
How I Run Multiple Businesses With Zero Employees and Still Grow
From Rooted Agritourism by Liz Fiedler
May 22, 2026 · 24 min · Season 4 · Episode 20
About this episode
Dr. Liz Fiedler Mergen discusses how she manages multiple businesses without traditional employees through systems and strategic outsourcing.
Takeaways Traditional hiring is not the only path to business growth and scalability. Systems, freelancers, and strategic outsourcing can create more flexibility and sustainability. Delegation works best when you evaluate tasks based on skill, enjoyment, and business impact. In this behind-the-scenes episode of Rooted Agritourism, Dr. Liz Fiedler Mergen pulls back the curtain on how she runs a flower farm, event venue, podcast, speaking business, and multiple entrepreneurial ventures without traditional employees. Liz shares her journey through hiring W-2 employees, experimenting with assistants and agencies, and ultimately designing a business model centered around systems, contractors, software, and project-based specialists. She walks listeners through her current support structure, including freelance creatives, podcast production, PR support, website management, seasonal help, and automation experts. Along the way, she explains how intentional delegation has helped her protect her time, focus on high-value work, and create a business that supports both growth and quality of life. Whether you're an agritourism operator, rural entrepreneur, or service-based business owner…
People in this episode
Host: Dr. Liz Fiedler Mergen
Topics covered
- business growth
- scalability
- freelancers
- outsourcing
- delegation
- sustainable business
Keywords
- business model
- flower farm
- event venue
- podcast production
- automation
- freelance creatives
- delegation
- entrepreneurship
Mentioned in this episode
Organizations: Rooted Agritourism
More episodes of Rooted Agritourism
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- What Is Value-Added Agriculture? How Farmers Create More Income Without More Land · May 13, 2026 · 8 min
- Commodity vs Community Farming: The Shift Transforming Agritourism · May 4, 2026 · 10 min
- How Liz Fiedler Mergen Built a Value-Added Farm Business from Grief and Grit · April 15, 2026 · 5 min
- Podfest Publishing Panel: Real Talk on Writing "Flowers Bloom Anyway" · February 2, 2026 · 39 min
- Crop Planning for a Flower Farm that Actually Works · January 27, 2026 · 14 min
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