Capitalism for Green (The Refill Shop Podcast)

This week: 

• Branding terms
• Poly vinyl alcohol
• Balancing values as they change
• Big retailers vs. small businesses, especially exclusivity clauses 
• Accessibility & sustainability crossovers
• Sustainability challenges
• Green Business Challenge
• Lessons learned: 
• Order while restocking and rearranging layouts
• Starting with unscented products and wait to see what people request

Email [email protected] with your questions, topic requests, and feedback! 

Find more with Jessica & Andrea on Episode 24 of the Capitalism for Good podcast project (Apple | Spotify)

Apple | BYOC Co. | BYOC Co. Facebook | BYOC Co. Instagram | Capitalism for Green | Capitalism for Green Facebook | Capitalism for Green Instagram | Spotify

Early Release & Video Episodes can be found at Patreon.com/CapitalismForGreen

Apple | BYOC Co. | Capitalism for Green | Facebook | Instagram | Spotify

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week: 

• Business classifications
• Planning ahead
• Differences in work style
• Flexibility in business structures and working hours
• Delegation of duties
• More social media discussions including time, effort, purpose, and impact
• Feeling failure
• The link between capitalism and hierarchy
• Emergency planning

Email [email protected] with your questions, topic requests, and feedback! 

Find more with Jessica & Andrea  on Episode 24 of the Capitalism for Good podcast project (Apple | Spotify)

Apple | BYOC Co. | BYOC Co. Facebook | BYOC Co. Instagram | Capitalism for Green | Capitalism for Green Facebook | Capitalism for Green Instagram | Spotify

Early Release & Video Episodes can be found at Patreon.com/CapitalismForGreen

Apple | BYOC Co. | Capitalism for Green | Facebook | Instagram | Spotify

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The January 2026 CFG Community Giveback Partner is St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital.

This means that 10% of all Patreon membership dollars from all projects within the CFG universe will be donated to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital.

All the ways to find, follow, & support the Capitalism for Good universe: 

Apple Podcasts (Bittersweet Paradox) | Apple Podcasts (Capitalism for Good) | Apple Podcasts (Capitalism for Green) | Bittersweet Paradox Patreon | Bittersweet Paradox Writing Club | Bluesky (Bittersweet Paradox) | Bluesky (Capitalism for Good) | Capitalism for Good’s Between the Interviews Podcast | Capitalism for Good Patreon | Capitalism for Green Patreon | Capitalism for Green: The Blog | Company Mentions | Email Bittersweet Paradox | Email Capitalism for Good | Email Capitalism for Green | Facebook | Instagram (Bittersweet Paradox) | Instagram (Capitalism for Good) | Instagram (Capitalism for Green) | Spotify (Bittersweet Paradox) | Spotify (Capitalism for Good) | Spotify (Capitalism for Green) | TikTok (Capitalism for Good) | YouTube (Capitalism for Good)

Early Release & Video Episodes can be found at Patreon.com/CapitalismForGreen

Apple | BYOC Co. | Capitalism for Green | Facebook | Instagram | Spotify

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week: 

• How the podcast gets edited & made
• AI & preparedness
• Marketing, advertising, and the impact of different types on community building
• Clothing swaps, container donation pauses, and resell parameters
• Community building
• Social Media
• More marketing! 

Email [email protected] with your questions, topic requests, and feedback! 

Find more with Jessica & Andrea  on Episode 24 of the Capitalism for Good podcast project (Apple | Spotify)

Apple | BYOC Co. | BYOC Co. Facebook | BYOC Co. Instagram | Capitalism for Green | Capitalism for Green Facebook | Capitalism for Green Instagram | Spotify

Early Release & Video Episodes can be found at Patreon.com/CapitalismForGreen

Apple | BYOC Co. | Capitalism for Green | Facebook | Instagram | Spotify

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week: 

• Free container shelves
• Chemistry degrees
• Things you need when you’re first getting started
• Why stainless steel funnels & silicone molds are the best
• Sustainable stickers & tape
• People pleasing 
• BYOC’s upcoming refill machine! 
• Andrea’s vibes and mission thoughts on a future store
• Competition with other similar stores
• Suburbs
• Brick & Mortar vs. Delivery vs. Popups 
• The warm & fuzzies of people saying this is this is their happy place
• 
  

Email [email protected] with your questions, topic requests, and feedback! 

Find more with Jessica & Andrea on Episode 24 of the Capitalism for Good podcast project (Apple | Spotify)

Apple | BYOC Co. | BYOC Co. Facebook | BYOC Co. Instagram | Capitalism for Green | Capitalism for Green Instagram | Spotify

Early Release & Video Episodes can be found at Patreon.com/CapitalismForGreen

Apple | BYOC Co. | Capitalism for Green | Facebook | Instagram | Spotify

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Listen to us figure out how to introduce ourselves, talk about how to set up a business that is essentially meant to put ourselves out of business, how to organize a values matrix to evaluate potential product sales, and also how to filter feedback when it's so personal.

Find more with Jessica & Andrea on Episode 24 of the Capitalism for Good podcast project (Apple | Spotify)

Apple | BYOC Co. | BYOC Co. Facebook | BYOC Co. Instagram | Capitalism for Green | Capitalism for Green Instagram | Spotify

Early Release & Video Episodes can be found at Patreon.com/CapitalismForGreen

Apple | BYOC Co. | Capitalism for Green | Facebook | Instagram | Spotify

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Welcome to BYOC Co.in Ann Arbor, MI! Take a look around. Let us know what you need. Are you curious about what it's like to shop at a refill store? We've got you covered with a tour. Follow Jessica & Keegan in as they walk us through how it works.

We'll also talk about homemade repurposed decor, knocking down walls, testing out new product manufacturing, and all the ins and outs of a refill store while Jessica shows us around. We highly recommend the video version for this one, but also do our best to talk you through what we're looking at. 

Find more with Jessica & Andrea  on Episode 24 of the Capitalism for Good podcast project (Apple | Spotify)

Apple | BYOC Co. | BYOC Co. Facebook | BYOC Co. Instagram | Capitalism for Green | Capitalism for Green Instagram | Spotify

Early Release & Video Episodes can be found at Patreon.com/CapitalismForGreen

Apple | BYOC Co. | Capitalism for Green | Facebook | Instagram | Spotify

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hi folks! Meet Jessica Cichowlas, Owner of BYOC Co. in Ann Arbor, MI. Because if I (Andrea) am going to open a community-focused refill store, I'm going to need a buddy that actually knows what she's doing and can guide me through it all. She's also got her own story and her own "why." So, say hello to her and listen to how she got here to be the partner in crime of Capitalism for Green! 

What questions do you have for her?? Email us at [email protected]

Find more with Jessica on Episode 24 of the Capitalism for Good podcast project (Apple | Spotify)

Apple | BYOC Co. | BYOC Co. Facebook | BYOC Co. Instagram | Capitalism for Green | Capitalism for Green Instagram| Spotify

Early Release & Video Episodes can be found at Patreon.com/CapitalismForGreen

Apple | BYOC Co. | Capitalism for Green | Facebook | Instagram | Spotify

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hi. Hello. Welcome in. How are you? I realize that I jumped right in to what the project is and blew right past who I am. I suppose that’s an important part of this whole thing. I also suppose that it’s a pretty great example of who I am as a person. I’m Andrea and I’m really good at getting ahead of myself. In fact, I’ll tell you that the inklings for this project have been decades in the making with the details filled in long before I spoke them out loud. I’m the kind of person who goes on a reunion trip with her college friends only to skip out on a fancy group dinner because I read an email on my phone and needed to outline something that I thought I might be able to pitch to someone that I had met once over a zoom. So I typed up as much detail as I could to get it out of my head and into my computer’s brain only so that I could pull out a first next step to send to an email to this person. And just to defend my insanity, that idea is actually starting to come to light right now (and I’m begging the gods of whatever to not let me jinx it by saying it out loud here) and I also walked myself with a ridiculous wig in my hand through the streets of downtown Springfield, MO to meet up those college friends to continue the reunion celebration. So I’d argue that I skipped a fancy dinner, but cleaned by brain out, got some exercise, and still had a lot of fun. That’s a pretty good ROI on my time right there, if you ask me. 

For anyone who enjoys these long winded stories about myself, I would suggest reading The Blog on the Capitalism for Green Patreon. For anyone who wished that I would have just given a 30 second elevator pitch or 3 fun facts about myself, I would suggest not reading The Blog on the Capitalism for Green Patreon. 

Alright. That’s enough. Let’s go leave this place better than we found it. 

Early Release & Video Episodes can be found at Patreon.com/CapitalismForGreen

Apple | BYOC Co. | Capitalism for Green | Facebook | Instagram | Spotify

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The basic rules of Capitalism for Green:

1. There’s a landing page for the whole shebang which is linked in the Show Notes (the pile of words under the podcast picture and likely what you're currently reading). That landing page takes you to what I call “The Patreon.”
2. If you have a question, ask it.
3. You get bonus points for questions.
4. If you’re interested in the audio podcast, then just follow/subscribe as normal through whatever podcast app you use.
5. Please be nice and respectful especially to the folks that join.
6. There might be swearing.
7. You can watch on video found on the Patreon website.
8. Information shouldn’t be gate-kept, so the barrier to entry here is free for the basics.    
9. There’s a weekly blog that you can pay for also on the Patreon website.
10. When there's more to know, see, and do, I’ll let you know. (This is really a rule for the host, aka me.)
11. Follow the project on Instagram. That’s not really a rule, but more like a request that I’m attempting to disguise as a rule.
12. Final rule: please don’t complain to me that these aren’t really rules. I know, but, again, I make the rules here, so that’s what I’m calling each of these points.
13. I lied, there’s another rule, but again it’s for me: I’m going to do my best to thank you and everyone involved as much as possible. Because I truly appreciate anyone and everyone that answers all my questions, listens to me, reads what I write, and laughs and my mediocre jokes. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. 

Relatives:

• Capitalism for Good is a multimedia series of 100 interviews with business leaders making a positive impact on their community. You can listen to the interviews in your podcast players, watch it on YouTube, read the transcripts on the Patreon website (it’s a whole other series + a bonus Between the interviews series), and do what you do with social media on Instagram, TikTok, and BlueSky.
• Bittersweet Paradox has a Writing Club for you to join, if you wish. It also has a podcast where we talk about the kinds of things in our lives that make us cry ugly tears and then also laugh 2 minutes later because life is complex and absurdly funny things happen even when your world feels like it’s crumbling down. New episodes will come out when they’re good and ready to come out.

Alright. That’s enough. Let’s go leave this place better than we found it. 

Early Release & Video Episodes can be found at Patreon.com/CapitalismForGreen

Apple | BYOC Co. | Capitalism for Green | Facebook | Instagram | Spotify

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.