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Stu Landesberg is an entrepreneur who describes himself as an “optimist who really likes his job” and one who believes that it’s unequivocally urgent that we use business to solve environmental problems.
His digital-first brand and e-commerce platform, Grove Collaborative, is driven by the belief that sustainability is the only future, and offers more than 150 high-performing consumer products fueled by a mission to transform the industry into a force for the good of both people and the planet.
Grove creates and curates planet-first products across the household cleaning, personal care, laundry, clean beauty, and pet categories, and their four-point standard (uncompromisingly healthy, beautifully effective, ethically produced, and cruelty-free) means you’ll never have to choose between a clean home and a clean planet again.
Today, we speak to Stu about the realities of creating a profitable brand that aligns more closely with consumer values and simultaneously delivers environmental impact, his experience of negotiating the public markets and shareholder expectations as a high-impact publicly traded company, and why he believes that the success of his business and the success of his mission are intrinsically linked.
By creating bold goals, Stu believes that we will inevitably create bold action. Tune in to learn how you can use your time, energy, and wallet to co-create the world you want to live in!
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Key Points From This Episode:
Stu’s background in business and what drew him to sustainable entrepreneurship. [0:01:50]
What differentiates Grove from others in the planet-first consumer goods category. [0:03:47]
Reflecting on ways to achieve price parity at scale in this space. [0:07:55]
How Grove plans to deliver on its Beyond Plastic promise by 2025. [0:11:00]
Navigating the public markets as a high-impact publicly traded company. [0:15:50]
The legal implications of being a Public Benefit Corporation (PBC) and how it affects Grove’s stakeholder governance. [0:24:15]
Stu’s belief that purpose-driven talent will force companies to become purpose-led. [0:32:39]
Recommended reads, questions Stu wishes people would ask, and more. [0:33:40]
How you can help Grove build the next economy by speaking with your wallet. [0:36:15]
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Tweetables:
“If we want consumer products to be a positive force for human and environmental health, there is literally no way for that to be possible while we are reliant on single-use forever garbage that destroys the planet.” — @Stu_Land [0:12:25]
“How do we keep a long-term lens and focus on long-term problems, despite the churn of the stock market on a day-to-day basis? That’s an interesting responsibility as the head of the company.” — @Stu_Land [0:18:06]
The success of our business and the success of our mission are intrinsically linked.” — @Stu_Land [0:26:09]
“Are we doing what our customers would want us to do, even when they’re not looking? I think that’s the foundation of a great brand.” — @Stu_Land [0:27:45]
“Where talent goes is where the next big companies will get built, and the smartest people in the world are now demanding to work at companies with purpose.” — @Stu_Land [0:32:47]
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Links Mentioned in Today’s Episode:
Stu Landesberg on LinkedIn — https://www.linkedin.com/in/stuartlandesberg/
Stu Landesberg on Twitter — https://twitter.com/Stu_Land
Email Stu Landesberg — sl@grove.co
Grove Collaborative — https://www.grove.co/
Download the Grove Collaborative App — https://www.grove.co/g/download-app/
Letters From a Stoic — https://www.indiebound.org/book/9780140442106
Man’s Search for Meaning — https://www.indiebound.org/book/9780807014271
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This episode is brought to you by the Next Economy MBA.
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