Season 4, Episode 47 - Food & Sustainability Founder Courtney Bell and Her Heartful Exit with Ungraded Produce

For this Episode, our 6th this season, we are going to the Sauna House. Now you might be pausing right now, thinking huh, a Sauna House? You mean where you sweat, it’s hot, you take a cold plunge and get back in, and sweat some more? Yep, The Sauna House. Founder and Owner Andrew Locklin, after many entrepreneurial businesses, including a helicopter rental operation - you’ll hear more about that in a moment - turned to the ancient and time-tested tradition and experience of the sauna…and is now enterprising that for a national launch in 2022. He started the business the year before COVID and as you can imagine, had to shut it down, during COVID, but also with a loyal team, figured out a way to re-open and is turning a profit with scaling plans and momentum that is taking him nationwide

This is a new lifestyle and healing direction for Americans who are admittedly, a bit behind on what Europeans know full well, about the benefits of sauna. Andrew gets personal with his own discoveries as a business owner, his journey and some sage advice for navigating the passion that is at the origin story of every start-up entrepreneur and business owner. 

This episode with Andrew covered so much turf and territory that many of us as entrepreneurs and business owners face. What’s particularly valuable here is a commitment to culture, from the inside-out. As a Founder and Owner, we have to inform our organization, our business operations and our passion around what we value most in order to be successful and rooted in the vision and mission of our passion to operate a business. For Andrew, people, planet and profit are at the center but I am also going to add one more element we discovered togethet in this podcast - a personal commitment to well-being. Without that, it’s clear that suffering is going to be part of the equation of our business experience. And most certainly, with a business focused on well-being, there is a daily reminder of that commitment.

We are indeed, on a threshold, a re-start and new beginning, looking forward against a challenging past...but a future with new opportunities to embrace.

Thanks for joining me, Trey Scott, and our guest, Andrew Locklin for  Season 5, Episode # 6 of the WatchPitch Podcast and You Tube Channel program.

And...welcome to our Season 5 of the WatchPitch Podcast and You Tube Channel program with our special focus on the “thaw” from the impacts of COVID on entrepreneurs, Start-ups and Investors.

For this Episode, our 5th this season, we are going west, to the Northern California coast of redwood forests and the world famous, “Emerald Triangle,” of Humboldt County. Husband and wife team Jon O’Connor & Amy Cirincione O’Connor launched a boutique hotel in the thick of COVID. And their other businesses, also squarely in the hospitality industry, have embraced the legalization of cannabis with both style and thoughtful considerations. Few entrepreneurs have forged this convergence of hospitality and cannabis as well, and as consciously, as Jon & Amy along with their nearly 60-employees. 

COVID and all of the many regulations in California was riddled with speed bumps for the hospitality industry. And for many states here in the US, Cannabis is still in a nascent stage of main stream acceptance and legalization. 

This is a new growth sector for entrepreneurs and we learn first hand, as parents and as shared leadership in their journey that these two have crafted with a deep commitment to communication and style along with a dedication to consumer-focused growth and scaling.

Lots to learn and discover together ...let’s get started!

This conversation with Jon & Amy was so revelatory and helpful ! Super warm to be invited to their home, surrounded by redwoods and that, crackling living room fire.

So as cannabis becomes increasingly normalized we will see this sector expand. Jon and Amy are proof-positive that this can be consciously done, with some grit and determination to work with regulatory groups and local rules, that are constantly adjusting to both...COVID, at the moment, and to the acceptance of cannabis as legal.

I want to encourage you to visit their Indiegogo campaign page - listed as the:  Scotia Lodge Swim Club for a crowdfund campaign raise for a year-round, outdoor community pool project. Great video and sweet perks!

We are indeed, on a threshold, a re-start and new beginning, looking forward against a challenging past...but a future with new opportunities to embrace.

Thanks for joining me, Trey Scott, and our guests, Jon O’Connor & Amy Cirincione O’Connor for  Season 5, Episode # 5 of the WatchPitch Podcast and You Tube Channel.

Welcome back to Season 5 of the WatchPitch Podcast and You Tube Channel program with our special season focus on the “thaw” from the impacts of COVID on entrepreneurs, Start-ups and Investors.

And in this episode # 54 we are doing a deep dive with Pitching during this time when we might indeed, start to find ourselves back-in person with a group of people

Angie Flynn -McIver is one of our pitch coaches and during COVID she decided to put the time to good use and write a book that cracks the code on everything you do...BEFORE you say anything.

Gold nuggets in here that you can use right away and I am confident there is lots to learn for those of you embarking on presenting anything with conviction and ease in front of a group of people.

This conversation with Angie was so helpful !

Love how intention is at the core of our connecting with ease, and clarity no matter who the audience is.

Angie’s Consulting Company, IGNITECSP.com is full of talent and coaches who can help you and your team members deliver successful presentations and pitches with ease.

Her eBook, look for it beginning on Oct. 6th and visit the website for more information about the book release for, Before You Say Anything

We are indeed, on a threshold, a re-start and new beginning, looking forward against a challenging past...but a future with new opportunities to embrace.

Thanks for joining me, Trey Scott, and our guest, Angie Flynn McIver for  Season 5, Episode # 4 of the WatchPitch Podcast and You Tube Channel.

And...welcome back to Season 5 of the WatchPitch Podcast and You Tube Channel program with a special focus on the “thaw from the impacts of COVID on entrepreneurs, Start-ups and Investors.

For our Episodes 2 and 3, for Season 5, we are in Europe, across the pond as they say, to visit with two Founders who competed and were finsihers at this Year’s Virtual, Knowledge Graph Conference. Their companies depend on knowledge graphs for their business solutions, just like when you say, “Hey Siri” what’s the weather in London like today, or “Alexa, play me some jazz,” knowledge graphs are being accessed to give you those results.

AI or artificial intelligence is increasingly harder to avoid when building relevant business opportunities for the future. The runner-up at the Knowledge Graph Conference Pitch Competition, Sabrina Viitasaari, Co-Founder the Nusa Sentara, joins us from southern Portugal but based out of Lisbon to share how her company is using AI and knowledge graphs to help solve one of the biggest issues of our time - our waste... and moving solutions and connecting those solutions, globally, to local best practices. An important and future defining effort for our entire planet...this is an inspired conversation that takes us to Finland, British Columbia, Belize, Indonesia with lots to learn and discover together ...let’s get started!

So... welcome back to Season 5 of the WatchPitch Podcast and You Tube Channel program with a special focus on the “thaw from the impacts of COVID on entrepreneurs, Start-ups and Investors.

For Episode 2 and 3, for Season 5, we are going to Europe, across the pond as they say, to visit with two Founders who competed and were finsihers at this Year’s Virtual, Knowledge Graph Conference. Their companies depend on knowledge graphs for their business solutions, just like when you say, “Hey Siri” what’s the weather in London like today, or “Alexa, play me some jazz,” knowledge graphs are being accessed to give you those results.

AI or artificial intelligence is increasingly harder to avoid when building relevant business opportunities for the future. The winner of the Knowledge Graph Conference Pitch Competition, Dennis Diefenbach, Founder the QA Company joins us from Paris to share how his company is engaging the European Commission as his anchor client to connect its citizens and its complex work of meeting the needs of its members to solve global challenges. An inspired conversation you are sure to learn from...let’s get started!

I was in Nashville, Tennessee last week to open Season 5 of your WatchPitch Podcast and You Tube Channel show with our Season focus on post-COVID strategies for Start-ups and Investors. Trinity Wiles from Where and Share - a retail, brick and mortar installed tech for enhancing the in-person and online, social media experience with retail and Blake Urmos from Low Voltage Nation - a network of training, mentoring and standards initiatives for hard-wired installation practices, who met with me at the Nashville Entrepreneur Center - #NashTech - where we talked about the thaw in COVID restrictions and that impact on start-ups, investors and their respective businesses. A great listen and launch to our new season to help you learn from and re-launch your business in yet another, "new normal !"

Welcome to the Season 4 Finale of the WatchPitch Podcast & LIVECAST where we pivot from our Season focus on exits to the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on the investor community. We also look at what start-ups need to consider as they seek an exit or additional capital during these unprecedented times. We visit with WatchPitch leadership, coaches, investors and fellow start-ups and business owners who are feeling the impacts of the pandemic directly. This is a global event with participants joining the LIVECAST from three continents. The arc of the exit just isn’t being talked about enough particularly because of the pandemic and that’s why we are here…so, let’s jump in, click on the LIVECAST link and get started!

EPISODE NOTES

The future ahead is unknown and this offers opportunities for both investors and business owners. The key will be accepting that the months and Quarters ahead will not reflect “business as usual” during this “new normal.” We are thrilled you watched and/or listened to this WatchPitch LIVECAST Episode as we continue to explore the world of exits, mergers and acquisitions for business Founders and Owners ! Thank you for listening and/or watching the WatchPitch channel and podcast.

VISIT OUR WATCHPITCH YOU TUBE CHANNEL TO WATCH this and other Episodes NOW

Welcome to Season 4 of the WatchPitch Podcast where we continue with our particular focus on exits... for start-ups, entrepreneurs and business owners...an exit strategy that could be the result of a Merger, an Acquisition or the outright sale of your business. Our focus is on what everyone needs when you are poised for an exit...a valuation... of exactly just what your business is worth. Redwood Valuation Director Tim Montgomery, a company with bases in San Francisco, Seattle, Los Angeles, New York, Boston and Atlanta will surprise you in this episode as that number, that valuation, is more subjective than you think. What are the factors a valuation team is looking at ? Well we will discover how much the adage that investing in the jockey, more than the horse, is more accurate than you can imagine. The arc of the exit just isn’t being talked about enough and that’s why we are here...so, let’s jump in and get started!

So yes, there is a formula for determining value, especially when it is linked to 5-years in the future for investors. So if you are an owner, a Founder, building your business, if you aren’t planning for building your business to last, rather than just planning for your exit, your valuation and the interest of investors will fall way short of your expectations. Bottom line: build a team and business to last. We are thrilled you watched and/or listened to this WatchPitch Episode as we continue to explore the world of exits, mergers and acquisitions for business Founders and Owners ! Thank you for listening and/or watching the WatchPitch channel and podcast.

Welcome to Season 4 of the WatchPitch Podcast where we continue with our particular focus on exits... for start-ups, entrepreneurs and business owners...an exit strategy that could be the result of a Merger, an Acquisition or the outright sale of your business. Our guest today is David Madison, a serial business owner with 30+ years of Finance experience who is the guy you go to if you want to buy a business, or sell it. At the core of his guiding principles is the three-legged stool of any successful exit: a solid performing business independent of its owner/Founder, a buyer who knows how to execute that business and the culture fit involved with the blending of any Merger or Acquisition. Transition risk is real and in this episode you will learn more about it and how to lower that risk. The arc of the exit just isn’t being talked about enough and that’s why we are here...so, let’s jump in and get started!

Red flags, yellow flags and green flags for any exit strategy are real. Understanding how red flags can kill your exit strategy is reason enough to plan ahead and eliminate them so that what you have left is a structure for transition with your business that supports your exit...and, your partner’s newly acquired business. We are thrilled you watched and/or listened to this WatchPitch Episode as we continue to explore the world of exits, mergers and acquisitions for business Founders and Owners ! Thank you for listening and/or watching the WatchPitch channel and podcast.

Welcome to Season 4 of the WatchPitch Podcast where we continue with our particular focus on exits... for start-ups, entrepreneurs and business owners...an exit strategy that could be the result of a Merger, an Acquisition or the outright sale of your business. And our program today features an in-depth discussion with a Founder who did just that, she sold her company. Courtney Bell is passionate about Food and sustainability. Her story starts during her Junior year during an internship in Detroit but with an idea that was going to be launched back in Raleigh - Durham finishing up her Senior year at Duke University. We get into the specifics of her building a company, Ungraded Produce from the ground up with a tiny corner of a cold storage unit and the trunk of her car. The story is fresh from only a few months ago and in this conversation you will discover a roadmap that must always return to your well being and what is best for your customers. The arc of the exit just isn’t being talked about enough and that’s why we are here...so, let’s jump in and get started!

I especially love this story because Courtney’s heart never leaves the room. Never leaves the business and the people who she has partnered with whether it’s her customers, her employees or her supporters. And most certainly, if our hearts as Founders are not in our business, then as a leader, we will not get to that finish line, whether that is in 2-years, 5 or 50-ears. We are thrilled you watched and/or listened to this WatchPitch Episode as we continue to explore the world of exits, mergers and acquisitions for business Founders and Owners ! Thank you for listening and/or watching the WatchPitch channel and podcast.