Capitalism for Good

Spin off sister projects: Bittersweet Paradox This is the more personal introverted side of the house that involves some introspection about how we’re all humans behind all this. We all have our own s**t and these times in life that really threaten to derail everything that we do and all that we’ve worked for and everything we’ve built so far. I’m talking about those rough dark times that try to c...

Anastasia Bezrukova is the Founder & CEO of Minori Beauty which is short for Minimalist Origins. Her idea behind the product is to create something that is simple and universal as an alternative to the overwhelming amount of options from brands a galore out there. Honestly, that mostly seems like a summary of her entire life. She, herself, is a melting pot of cultures. She’s Half Russian, Half...

Tierra Barber . She is the Founder & Owner of B. Elevated Candle Bar in Houston, TX. She started her career as an Athletic Director of a school system, but later used her talents to educate her community in a different way. After discovering her daughter had adverse reactions to certain household items, she went deep into researching to find a solution. And like any good overachiever does, she...

Jessica Cichowlas is Owner of BYOC Co . a refill store in Ann Arbor, MI with a focus on local manufacturers and products that don't harm the environment. If you're not familiar with refill stores, don't worry. She explains what they are and what separates them from traditional large retailers including the impact of encouraging manufacturers to incorporate closed-loop systems to eliminate waste (t...

Travis Franklin is the Co-Founder of Tipton Franklin and Founder of Bar 9 Agency . He's also the second in a 2-part series of the folks behind Tipton Franklin . When you put the stories of Angela Tipton (his Co-Founder) & Travis together, you get this well-rounded perspective of 2 folks that are using their unique expertise that positions them right between their agriculture and scientific bac...

Angela Tipton is the Co-Founder of Tipton Franklin (and we may or may not be featuring her counterpart in the future…) and is our 21st interview of business leaders making a positive impact on their communities. She breaks down a very complicated world of science professionals and her role of helping those scientists with their marketing needs. Especially in today’s society, when science can somet...

In a lot of ways, Peter Krull is another perfect example of the Capitalism for Good project. He’s a Partner and the Director of Sustainable Investing at Earth Equity Advisors as well as a host of the Dollars & Change podcast and author of the upcoming book, The Sustainable Investor . He’s also clearly driven by the idea that we can use our money to create positive change in the world around us...

When we think about companies that are leveraging the tools and knowledge at your fingertips for the greater good, OpenWardrobe easily fits the mold. Julia K. Dietmar is the Co-Founder and CEO of this AI powered app & web browser designed to help you organize your closet, track the clothes you’re wearing (or not wearing), provide education to help you wear the clothes in your closet that you’r...

Maxine Miller opened Maxine's Tap Room as a single woman in 1950. Hannah Withers is the current Caretaker of Maxine's. Shout outs to: Kate Gerwin - Owner of Happy Accidents in Albuquerque, NM Marilyn Megenity - Founder of Mercury Cafe in Denver, CO Bonus shout outs to: Andrea Foren Arsaga’s Atlas the Restaurant   Ben = her 50/50 partner in everything Block Street Records Esquire Magazine Fayettevi...

Sami Baldridge, Owner of Series Six , is another founder of a St. Louis based apparel company (shout out to Jeff & Randy Vines of Interview #15/100 ) that is so much more than just a t-shirt company. Series Six has become a staple in the St. Louis, Missouri community and part of that is because they’re once again leveraging the love for the city. And the city loves them back for it. Sami sits...

Cathy Nesbitt calls herself an “accidental entrepreneur" and is the Founder of  Cathy’s Composters and Cathy’s Chuckle Club , Not only does Cathy teach us about laughter yoga and tell us about how she became to be an ambassador for it, but she also talks about how she started her career as a secretary, studied psychology, owned a composting worm business, and so many other detours along the way. A...

Jeff & Randy Vines, Founders & Owners of STL Style are full of advice, full of grit, and full of love for their hometown community of St. Louis, Missouri. What started as a moonlight project in 2001 when they graduated college, quickly evolved into much more as it gained media attention and recognition all over the world. That t-shirt business grew to a brick and mortar location now known...

Wade Ogle, Owner of Block Street Records (with 2 locations in Bentonville, AR & Fayetteville, AR ). There are so many things that stand out about how he’s built his record store business. First of all, we start this interview talking about how the store doesn’t have a traditional website. They do have a Facebook and an instagram for each location ( Fayetteville & Bentonville ), but that’s...

Kate Assaraf is the CEO of Dip , a sustainable hair care brand that was built with careful intention. And this episode is full of intention, full of gratitude, and full of words of wisdom that will make you feel empowered to build something great for yourself and for your community. Seriously. Kate’s here’s to show us the way.  Get to know your customers. Talk to them like you do your friends. Val...

Josh Daniel is the founder, owner, and operator of TrashHelp , located in Florida and providing a dumpster rental and junk removal service to his community. What caught my eye first about TrashHelp was the description of the estate cleanout with compassion care, discretion, and patience. This is a field that I honestly would not have thought of, but I’m here to give credit where it’s due. Mari Cas...

In a lot of ways, Connor Treacy is an example of someone whose leadership spills beyond just what is evident in the business world. While Connor has a wide range of experience in his career, he’s shown himself to be a leader in all aspects of his life including the work that he’s doing in partnership with pushing political actions that line up with his values. Sometimes being a leader is an uncons...

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...

Whitney Wagner, is the founder of Refill Emporium in St. Clair Shores, MI & she has such a great story to tell about how she & her best friend (shout out Shannon) started this local refill & 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 Refi...

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 an...

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 se...

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 Sta...

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?...

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 h...

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 it’s 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 St...

The goal is still the same : Interview 100 business leaders making a positive impact on their internal and external communities. What's New ? 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 ). Referral & discount codes - There’s just...