Life Ensemble

Today on the show we are sitting down with Tim Lara, owner of Hawaiian Paddle Sports, to talk about his experience in building not just one, but five eco-tour companies on the Island of Maui. 

Not only does Tim share his founder story, but he dives into his values, explaining how keeping them at the heart of everything — from who he hires to the structure of his tours — has shaped his success as a certified B-Corporation. 

Tim is involved in so many different things, and it is really interesting to hear how he manages it all, on top of being a successful entrepreneur! 

We cover a lot of big topics like environmental and social responsibility, as well as some fun things like the specific strategies that Tim has employed to progress his mission. It’s definitely an inspiring story. 

So be sure to join in to our incredible conversation with Tim Lara! 

Welcome back to the Grow Ensemble Podcast! Joining us today is Paul Hargreaves of Cotswold Fayre.  

Paul is both the CEO of this specialty food wholesale business in the UK as well as a B Corporation ambassador. He specializes in providing purpose-driven startups with the advice and tools they need to build businesses that create good in the world.  

Today Paul shares some of his experience and theories around building a successful, impact-driven business, what to expect from his upcoming book, Forces for Good, and what he’s found to be the key to a successful social enterprise.  

There is tons of great information in this episode, including titbits and stories about Paul’s career. Be sure to join us for an insightful and inspiring conversation!

Welcome back to the podcast! Today on the show we welcome Lindsey McCoy, who is the CEO and Co-Founder of Plaine Products, a certified B corporation and member of the 1% For The Planet Alliance. 

Plaine Products was founded in 2017 and is based in Terrace Park, Ohio. Lindsey runs the company alongside her sister, Alison, and they are on a mission to reduce waste and help stop the spread of single-use plastic. All of their products are vegan, non-GMO, cruelty-free, biodegradable, color-safe and free of parabens, sulfates, and toxins. 

In this episode, Lindsey talks about the origin story of Plaine Products and how they are now on track to do over $1 million in sales after only being in business for two years. Lindsay also shares some of her best tips to begin taking action in reducing your plastic use and cultivating a more sustainable lifestyle and household.  

Finally, we learn more about how Plaine Products has diverted over 50,000 plastic bottles from landfills already, and how they are planning to double that number in 2019. Plus, stay tuned to for an incredible offer of 20% off your first order at Plaine Products! 

So, join us for an incredible conversation!

Hey everyone and welcome to another episode of the Grow Ensemble Podcast! This time around we are doing something a little different.  

After ten episodes we thought we would provide a little bit on context and reasons behind the show, just so everyone knows why we created the podcast, what it is about and have a little introduction to Cory and The Grow Ensemble.  

The agency was founded in late 2018 and in this episode Cory shares a bit about the inspiration for what we do and what we are aiming to accomplish.  

We appreciate all the listeners tuning in and cannot wait to grow and share more great content with you in the future! 

See Full Show Notes Here: https://growensemble.com/loacom-david-fortson/

LOACOM Founder David Fortson developed his core values as a high school and college student, and they remain the same today: leadership, love for Mother Nature, environmental advocacy, and making his own way.

After chairing UC Santa Barbara’s environmental student group and leading all sorts of nonprofit and political campaigns, he traveled the world and decided to approach positive change from a different angle than activism, namely business. While he worked for now-famous Sonos on messaging for its sound technology, in his free time he launched the nonprofit that would become LOACOM.

After more than a decade in business, LOACOM has become an exemplar of what it means to do business better, as David and his Santa Barbara-based team have become members of the 1% for the Planet Alliance and the B Corporation community. They believe—and demonstrate— being about the greater good is good for business.

In this episode, he discusses how he takes innovative approaches to assemble his team, cultivating its welcoming vibe, clicking with inspiring clients and empowering them to honor their diverse missions to improve the planet. 

Spoiler alert: Core values are a crucial part of all of it.

Today on the show we welcome Chris Hutchinson, who is the founder and CEO of the Trebuchet Group, a certified B Corporation from Fort Collins, Colorado. Chris and his company help leaders gain clarity and confidence and service teams that are looking for more from their jobs than just a paycheck. 

The focus of our conversation today is primarily leadership and Chris’ philosophy around this idea. We discuss the work he has done in himself and with others, and the effect that great leadership can have on a company.  

We discuss Chris’ history, personal and professional journey, and the book he published in 2015 titled Ripple. We also get into how to determine your focus and which projects to choose to further your professional education and reputation.  

This episode is sure to help you down the path to be becoming a better leader, so for all this and more, be sure to tune in! 

Welcome back to another episode everybody! Today on the show we are joined by the co-founder of Grain4Grain, Yoni Medhin. Grain4Grain is a new company based in San Antonio that is finding a way to deliver healthy, affordable pancakes to a growing customer base while at the same time reusing products from the beer brewing process.  

They also have a commitment to donating a pound of flour for every pound they sell, which is where they get their name. Together with his business partner Matt Mechtly, Yoni has used farmer’s markets as a great way to get out and meet new customers and become visible locally. 

Yoni tells us all about the inspiration behind the company and what it stands for, the day to day of running Grain4Grain and how they envision going forward as the business grows. He also gets into forming partnerships with breweries, attracting clients, and the actual recipe of the mix! 

So for this great conversation be sure to join us, here at the Grow Ensemble Podcast! 

Welcome back to the Grow Ensemble Podcast! Our guest on today’s episode is Russ Stoddard, the founder of Oliver Russell, a socially geared business that builds brands for purpose-driven companies. Russ started Oliver Russell in 1991 and has been at the helm ever since. 

In our conversation, we cover the beginnings of the company, the founding ideas and ethics and how Russ and the team have managed to stay afloat for so many years in a rapidly evolving world. Russ gives us great insight into the inner workings of a remarkable initiative and an exemplary business making a difference in the world today. 

We also talk about the social impact that has come to characterize much of Oliver Russell’s history and how Russ manages this aspect of a business that needs to remain profitable. You really get the sense that this is Russ’ true calling and hearing him detail his journey and beliefs is a great motivation! 

So join us for this massively inspiring chat and get it all! 

Welcome back to the Grow Ensemble Podcast. In today’s episode, we speak with Allison Gibson, part owner and Operational Director of Paintbox Catering and Bistro, a B Corporation located in Toronto.

It was an awesome conversation with Allison and we cover a number of things in this episode, a few of those being Allison’s and Paintbox’s thoughts on culture and leadership and how that’s led to the success of not just Paintbox but also their staff.

We talk about the social enterprise certification, specifically the B Corporation Certification and how that was an early difference maker for Paintbox in companies and early customers choosing to work with them over others. Finally, Allison shares how she manages herself given some of the crazy commitments, times and otherwise that are oftentimes required of working in the catering and service industry as Allison does.

So stay tuned for this incredible episode!

Welcome to a new episode of the Grow Ensemble Podcast. In today’s episode, we speak with Austin Buchan, the CEO of College Forward, a non-profit based in Austin, Texas.

In our chat, we cover a lot, but a few things specifically that you will get a lot of value from. First and foremost, we talk about College Forward’s evolution and how they have and are innovating in response to customer, in their case, student feedback.

We also talk about the challenges for both Austin and the organization in his transition to taking over as CEO for a founder. Finally, we talk about the inherent contradiction that College Forward is facing in attempting to solve the social problem and as well, creating a long-term sustainable business.

So don’t miss out and be sure to listen in to today’s episode!