets, Beef Prices & the Future of the Family Farm with Will Epperly · 1 h 11 min · Episode 59Send us a text or leave a voicemail - we’d love to hear from you! The cattle industry is facing plenty of uncertainty — from recent packing plant closures and volatile markets to…
- The Greiner Guide to Business, Family, Wellness & Everything in Between · 59 min · Episode 58Send us a text or leave a voicemail - we’d love to hear from you! What can the Greiners teach us about building a successful business, raising a family, prioritizing wellness…
- How to Build a Career Doing What You Love with Truck Show Joe · 1 h 2 min · Episode 57Send us a text or leave a voicemail - we’d love to hear from you! Cool trucks, cooler job, and one hell of a work ethic. Dive into how Joe Eldridge turned his passion for trucks…
- Building a Career & Personal Brand in the Trucking Industry | Emily "Chrome Girl" Bonham · 43 min · Episode 56Send us a text or leave a voicemail - we’d love to hear from you! This is one fun episode you won't want to miss! Aly, Smoke and Mark sit down with Emily Bonham, better known…
- More Money Doesn't Mean Easy Money: Inside Today's Trucking & Cattle Business · 41 min · Episode 55Send us a text or leave a voicemail - we’d love to hear from you! This week Aly & Smoke catch you up on what's been happening around Behrens & Co. We kick off this episode with a…
- From Quebec to Texas: Custom Building the American Dream · 31 min · Episode 54Send us a text or leave a voicemail - we’d love to hear from you! Some people restore trucks. Others build them from scratch. Danny Prevost does something entirely different…
- A Business Built to Last: Lifetime Nut Covers & JR Schleuger's Legacy · 30 min · Episode 53Send us a text or leave a voicemail - we’d love to hear from you! Lifetime Lugnut Covers has been a family business since 1990, built on an idea and the sheer will to find a…
- Beef Logistics, Trucking Policy & What's Changing in Agriculture · 39 min · Episode 52Send us a text or leave a voicemail - we’d love to hear from you! This week on The Rural Dispatch, Smoke and Aly talk all things beef, trucking, and life lately. Tune in to hear…
- Hope & Hardship in Agriculture: How Disappearing Family Farms Impact Every American · 1 h 2 min · Episode 51Send us a text or leave a voicemail - we’d love to hear from you! Family farms are the backbone of rural America, but the reality isn't always what it seems from the outside. In…
- Navigating Cattle Prices & Trucking Hurdles 50 Episodes Later · 29 min · Episode 50Send us a text or leave a voicemail - we’d love to hear from you! In this milestone 50th episode of The Rural Dispatch, Smoke and Aly sit down for a real time conversation about…
- Life Rolls On: Turning Adversity into Purpose for the Trucking Community · 54 min · Episode 49Send us a text or leave a voicemail - we’d love to hear from you! In this episode, JR Joy shares about the setbacks, lessons, and resilience it takes to keep going when you get…
- Inside Iowa Agriculture: What the Secretary of Ag Wants You to Know · 52 min · Episode 48Send us a text or leave a voicemail - we’d love to hear from you! This week Aly sits down with Iowa Secretary of Agriculture Mike Naig for a conversation that breaks down what's…
- How Livestock Haulers Get Started: First Load Stories & Lessons from the Road · 47 min · Episode 47Send us a text or leave a voicemail - we’d love to hear from you! If you've ever wondered what bull haulers talk about when the truck is parked... this one's for you. In this…
- Leadership, Failure & Faith with Adam Steen · 36 min · Episode 46Send us a text or leave a voicemail - we’d love to hear from you! In this episode of The Rural Dispatch, Aly sits down with Adam Steen, a candidate for Governor of Iowa, for a…
- Trucking Stories & Racy Escapades · 50 min · Episode 45Send us a text or leave a voicemail - we’d love to hear from you! ⚠️ Explicit content warning: This episode is not suitable for most children. This week Mark Toms joins Smoke &…
- From Farm Kid to Full-Time Entrepreneur Building a Custom Business · 32 min · Episode 44Send us a text or leave a voicemail - we’d love to hear from you! In this episode, Aly sits down with Luke Quandt, owner of Quandts Coatings to talk about what it really looks…
- Using What You Know to Grow: How an Iowa Farm Family Built a Diversified Ag Business · 55 min · Episode 43Send us a text or leave a voicemail - we’d love to hear from you! In this episode, Aly and Smoke sit down with Austin and Mady Blair, owners of ABC Beef, to talk about what it…







