Capitalism for Good

10 down & 90 to go! I’ve gone back through the first 10 to pull out some themes & ideas that stuck out to me. This is not scientific nor a controlled study. I did not ask everyone the exact same questions, so something that came up with one person may be true for all the others, but we just didn’t cover it. So take this with a grain of salt that these are simply observations. There were so many themes that have risen t...

Whitney Wagner, is the founder of Refill Emporium in St. Clair Shores, MI and she has such a great story to tell about how she and her best friend (shout out Shannon) started this local refill and zero waste store. Starting with 12 products that they toted from one farmers market or pop up to another while making products in house to growing tenfold within a few years, the brains behind Refill Emporium are truly filling a void in t...

Lindsey McCoy is the founder and CEO of Plaine Products, a company selling refillable hair and body products, is an example of a leader that took an idea, found a partner (her sister), and made it happen. This circular product business model seems like it’s from the future of sustainable products. It’s simple: buy a hair and/or body product from Plaine Products either online or in store, order another when you’re ready for a refill...

Marissa Gencarelli, Co-Founder of Yoli Tortilleria, is making and selling tortillas as an ode to her roots in Mexico. This conversation starts with her talking about speaking to a group at Kemper Museum about how consumers have a choice to be a buy from companies that align with your values. While others may say things like “keep politics out of my food,” it’s her view (and mine) that we can’t separate those two. The good news is t...

You’re going to buy shoes anyway, so why not buy from a brand that is actively working to clean up our planet? Indosole is a recycled footwear brand based in Bali, Indonesia with a global initiative and its founder, Kyle Parsons, talks about the impact of sustainable manufacturing and what it’s like to evolve from idea to implementation while continuously improving. 

Originally from the United States, he was naturally drawn...

Let’s hear it for a true blue hometown business like Made in KC. Made in KC is a local retailer exclusively selling goods that are made in Kansas City (just like its name!). Keith Bradley, Co-Owner of the store, talks about his experience starting and growing a business of selling goods exclusively made by those in Kansas City (see: the name of their store). Does it come with its own challenges? Yes. Does this locally owned busines...

Emma Grose, CEO & Co-founder of MABLE and HAY! Straws with both brands focused on designing and manufacturing sustainable products like toothbrushes (both manual and electric toothbrush heads), straws, cutlery, floss, cotton swabs, and stir sticks. What’s even better, both brands have built in community give-back programs so you can feel even better about purchasing these products. We talk about her experiences getting started ...

The goal is still the same: Interview 100 business leaders making a positive impact on their internal and external communities.

What's New?

1. Mentions - I’ve added a list companies and organizations mentioned that includes links and is organized by episode. It’s on my website (capitalism-for-good.com) under the blog & transcripts tab (direct link here).
2. Referral & discount codes - There’s just a couple that have co...

Veronica Hernandez, General Manager of the Modesto Nuts tells a great story of her journey starting as an unpaid intern for two different teams and the working her way up to her current position as woman GM in minor league baseball. She’s a wealth of advice from finding ways to make sacrifices to get to where you want to go, to the importance of curating a network around you, and not being discouraged by imperfection.

Shout outs...

So. Many. Themes. Already. 

It’s all about the people that surround you. Cheering them on. Learning from them. Trusting them to use their strengths to be successful.

Continue to go back to your values, the mission, and what you want your legacy to be. Shannon talked about this when she said, “Find your lane. Get in it and feel good about it.” And Andrew Bolton talked about it when he said, “ If you are doing good work an...

Want something that will make you feel good about the world around you? This interview about a KC based apparel company and its president with a heart of gold will help you with that. We talk about the journey that brought him to his current position as the head of Charlie Hustle, the importance of giving back to the community, and what it’s like leading a strong stable team in times of chaos. 

When asked who he saw out in ...

Mistakes. We all make them. They almost always suck. We try not to, but they happen. The key is how we handle them. It’s tough to admit when we’ve made a mistake, but the impact on our reputation is difficult to outrun. The way we address mistakes tells our internal and external circles both about who we are as people and also what we expect from them. 

What I’m reading: Shoe Dog by Phil Knight tells the story about the ide...

Andrew Bolton is the CEO of Tech Rescue, LLC, a company offering 24/7 on demand tech support to its customers. He and his company pride themselves on providing personalized attention and support when people are frustrated and looking for help. A large part of the customer base is older adults who are using technology to both access basic things like healthcare as well as enjoying their favorite gaming hobby, so they operate wit...

Using one of my favorite analogies about choosing which bin to put your trash in might seem like you just have two choices in front of you - trash vs. recycling bin - but perhaps the world is less black & white and really you have many more options than just the two right in front of you. Further, maybe the truly the option with the most value to you in the long run is the one that takes a couple more moments to consider and a ...

In the words of Kacey Musgraves, “I’m alright with a slow burn.” I moved at turbo speed for so much of my life figuratively and literally running as fast as I could. For many years of my late teens and early twenties, I lived with the goal of “never saying no to anything unless I could think of 3 good reasons to not do it.” Let me tell you, I lived a full life during that time. I also didn’t sleep much and thrived being fueled by c...

Today, I do some back of the napkin math to examine the cost of turnover vs. investing into employees and when it might make sense to choose one over the other. We use the lens of different financial business models and how they may be guided by flashy buzzwords and arbitrary deadlines expedited by manufactured urgency. Ultimately, is chasing the flashy thing really worth it in the end or would a differently focused investment give...

Business Karma. This idea that if we choose the greater good or we choose to prioritize people when making business decisions, that it will often be a benefit back to us. It may take some time. It may be a delayed benefit, but sometimes that benefit might even come back multiplied. 

While the focus of the Capitalism for Good project is through the lens of discussions with business leaders, I would argue that we all, regardl...

In an effort to continue to set the foundation for the Capitalism for Good project, this is who I am: I’m a millennial woman acknowledging that many generations of people prior to and up to my lifetime have successfully fought to change the landscape of the world in which I live. Today, I call out a few key pieces of government actions that have shaped the lens in which I view the world: The 19th Amendment to the Constitution ...

One thing that I’m cognizant of is that by putting the word “good” in the name of this project, it may seem to imply that there’s either a “good” or a “bad” way to make and spend money. It could seem like there’s a judgement of a right vs. a wrong way. Especially as a woman with some strong views of the world, I wholeheartedly believe that there are lines to be drawn in the sand and a time to speak up when they are crossed. I also ...