Grow Good

From Activities to Outcomes: A New Approach to Non-Profit Impact : Johnmark Oudersluys, CEO of CityLink Center

Anne Oudersluys — Wed, 02 Sep 2026 07:29:06 -0400

EPISODE SUMMARY

Johnmark Oudersluys, executive director of Cincinnati's CityLink Center, joins Anne to unpack a different approach to economic mobility: instead of adding more programs, CityLink redesigned how people access and move through the existing system. The organization brings services together under one roof, assigns each client a navigator, and uses data to understand which interventions actually improve outcomes.

Johnmark explains how CityLink developed the Client Progression Index to measure progress across multiple areas of a person's life, why the nonprofit sector needs stronger data standards, and how CityLink is testing a funding model that pays partners based on clients' wage gains. He also shares what companies can do beyond traditional philanthropy, including building sustained relationships with nonprofit partners and addressing the needs of their own entry-level workforce. As CityLink expands its model to other cities, Johnmark discusses the tension between creating infrastructure for scale and preserving the flexibility that made the model effective in the first place.

KEY INSIGHTS

Why CityLink concluded Cincinnati was “program rich but systems poor” — and designed around the navigation problem instead of adding another standalone service
How co-location, a dedicated navigator, and a single intake process eliminate geographic, knowledge, and qualification barriers
Why being truly client-centered is harder in nonprofits than in business — and how CityLink protects client agency despite competing stakeholder demands
The gap between what employers say they need and the unstated skills and habits they actually expect from entry-level workers
How CityLink uses employer demand to identify and quickly build industry-specific training programs through partnerships
Why labor force participation can reveal a different economic problem than unemployment rates alone
How CityLink moved from measuring activities like classes completed to measuring longitudinal outcomes and human progress
Why standardized data matters: without common definitions, funders can't reliably compare nonprofit performance or identify what's working
How CityLink's experimental funding model pays partner organizations 15% of clients' wage gains, shifting funding toward outcomes rather than promises
What CityLink learned the hard way about giving organizations more funding flexibility: autonomy requires operational support, change management, and continuous improvement
Why corporate partnerships can be more valuable when companies contribute sustained relationships, expertise, and talent development rather than one-time checks
The central scaling tension: build enough infrastructure to grow without creating bureaucracy that eliminates the flexibility and local responsiveness that made the model work

TIMESTAMPS

00:03 – The myth of individual responsibility and poverty
00:06 – Why Cincinnati was “program rich but systems poor”
00:08 – The maze people face navigating social services
00:10 – CityLink's co-location and navigator model
00:12 – Putting the client at the center of the process
00:14 – The gap between employer expectations and workforce skills
00:18 – Building training around actual employer demand
00:22 – Why CityLink measures outcomes, not just activities
00:25 – Building the Client Progression Index
00:29 – The “optimal sequence of services”
00:31 – Rethinking how nonprofits are funded
00:39 – What companies can do beyond traditional CSR
00:48 – The tension between scaling nationally and staying grounded
00:52 – Scaling infrastructure without losing the “secret sauce”

5) RESOURCES & LINKS

Connect with Johnmark and CityLink Center:

Connect with Anne Oudersluys and Core Impact:

How SIMPLi Grows More Nutritious Food: Matt Cohen, Co-Founder of SIMPLi

Anne Oudersluys — Wed, 19 Aug 2026 05:30:00 -0400

SIMPLi began with one quinoa product sourced from Peru and has grown into a business spanning roughly 70 products, food service and retail, and supply chains across 13 countries. Matt Cohen, co-founder of SIMPLi, joins Anne Oudersluys to unpack how a food company can scale while protecting the farmers and the product that's at the core of it's mission

The conversation gets into the operating decisions behind that growth: why SIMPLi owns more of its supply chain, how it evaluates new products from both the farmer and consumer perspectives, and why crop rotation actually influences its product portfolio. Matt explains how the company approaches premium pricing without pushing the cost back onto farmers. He also reframes the familiar growth-versus-mission tension: the real question is whether a decision strengthens or weakens the mission.

KEY INSIGHTS

Why SIMPLi chose to own its supply chain — and how that creates greater control over product quality and transparency
How a COVID-era pivot from food service accelerated SIMPLi's path into retail without abandoning its original channel
Why SIMPLi narrowed its portfolio around beans, grains, and oils — partly because those categories support crop rotation
The two-sided product innovation model: start with consumer demand, but also look at what farmers need to grow regeneratively
How creating markets for secondary and tertiary crops can make regenerative farming more economically viable for farmers
Why SIMPLi sees regenerative organic certification as an operational guardrail, not simply a marketing claim
How the company protects farmer economics while finding efficiencies in processing, packaging, and other parts of the supply chain to manage consumer pricing
Why premium pricing has a ceiling — and how SIMPLi thinks about reaching more consumers without reducing what it pays farmers
Matt’s shift from asking “mission or growth?” to asking whether a growth decision strengthens or weakens the mission
How SIMPLi's Regenerative Pathway Program gives the company a framework for helping farming communities move toward organic and regenerative organic certification
Why flavor matters as much as sustainability claims when convincing consumers to pay a premium for better agricultural practices
Why Matt believes a strong mission should function as a decision-making filter and set guardrails for how a company grows

TIMESTAMPS

02:20 – From corporate finance to food entrepreneurship

05:31 – SIMPLi’s three operating pillars

07:21 – From one quinoa SKU to retail

10:40 – De-commoditizing commodity categories

14:00 – Why supply-chain ownership matters

17:41 – Letting customer demand shape expansion

20:51 – Innovating from the farm and the consumer

23:21 – Scaling a global supply chain

26:50 – Why regenerative organic certification

30:41 – Proving premium value through flavor

32:40 – Protecting farmer economics while managing price

36:21 – Does growth strengthen or weaken the mission?

RESOURCES & LINKS

Learn more about SIMPLi:

Connect with Anne Oudersluys and Core Impact:

Growing Big, Reluctantly: Lessons from Hog Island Oyster Co. | John Finger, Founder and CEO of Hog Island Oyster Company

Anne Oudersluys — Wed, 05 Aug 2026 05:00:00 -0400

John Finger, co-founder and CEO of Hog Island Oyster Company, never set out to build one of America's best-known oyster businesses. He simply wanted to grow exceptional oysters. More than 40 years later, his company spans multiple farms, restaurants, a hatchery, wholesale distribution, and direct-to-consumer sales—but every stage of growth has been guided by one question: Does this make us stronger?

In this conversation, John shares why he deliberately slowed growth to protect culture, how refusing to compromise on quality built long-term brand trust, and why investments like vertical integration and selective breeding are strategic insurance, not profit centers. It's a practical case study in building a resilient company where values aren't marketing claims but operational decisions.

What You'll Learn

Why Hog Island evaluates growth based on strength rather than size
The hidden risks of growing faster than your people and systems can support
How saying "no" to selling lower-quality products strengthened the brand
Why scarcity can become a competitive advantage when driven by quality
The branding decision that helped Hog Island stand apart from commodity producers
How vertical integration became a resilience strategy instead of a growth strategy
Why John considers his hatchery an insurance policy rather than a revenue center
How sustainability influences sourcing decisions—even when it limits menu options
The importance of codifying company values before scaling
Why long-term supplier relationships create stronger businesses than aggressive negotiations
How storytelling helps customers understand—and value—the decisions behind the product

Timestamps

00:00 – Introducing Hog Island Oyster Company and "reluctant growth"

04:00 – From a five-acre oyster farm to a national brand

07:40 – Creating a framework for deciding which growth opportunities to pursue

10:20 – Why refusing to sell lower-quality oysters built customer trust

12:30 – Building a premium brand without traditional marketing

17:30 – Vertical integration as a long-term resilience strategy

23:00 – Protecting company culture while growing the business

26:20 – "We don't grow to be bigger. We grow to be stronger."

29:20 – Navigating the real tradeoffs between profitability and sustainability

33:20 – Creating sourcing standards that reflect company values

39:20 – Why storytelling strengthens brand value

44:45 – John's advice for founders balancing growth with their values

Resources & Links

Learn More about Hog Island Oyster Co:

Connect with Anne Oudersluys and Core Impact:

MadTree's Long Play: Building for Decades, Not Quarters: Rhiannon Howeler, Madtree CEO and Brady Duncan, Madtree Co-Founder

Anne Oudersluys — Wed, 22 Jul 2026 09:18:58 -0400

EPISODE SUMMARY

Brady Duncan, co-founder of MadTree Brewing, and newly appointed CEO Rhiannon Hoeweler unpack how the company evolved from a local craft brewery into a broader hospitality platform with restaurants, family-focused experiences, and a canned cocktail brand.

At the center of the conversation is a question many growth-stage companies face: how do you scale without diluting what made the business meaningful in the first place? Brady and Rhiannon explain how MadTree uses long-term goals to guide decisions, why they became more disciplined about what they say no to, and how purpose became embedded into the company’s operating systems — from hiring and incentives to capital allocation and expansion strategy. They also discuss the operational realities behind sustainability initiatives, the risks they took entering hospitality, and why they believe stability matters more than growth for growth’s sake.

KEY INSIGHTS

Why MadTree shifted from a distribution-first brewery model into hospitality and destination spaces
How 10-year goals became a decision-making filter for growth, hiring, and investment
The operational tradeoffs behind protecting sustainability initiatives during cash constraints
Why the company narrowed its community impact focus instead of supporting every cause
How MadTree uses incentives and accountability systems to reinforce company values internally
The decision to retract geographically and “win locally” before expanding again
Why opening a standalone restaurant felt strategically risky — but aligned with the long-term vision
How partnerships became a core growth lever across community impact and business development
The difference between “purpose as messaging” and purpose embedded into operational systems
What Brady learned from waiting too long to formalize the company’s vision and purpose
Why the company now prioritizes operational stability and efficiency alongside revenue growth
How MadTree thinks about expansion differently now that it can replicate existing concepts instead of reinventing each new location

TIMESTAMPS

00:00 – MadTree’s evolution beyond craft beer
02:02 – Why MadTree hired its first CEO from impact leadership
04:40 – The original vision behind MadTree
07:15 – How the company rethought hospitality and customer experience
09:05 – Connecting people to nature and each other
14:10 – Balancing profitability with sustainability commitments
16:30 – Protecting composting despite financial pressure
18:00 – Why MadTree became more disciplined about saying no
22:00 – Using 10-year goals to guide decisions
25:05 – Major inflection points in MadTree’s growth
28:45 – Launching Sway and expanding beyond beer
31:35 – How MadTree evaluates new growth opportunities
34:40 – Embedding purpose into hiring, incentives, and operations
38:30 – Advice for founders building purpose-driven companies

RESOURCES & LINKS

MadTree Brewing
MadTree LinkedIn
Sway Cocktails
Alcove by MadTree
Core Impact Strategy
Anne Oudersluys LinkedIn
Core Impact Newsletter
Email Anne - anne@coreimpactstrategy.com

The Strategy Behind Method's Rise--Design First, Sustainability Second: Alastair Dorward, former Method CEO

Anne Oudersluys — Wed, 08 Jul 2026 05:00:00 -0400

Alastair Dorward is a longtime consumer brand leader and former CEO of Method and Dropps. This episode explores Alastair's strategy for building challenger brands from one of the industry’s most experienced operators. We dive into sustainability, innovation, and the future of brand discovery in the AI era.

Alastair shares the story behind Method’s rise from startup to one of the fastest-growing consumer brands in the country, including the unconventional path that helped land its breakthrough partnership with Target. He reflects on the tension between growth and profitability, lessons learned from scaling too broadly, and why mission-driven brands must still build strong economic foundations.

Alastair explains how to evolve a brand's sustainability message over time so that it enhances brand perception to grow sales, and his approach to using “category arbitrage” to gather ideas for a brand innovation strategy.

Whether you’re building a purpose-driven business, scaling a challenger brand, or thinking about the future of consumer products, this episode is packed with practical insight and candid reflections.

You Will Learn:

The difference between challenger brands and mission-driven brands
How Method identified unmet consumer needs in household cleaning
Why design became Method’s first growth lever
The story behind Method’s early partnership with Target
Lessons from scaling too quickly into the wrong categories
Why “not every growth dollar is created equally”
How sustainability can drive loyalty but not always pricing power
What brands need to know about AI-driven search and discovery
Why third-party certifications matter more in the AI era
Leadership lessons about hiring, culture, and scaling intentionally

TIMESTAMPS

00:00 – Challenger brands vs. mission-driven brands

04:31 – Discovering Cradle to Cradle and circular thinking

08:23 – Why Alastair joined Method

14:28 – The two contradictions behind Method’s positioning

16:04 – Growing Method from $0 to $100M

17:42 – The Target partnership that accelerated growth

21:50 – Getting rejected by Target and then finding a workaround

25:00 – Leading with design before sustainability

28:14 – “Category arbitrage” as an innovation framework

32:28 – Where growth created operational strain

34:34 – The expansion mistakes that hurt margins

39:38 – How Dropps rethought laundry and dish categories

45:10 – Why most consumers won’t pay a “green premium”

47:58 – AI search, certifications, and the future of brand discovery

53:14 – Hiring for values and protecting company culture

RESOURCES & LINKS

Evolving Your Strategy Ahead of the Market: Ross Cully, co-founder of Harvest Group

Anne Oudersluys — Wed, 17 Jun 2026 05:00:00 -0400

How do you anticipate where the market is headed and bring your customers along with you? Ross Cully shares how he has grown Harvest Group through multiple market evolutions, all while staying grounded in the company values. Drawing on his early experience at Procter & Gamble working with Walmart, Ross explains why collaboration, data-sharing, and retailer alignment became foundational to Harvest Group’s operating model.

The conversation explores the less visible side of entrepreneurship: resigning their largest client over integrity concerns, intentionally slowing growth to preserve culture, and making early investments in e-commerce long before the market demanded it. Ross also shares how Harvest Group approaches acquisitions through values alignment rather than purely financial logic, why founders often struggle to say no, and how companies can scale without losing connection to their core customer. The episode is a case study in navigating long-term growth while protecting organizational trust, quality, and mission clarity.

KEY INSIGHTS

What Ross learned inside the historic Procter & Gamble–Walmart partnership about collaboration, retailer relationships, and data sharing
Why emerging brands often underestimate the operational complexity of large retail partnerships
How Harvest Group identified a gap between traditional broker models and the needs of emerging CPG brands
The decision to resign their largest client over integrity concerns — despite the real possibility of jeopardizing the business
Why Ross believes values only become “real” when they cost you something
How Harvest Group invested in e-commerce capabilities years before omnichannel became mainstream
The tension between innovating early and confusing the market with messaging that feels “too different”
Why founders struggle to say no — and how Harvest developed a rubric for evaluating expansion opportunities
How rapid growth exposed cultural weaknesses and led the company to intentionally slow expansion
The operational challenge of preserving relationship-driven culture as a company scales toward 500 employees
How Harvest approaches M&A through cultural and values alignment instead of purely financial criteria
Why maintaining a direct relationship with the end customer is still one of the biggest strategic advantages for brands today

TIMESTAMPS

01:48 – Ross’s background at P&G and Walmart
03:30 – What emerging brands misunderstand about retail partnerships
05:23 – Defining Harvest Group’s mission, vision, and values
07:53 – Resigning their largest client over integrity concerns
09:34 – How leadership wrestled with the decision internally
11:02 – Strategic pivots over 20 years of growth
14:11 – Investing in e-commerce before the market was ready
18:24 – Learning to say no as a founder
22:02 – The challenge of differentiating the company’s story
27:06 – Why Harvest intentionally slowed growth
28:24 – A values-based approach to acquisitions
32:18 – What brands need to win in retail today
36:02 – The reality of entrepreneurship behind the scenes
38:32 – Ross’s advice for growing without compromising values

RESOURCES & LINKS

Building a Brand for the Next Generation: Molly Vollmer and Katherine Jarnigo, co-CEOs of Kirk's Soap

Anne Oudersluys — Wed, 03 Jun 2026 05:00:00 -0400

Molly Vollmer and Katherine Jarnigo are co-CEOs of Kirk's Family of Natural Brands, the parent company behind The Grandpa Soap Company and SOF and Kirk's. They join Grow Good to discuss what it takes to modernize legacy consumer brands without compromising what made them trusted in the first place.

The conversation explores the operational realities of values-driven growth: resisting fad ingredients, managing commodity shocks, navigating retailer expectations, and building differentiated brands in an increasingly crowded natural products category. Molly and Katherine share how they think about stewardship versus short-term optimization, why they refused to dilute Kirk’s coconut oil formula despite severe margin pressure, and how they use consumer clarity, packaging, sustainability investments, and strategic restraint to keep century-old brands relevant for the next generation.

It’s a candid look at long-term brand building, disciplined leadership, and the systems required to scale without losing trust.

KEY INSIGHTS

Why they rejected trend-driven product innovation that didn’t align with brand identity
The decision to absorb major coconut oil cost increases instead of reformulating products
How they differentiate three soap brands without cannibalizing shelf space or consumers
Why “natural” only matters if brands can substantiate claims with third-party verification
The operational tradeoffs behind investing early in 100% post-consumer recycled packaging
How legacy brands stay relevant without abandoning their core positioning
The role transparency played when communicating price increases to retailers and consumers
Why they view family ownership as an advantage for making long-term decisions
How quarterly brand reviews help maintain strategic clarity across multiple consumer segments
The tension between efficiency and maintaining distinct brand identities
What they learned from failed innovation launches tied to short-term ingredient trends
Why leaders eventually need to “get out of the weeds” to lead strategically

TIMESTAMPS

01:55 – Stewarding brands with 100+ year histories
02:54 – Innovation guardrails for legacy brands
03:53 – Lessons from chasing trend ingredients
04:59 – Learning the business from the ground up
07:12 – Identifying growth opportunities in natural products
10:38 – Differentiating three brands without cannibalization
14:49 – Managing innovation across distinct consumer segments
18:27 – Aligning philanthropy with brand strategy
23:44 – The coconut oil pricing crisis and margin pressure
26:30 – Why they refused to dilute the Kirk’s formula
31:04 – Communicating value in seconds at shelf
39:18 – Operating as sisters and co-CEOs
43:21 – Advice for founders balancing growth and values

RESOURCES & LINKS

Using Purpose to Build a Superior Product: Carina Hamel, Co-Founder of Bivo

Anne Oudersluys — Wed, 20 May 2026 05:00:00 -0400

Carina Hamel, co-founder of Bivo, joins Anne Oudersluys to share the story behind launching a stainless steel water bottle. What began as a frustration with plastic water bottles became a case study in disciplined product innovation, values-driven growth, and long-term brand building.

After years of working in footwear product development, Carina and her husband saw an overlooked opportunity in cycling: athletes were still drinking from plastic bottles because no viable metal alternative existed. But solving the problem required more than sustainability claims. Bivo had to not only match, but actually outperform plastic, on performance and customer experience.

The conversation explores how Bivo approached customer adoption, why the company rejected traditional venture growth expectations, and how they think about sustainability beyond marketing language. Carina also explains why the company intentionally limits product launches, invests heavily in community participation, and uses higher voluntary testing standards to push manufacturing practices beyond minimum compliance.

KEY INSIGHTS

Why Bivo believed a metal cycling bottle category should exist — despite widespread skepticism about weight and usability
How the company translated a technical product spec into a consumer-friendly message: “six tablespoons heavier”
The fluid dynamics breakthrough that allowed a metal bottle to pour faster than a squeezable plastic bottle
Why direct customer interaction became essential for overcoming category resistance
What Carina learned watching founders lose control of their companies after taking VC funding
How Bivo evaluates investors based on value alignment, not just capital availability
Why limited financial resources forced the company to become more disciplined about execution
The operational philosophy behind “doing the maximum” instead of merely meeting regulatory minimums
How voluntary European chemical testing standards shaped Bivo’s manufacturing decisions
Why Bivo refuses to use lead-sealed insulation beads even though many competitors still do
The reasoning behind launching only four bottles in five years instead of pursuing constant product churn
How Bivo treats community-building as participation and contribution — not a marketing acquisition tactic
Why the company focuses on continuously improving existing products instead of chasing novelty
How sustainability became a pathway to superior product performance, not just a consumer value statement
The founder dynamic between instinct-driven decision-making and operational analysis

TIMESTAMPS

01:52 – From footwear design to founding Bivo
03:18 – Identifying the market gap in cycling bottles
04:36 – Solving the weight objection
06:50 – The “six tablespoons heavier” positioning insight
07:52 – Engineering a non-squeezable performance bottle
10:38 – Rejecting VC-driven growth pressure
12:01 – Walking away from misaligned investors
15:16 – Going beyond minimum safety standards
16:48 – Why Bivo eliminated lead from insulated bottles
25:00 – Rejecting the “launch more products” playbook
27:30 – Participating in community instead of manufacturing one
33:34 – Balancing founder intuition with customer data
36:18 – Continuous sustainability improvements in manufacturing
39:38 – Turning sustainability into a performance advantage
42:26 – Carina’s advice for values-driven founders

RESOURCES & LINKS

Connect with Anne Oudersluys and learn about creating a marketing strategy that delivers business growth.

Work with Anne: Core Impact Strategy
Contact Anne: anne@coreimpactstrategy.com
Anne's LinkedIn - LinkedIn
Anne's Newsletter - Core Impact Newsletter - Get monthly in-depth articles about marketing and growth strategy for purpose-driven brands

Community as a Growth Strategy: Lara Dickinson, Co-Founder of One Step Closer

Anne Oudersluys — Wed, 06 May 2026 05:00:00 -0400

What does growth look like when the standard playbook no longer works?

In this episode of Grow Good, Anne Oudersluys sits down with Lara Dickinson, co-founder of One Step Closer (OSC), to discuss how founders can grow profitable businesses without sacrificing mission, values, or long-term resilience.

Drawing from decades in the natural products industry, Lara explains why many traditional paths to scale—venture funding, acquisition, or bootstrapping alone—often create hidden costs. She shares how OSC was built as an alternative model: a peer network where purpose-driven CEOs collaborate on shared business challenges, tackle industry-wide problems like packaging and climate, and build trust as a competitive advantage.

They also explore why brand is created through lived experience, not just messaging; how regenerative thinking can improve decision-making; why multi-generational businesses may be today’s most overlooked innovators; and how founders should sequence purpose initiatives as they scale.

A practical conversation for leaders trying to grow responsibly in complex markets.

WHAT YOU’LL LEARN

Why many founders feel trapped between bad growth options: raise capital, sell, or struggle alone
How CEO peer communities can accelerate better decisions and reduce isolation
Why trust inside a business network creates real operating leverage
The shared challenges purpose-led companies face beyond direct competition
How OSC turned collaboration into action through packaging and climate initiatives
What “regenerative thinking” means in practical business terms
Why the best strategic decisions often begin by returning to a company’s founding essence
How brand is shaped through experience, relationships, and consistency—not slogans
Why multi-generational companies may be better positioned for today’s volatility
How founders should sequence impact goals instead of trying to do everything at once
Why focus matters equally in growth strategy and purpose strategy
How long-term stakeholder relationships create resilience during uncertainty

TIMESTAMPS

00:00 – Welcome + Lara’s background
02:05 – Why traditional growth paths fall short for mission-led founders
04:35 – Founding One Step Closer
05:30 – Early challenges + why collaboration was needed
06:50 – Why competitors choose collaboration over competition
09:40 – Regenerative thinking explained simply
12:10 – Who regenerative thinking is for
15:20 – Applying systems thinking in practice
18:45 – Building communities that create real outcomes
24:50 – The “sanctuary” concept + trust-building environments
31:20 – Why experience—not messaging—is the real brand
36:30 – Multi-generational companies as innovators
39:00 – Managing the tension between growth and purpose
39:40 – What the Purpose Pledge is
42:00 – Sequencing impact + why focus matters
44:05 – Packaging progress + realistic sustainability decisions
47:55 – Lara’s advice for founders growing with integrity

RESOURCES & LINKS

Culture Is Built in Small Moments: Kirsten Moorefield, co-founder of Cloverleaf

Anne Oudersluys — Wed, 22 Apr 2026 05:00:00 -0400

Kirsten, co-founder of Cloverleaf, breaks down how a simple belief—that work should be meaningful—shapes everything from hiring to product design.

Cloverleaf was built to solve a specific gap: personality assessments create awareness, but rarely change behavior. Their AI coach brings that insight into daily work, helping people navigate feedback, conflict, and team dynamics in real time. At the core is a focus on self-awareness as the foundation for how people work together.

The conversation goes beyond product into operating decisions. Kirsten explains why they hire for belief alignment—not just values—how culture is built through small, repeated interactions, and how systems like Bonusly reinforce those behaviors. She also shares the harder tradeoffs: building an AI category before the market was ready, resisting easier paths to revenue, and navigating layoffs while maintaining trust.

This is a case study in designing a company where beliefs show up in how work actually happens.

What You’ll Learn

00:46 – How Cloverleaf turns personality insight into daily behavior change
Why most assessments fail in practice—and how real-time coaching helps people navigate feedback, conflict, and team dynamics.

03:16 – Why self-awareness is the foundation for better teams
How understanding your own tendencies—and others’—reduces friction and improves how work actually gets done.

06:55 – Why culture is built in small moments—not values on a wall
How everyday interactions (meetings, 1:1s, feedback) shape psychological safety and team performance.

08:30 – Work as a gift: the belief driving how Kirsten leads
How viewing work as meaningful—not a slog—changes expectations, energy, and how people show up.

11:08 – Why you can’t train people to care
What breaks when you hire for skills alone—and why belief alignment matters more than “values fit.”

14:30 – How to hire for belief alignment
The interview approach Cloverleaf uses to identify whether candidates already live the values.

16:42 – How to turn values into repeatable behavior
How systems like Bonusly make values visible, measurable, and reinforced across the company.

26:35 – Mission vs. market reality in a venture-backed company
The tension between building what’s right for users vs. what’s easiest to sell to buyers.

28:45 – What layoffs reveal about culture and trust
How two rounds of layoffs impacted employee perception—and how leadership responded with transparency.
32:15 – How leaders create psychological safety in practice
Why inviting dissent, asking for opposing views, and allowing anonymous questions changes team dynamics.

34:38 – Why mission doesn’t always belong in your marketing
When leading with purpose confuses buyers—and why clarity on what you do comes first.
35:32 – The cost of being early to a category
What it took to build an AI coaching product before the market understood it—and why they stayed the course.

42:42 – AI that serves human relationships—not replaces them
Why Cloverleaf rejects AI as a substitute for human coaching—and where it actually adds value.
46:15 – The role of resilience in mission-driven growth
Why staying committed to a long-term vision requires personal discipline, not just strategy.

Resources & Links

Kirsten Moorefield – LinkedIn
Cloverleaf
Bonusly
Anne Oudersluys: Core Impact Strategy
Anne's LinkedIn - LinkedIn
Anne's Newsletter - Core Impact Newsletter - Get monthly in-depth articles about marketing and growth strategy for purpose-driven brands

Scaling Through Relationships Instead of Reach: Ben Colvin, founder of Devil’s Foot Beverage

Anne Oudersluys — Wed, 08 Apr 2026 09:25:36 -0400

Ben Colvin, founder of Devil’s Foot Beverage, shares how he has built a growing beverage company without following the typical “scale fast” playbook. Devil’s Foot is a craft soda company that makes non-alcoholic beverages using real fruit and herbs sourced directly from regional farms.

From day one, he made a set of decisions that limit how the business can grow—using real fruit instead of concentrates, working directly with regional farmers, and choosing distribution partners that prioritize relationships over reach. Those choices show up everywhere: in cost structure, in how they enter new markets, and in how they spend marketing dollars.

Instead of flooding new regions or optimizing for efficiency, they expand by building local partnerships, supporting community organizations, and hiring people who are already embedded in those markets.

This episode is a look at what it actually takes to scale a business while holding the line on product quality, sourcing decisions, and how you show up in the communities you enter.

WHAT YOU’LL LEARN

Why they chose real fruit and direct farm relationships despite higher cost and complexity
How “farm to can” decisions impact margins, supply chain planning, and brand positioning
The tradeoff between USDA organic certification and maintaining long-term farmer relationships
How they evaluate new supplier opportunities that could lower costs but shift the product
The role of weekly leadership discussions in pressure-testing decisions against company standards
Why they avoided large-scale distribution early and instead partnered with beer distributors
How beer distribution created stronger on-the-ground relationships and better account penetration
Their approach to entering new markets through local nonprofits and community partnerships
Why marketing dollars are spent in communities instead of on traditional advertising
How they hire local operators to build credibility and relationships in new regions
The tension between scaling production capacity and maintaining sourcing standards
Why they prioritize depth in a market before expanding reach

TIMESTAMPS

02:00 – Patagonia story and early influence on business philosophy
04:40– Founding Devil’s Foot and identifying the product gap
10:39 – Real fruit sourcing and cost tradeoffs
17:35 – How decisions are filtered internally
22:00 – Marketing approach and storytelling choices
28:40 – Rejecting traditional scale strategies
31:20 – Distribution through beer networks
33:45 – Entering new markets through community partnerships
35:15 – Hiring locally to support expansion
36:30 – Scaling challenges and operational tradeoffs
42:50 – Advice for founders on staying aligned

RESOURCES & LINKS

The Competitive Advantage of Radical Honesty: Jeff Wiguna, CEO of Kuju Coffee

Anne Oudersluys — Wed, 25 Mar 2026 05:00:00 -0400

This Episode features Jeff Wiguna, co-founder and CEO of Kuju Coffee, to explore how honesty, ownership, and long-term thinking shape the way a company grows.

Kuju pioneered the single-serve pour-over coffee category and has grown from a Kickstarter campaign into a brand carried by retailers like REI and Walmart. But Jeff explains that the company’s growth has been guided less by chasing distribution and more by understanding where the product truly belongs.

In this conversation, Jeff shares why Kuju walked away from grocery after achieving national placement, how he evaluates whether a channel fits the business, and why he believes “ownership determines destiny.” He also explains why radical honesty with buyers and partners has become a strategic advantage. For founders navigating pressure to scale quickly, Jeff offers a thoughtful perspective on building companies designed to last.

WHAT YOU'LL LEARN:

Why Jeff believes radical honesty creates stronger relationships with retail buyers
What Kuju learned after initially being rejected by REI
Why timing often matters more than pushing harder when entering a channel
How Kuju grew from outdoor specialty retail into Walmart without chasing mass distribution
Why grocery turned out to be a strategic misstep, even after national placement in Whole Foods and Sprouts
The difference between products people like and products that behave like staples in grocery
Why Jeff believes ownership determines destiny for every company
How avoiding venture funding helped Kuju maintain long-term decision-making
Why Jeff is skeptical of performative success signals like press and distribution milestones
How Kuju’s brand focuses on real customers and real moments rather than curated brand imagery
Why Jeff believes companies should serve human lives rather than consume them
What founders should clarify early about their personal definition of success

TIMESTAMPS:

00:33 – The idea behind Kuju’s pocket pour-over
03:40 – The gap in camping coffee that started the company
05:18 – Getting rejected by REI the first time
09:10 – Why timing matters more than pushing harder
12:18 – Choosing not to chase every retail opportunity
13:14 – Why grocery became a strategic misstep
15:59 – What grocery taught him about staples vs novelty
19:13 – Ownership determines destiny
24:08 – Why Kuju never pursued venture funding
28:13 – Radical honesty with buyers and partners
32:55 – Building a brand around real customer moments
42:14 – Jeff’s advice on defining your own version of success

RESOURCES & LINKS

Jeff Wiguna LinkedIn
Kuju Coffee
Kuju Coffee LinkedIn
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Connect with Anne Oudersluys and learn about creating a marketing strategy that delivers business growth.
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Why Great Companies Choose Trust Over Control: Greg Harmeyer, CEO of TiER1 Impact

Anne Oudersluys — Wed, 11 Mar 2026 06:19:20 -0400

What does it actually look like to build a company that puts people first—without sacrificing performance?

Greg Harmeyer is the co-founder of TiER1 Performance Solutions and CEO of TiER1 Impact, a certified B Corp and 100% employee-owned company that helps large organizations improve performance through people. Over the past two decades, Greg has led TiER1 through significant growth, 18 acquisitions, and major economic cycles—while intentionally rejecting traditional hierarchy, performance reviews, and individual incentives.

In this conversation, Greg shares how his company operates with “dynamically distributed authority” instead of static bosses, why they tolerate inefficiency in service of collaboration and innovation, how employee ownership shapes long-term decision-making, and what it costs to uphold your values during financial pressure.

This episode is a candid look at the real tradeoffs behind building a values-driven company—and what it takes to make those values operational, not aspirational.

What You’ll Learn

02:00 – What it means to operate without traditional bosses
How dynamic authority replaces static hierarchy—and why most employees say they don’t really have a boss.

06:19 – What TiER1 actually does
How the company helps large organizations drive performance through leadership alignment, change management, and people-centered transformation.

10:11 – Turning abstract values into “values in action”
Why six simple values weren’t enough—and how rewriting them in first-person language made them operational.

14:31 – The power of “embracing the tension of the and”
Why over-rotating on any one value—performance, relationships, or impact—creates imbalance.

18:48 – Why great companies tolerate inefficiency
How leaving space for ideas, experimentation, and collaboration led to entirely new business lines—including federally funded research and internal creative teams.

23:33 – What real collaboration requires
Why trust, incentive design, and removing fear of credit or competition matter more than saying you “value teamwork.”

27:24 – Why TiER1 doesn’t use traditional performance reviews
How growth conversations, shared bonuses, and team-based success replace individual scoring systems.

30:12 – Navigating economic pressure without abandoning values
How Greg approached a difficult financial year without defaulting to immediate layoffs—and what tradeoffs that required.

35:24 – Why employee ownership changes leadership decisions
How becoming an ESOP created long-term alignment—and new responsibility.

39:57– When you have to be willing to walk away from revenue
The mindset required to confront a major client when culture and team wellbeing were at risk.

43:56 – Decision-making without a rigid framework
Why principles, not algorithms, guide tough calls—and why long-term thinking matters most.

48:36 – What makes a “good” company
Greg’s belief that organizations should exist to serve people—not the other way around.

Resources & Links
Greg Harmeyer – LinkedIn
TiER1 Performance Solutions
Impact with Love: Building Business for a Better World

Connect with Anne Oudersluys and learn about creating a marketing strategy that delivers business growth.
Work with Anne: Core Impact Strategy
Anne's LinkedIn - LinkedIn
Anne's Newsletter - Core Impact Newsletter - Get monthly in-depth articles about marketing and growth strategy for purpose-driven brands

Building a Brand in a Crowded Category: Mike Zelkind, CEO of 80 Acres Farms

Anne Oudersluys — Wed, 25 Feb 2026 05:05:00 -0500

If you play in a crowded category, this episode will help you think more clearly about how to stand out — not by hyping your technology or lowering price, but by sharpening your value, focusing your message, and building trust with customers over time. We focus on the consumer, ensuring you have the right unit economics and staying disciplined on a clear strategy.

Mike Zelkind is the co-founder and CEO of 80 Acres Farms, which grows leafy greens, herbs, and microgreens n indoor farms across the U.S. Their product line includes packaged lettuce mixes, pre-made salads and salad dressings. Over the past decade, the company has expanded into thousands of retail stores, scaled production through acquisitions, and built a national brand in the produce aisle.

In our conversation, Mike shares how to simplify your value proposition when you have too many benefits to communicate, how to compete against larger incumbents without chasing them, how to be transparent with investors during industry hype cycles, and how authenticity and grit shape leadership as you scale.

What you’ll Learn:

00:39 – Technology is only valuable if it serves the customer
Why innovation alone doesn’t create differentiation — and what has to translate for consumers to care.

03:49 – Proximity as a competitive advantage
Why shortening the supply chain increases freshness, reduces waste, and builds trust.

10:03 – When industry failure becomes strategic clarity
What environmental breakdowns in traditional agriculture revealed about system-level inefficiencies.

13:25 – Purpose as a filter for growth decisions
Why a clear “why” should narrow your choices, not expand them.

15:05 – Too many benefits weaken your brand
The discipline of choosing one or two promises instead of listing every advantage.

27:01 – Commoditization is often a strategy failure
Why categories become interchangeable when leaders stop defining a clear promise.

28:03 – Redefining value instead of reacting to price pressure
What it takes to shift the conversation toward outcomes customers actually care about.

29:31 – Scaling through acquisition without lowering standards
Protecting product quality and culture as distribution expands.

36:37 – Infrastructure is not software
Why vertical farming requires patience, iteration, and realistic expectations from investors.

40:43– Authenticity, curiosity, and grit in leadership
The habits that sustain growth when the industry cycle turns.

Resources & Links
Mike Zelkind – LinkedIn
80 Acres Farms

If you are interested in working with Anne Oudersluys to develop a marketing strategy that supports your growth, you can reach out through these channels:
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Anne's Website - Core Impact Strategy
Anne's Newsletter - Core Impact Newsletter - Get monthly in-depth articles about marketing and growth strategy for purpose-driven brands

Scaling Without Diluting Your Values: Blair Kellison, former CEO of Traditional Medicinals

Anne Oudersluys — Wed, 25 Feb 2026 05:00:00 -0500

In this episode, we explore what it actually takes to scale a company without diluting its values, leading with transparency and turning your brand story into a competitive advantage.

Blair Kellison has spent more than 25 years leading natural products companies, often stepping in as the first non-founder CEO. Most notably, he spent 14 years at Traditional Medicinals, helping grow the business from roughly $20 million to well over $100 million in revenue while strengthening its commitment to organic sourcing, fair trade partnerships, and community impact.

In our conversation, Blair shares how to formalize values so they guide real decisions, how to protect product integrity while scaling, how transparency builds trust (even in moments like a product recall), and why culture—not strategy—is often the true engine of long-term growth.

What You’ll Learn

00:00 – Why aligning your personal values with your work changes everything
How Blair’s decision to leave corporate life and take a 70% pay cut shaped the trajectory of his career.

05:20 – How to transition from founder-led to professionally led—without losing the mission
Why companies are often strongest when founders remain deeply involved, just not necessarily in the CEO role.

07:05 – How to codify values so they actually influence decisions
A practical framework for moving values from vague language to clear behavioral standards.

08:55 – How to embed mission into hiring, onboarding, and performance reviews
What it looks like to operationalize values so they become part of the company’s infrastructure.

10:35 – Why efficacy must come first—even in purpose-driven brands
How product performance (“it works”) builds the foundation for trust, retention, and word-of-mouth.

15:05 – How to scale without lowering your standards
Why growth should increase rigor around quality, sourcing, and testing—not erode it.

19:45 – How relational supply chains create resilience
What it means to invest in growers and build long-term partnerships that expand alongside your growth.

22:05 – How transparency during a recall can strengthen trust
Why proactively communicating difficult news can ultimately reinforce credibility with customers.

27:45– How to compete ethically in an industry full of exaggerated claims
Blair’s approach to building brand equity through consistency, education, and integrity.

33:15 – Why your story becomes your competitive moat
How deeply embedding your mission and operating principles into the brand creates differentiation competitors can’t replicate—even when they copy your product.

36:25 – Why culture—not strategy—is the true competitive advantage
The “change the water, not the fish” metaphor and how leadership behavior shapes performance.

Resources & Links
Blair Kellison – LinkedIn
Traditional Medicinals

Grow Good - Podcast Trailer

Anne Oudersluys — Wed, 04 Feb 2026 11:34:27 -0500

Grow Good is a podcast for purpose-driven leaders who want to grow their business while staying true to their mission and values.

In this trailer, host Anne Oudersluys explains the show's premise and what to expect in each episode: honest conversations with CEOs and founders about the real decisions and trade-offs involved in scaling—from strategy and marketing to culture and leadership.

Subscribe to Grow Good for practical examples of how to build growth-oriented, values-aligned companies.