Next Economy Now highlights the leaders who are taking a regenerative, bio-regional, equitable, transparent, and whole-systems approach to using business as a force for good.
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Sheryl O’Loughlin is a serial entrepreneur and author of Killing It! An Entrepreneur’s Guide to Keeping Your Head Without Losing Your Heart (Harper Collins, December 2016). She has served as the CEO of Clif Bar, where she led the concept development and introduction of Luna Bar. In Sheryl’s three years as CEO, the company revenue doubled from $100M to $200M. She then went on to co-found and serve as CEO of Plum Organics. Plum was sold in 2013 to The Campbell Soup Company. She was the Executive Director of the Center for Entrepreneurial Studies at the Graduate School of Business at Stanford University. Sheryl is currently CEO of REBBL, a fast-growing maker of super herb beverages.
Some highlights from our interview include:
What it was like moving from working at large multinationals (like Kraft and Quaker Oats), to joining Clif Bar in 1998
How she helped Clif Bar launch the Luna Bar, and how Sheryl eventually became CEO of Clif Bar
How she co-founded Plum Organics with Neil Grimmer
Sheryl’s advice for entrepreneurs when they are considering raising money (and a story of what it looks like when you bring on bad investors)
We also talk about her latest projects, including REBBL and the company’s mission to abolish modern day slavery
Sheryl shares her struggle to overcome an eating disorder
And finally, we discuss Sheryl’s book “Killing It,” and how entrepreneurs can launch and grow their business while maintaining their well-being.
Resources:
BOOKS
Drawdown: The Most Comprehensive Plan Ever Proposed to Reverse Global Warming
The Hero's Journey – Joseph Campbell
The Power of Myth – Joseph Campbell
FILM:
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Ryan Honeyman is a Partner at LIFT Economy and author of The B Corp Handbook: How to Use Business as a Force for Good (Berrett-Koehler Publishers). LIFT Economy is an impact consulting firm whose mission is to create, model, and share a locally self-reliant economy that works for the benefit of all life. You can follow Ryan on Twitter @honeymanconsult or email him ryan@lifteconomy.com.