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
• Anne's Newsletter - Core Impact Newsletter - Get monthly in-depth articles about marketing and growth strategy for purpose-driven brands
• 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
  
  

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 

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: 
Anne's LinkedIn – LinkedIn
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

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 

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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 

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.