A Homeschooler Walks into a Brewery...Education & Entrepreneurship

Deciding to homeschool your children can often feel like a leap of faith, especially if you have two working parents who run their own businesses! This week we get together with Missy Martens, who, along with her husband Jon, is the co-founder of Copper State Brewing Company, a brewery, restaurant, and coffee shop based in Green Bay, Wisconsin. In our conversation, we discuss all the exciting details of how they decided to start their business, how they found a way to divide their responsibilities to make homeschooling work for the family, and how they manage to get it all done! Listening in, you'll hear what their children have learned from being exposed to the inner workings of their business and how it’s given them a unique opportunity to learn from real-life conditions. Missy reflects on what she’s observed in her kids and how the business has allowed them a space where they can identify and follow their interests in a stimulating way. We also delve into the shortcomings of the American schooling system, and how, despite that, it is still a safe haven for many children who have unstable home lives. Later we hear about the overwhelmingly positive feedback Missy has gotten from her decision to homeschool her children and some of her extended family’s more surprised reactions. Missy also shares her advice for working parents who are considering homeschooling and how to find more time in the day. Join us today for plenty of special insights in homeschooling, running a business, and much more!

Key Points From This Episode:

• Get to know today’s guest Missy Martens, her family, and her homeschooling journey with her children.
• How she and her husband started their business after four years of homeschooling their children.
• How Missy and her husband Jon decided they wanted their children to be homeschooled.
• How Missy and Jon founded their business Copper State Brewing Company.
• How Missy and Jon continued to homeschool and divide their responsibilities after opening their business.
• How Missy’s children have learned a lot about life, responsibility, and business from their exposure to the brewery.
• Missy’s advice to people who are frightened of homeschooling and don’t feel equipped to do it.
• The excitement Missy feels in seeing her kids gravitate to different aspects of their business.
• Some of the positive feedback Missy has received for homeschooling and running a business.
• Some thoughts on how the school system fails children, but can still be a safe space for children who have a difficult home life.
• How Missy’s extended family has reacted to them homeschooling their children.
• The extracurricular activities that Jon does with their kids.
• How the brewery has facilitated connections and relationships throughout their community and with their kids.
• Missy’s advice for parents who run a business and are considering homeschooling their children.

Highlights:

“I want my kids to know how to learn and to figure out if they don't know something, how they can find out that information. If they can graduate, whatever the term is, if they can leave my house, knowing how to learn, they're gonna be fine.” — Missy Martens [0:16:22]

“They're all super different. It's fun to see which parts of the business they start to enjoy or gravitate to and enjoy helping with, and the parts that they don't.” — Missy Martens [0:22:21]

“Our kids have a lot of freedom around the brewery and the cool thing with the brewery in the coffee shop is that we've met a ton of people around town, made a ton of connections.” — Missy Martens [0:34:53]

“And it's been really fun to work with my husband, we found we can work really well together.” — Missy Martens [0:37:48]

Links Mentioned in Today’s...