Latest / Talk Commerce / Green Goo Is Reinventing Plant-Based First Aid and Personal Care | Jodi Scott
Transcript
- Brent Peterson (00:01.026) Welcome to this episode of Talk Commerce. Today I have Jodi Scott She is the founder of Green Goo and a master in health psychology. Jodi, go ahead, do an introduction for yourself. Tell us your day-to-day role and give us one of your passions. Jodi Scott (00:15.207) It's nice to be here with you today. Thank you. So I am Jodi Scott, I'm CEO and co-founder of Green Goo by Spry Life. I have a master's in health psychology. And what Green Goo is, is plant-based first aid and personal care products. So our goal was to reinvent the first aid category and provide natural and more effective alternatives than your traditional chemical-laden products. So my day to day is working on the e-comm side, the B2B side, marketing and product development. and packing boxes even. I'll be doing that later on this afternoon. So there is essentially nothing that I don't touch in this company. Brent Peterson (00:57.568) That's awesome. Yeah. And passions, it's not packing boxes, I assume. Do you have passions outside of packing boxes? Jodi Scott (01:05.935) I do have a passion for clean living and sharing that lifestyle with folks, but I love to be outside. My favorite thing to do outside of work is just to hike. I live in Colorado and I can go and just enjoy that mountain air and get outside and get moving. Brent Peterson (01:23.788) That's perfect, thank you Jodi. Before we get started, you have a volunteered to be part of the Free Joke Project. I'm gonna tell you a joke and you just give me a rating eight through 13. And I think I have a good one today, so here we go. When I eat alphabet soup, I only eat the vowels. My wife says, why? Me, sometimes. Jodi Scott (01:46.683) I'm going to give you a 13 because I can tell this joke to my entire family, including my daughter, so it makes it a fun one. Brent Peterson (01:55.476) Yeah, they're always clean jokes. They're clean living jokes and the joke was derived from clean plant products. So I think that's perfect. It's that vegan alphabet soup. Anyways, so tell us a little bit about Green Goo and how you got started in that. Jodi Scott (02:06.73) I like it. Jodi Scott (02:12.677) Yes, so my sister's an herbalist and a midwife and of course I was pre-med and masters in health psychology and we were very interested in clean first aid. What we found very interesting was that the natural consumer was willing to abandon their natural ethos because they were told the chemical-laden products were the only products that could get the job done. So oftentimes you would open up that first aid cabinet and have a lot of one-time use chemical products that expired before you needed them again. So there was a lot of waste. And then when I looked in this space even further, I found it even more interesting that the conventional consumer was dissatisfied with the over-the-counter solutions. We are at a time where chronic skin conditions are at an all-time high, and they're not getting the performance that they're looking for, and they find going to their physician an inconvenience, because a lot of these products use seven to 10 days if symptoms persist. It could be toxic, and you need to go see your physician. So our goal was to lead first with efficacy, and can we make a superior plant-based solution and Green Goo was born. Brent Peterson (03:15.458) That's awesome. tell us, you talked about some skin applications. How does it, and I'm in Hawaii, we have a lot of sunscreen rules that we have to follow, right? So I'm following you there. Tell us some of the applications that you have and that you've been successful with. Jodi Scott (03:40.775) So my sister being an herbalist has been very helpful in us creating these products. And what's interesting too to date is we still make most of the ingredients ourselves the same way we were making them in our kitchen. So we bring the whole plants to our manufacturing facility where we take it through this infusion process that protects the integrity of the plant. We yield the highest amount of the medicinal properties from the plants and then these custom oils go into these products. And that very much leads to the efficacy and to your point of clean ingredients so that with their coral reef safe, there are no sneaking ingredients that come in because our process is so clean along with the ingredients. And then these herbs are very carefully selected to have specific use cases. So they are registered with the FDA and the FDA now recognizes certain herbs as having medicinal properties. So for example, calendula is recognized as an astringent. But what's wonderful about calendula is it also offers antimicrobial, anti-yeast, anti-fungal properties. It's beautiful at regenerating skin and hydrating the skin. And then how you combine these herbs really matters because when you put yarrow, plantain, and calendula together, they work very aggressively at the wound site to increase the oxygen, increase the healing, slow down the bleeding, and take the sting and the itch out. So we love product developing and thinking about how we can not only bring higher efficacy products, but multi-use. So our first aid product is like your portable first aid kit. And it's not just for cuts and scrapes, but you can use it for poison ivy, ingrown toenails, sunburns. And so we're always trying to find ways that you can go into that first aid cabinet and say, you know what? I don't need 25 things anymore. I can have four things of a variety of different green goo. And I can use it for a number of different purposes. Brent Peterson (05:38.318) Do you think in today's world that a lot of times some of the natural things that have been around forever get lost in the fact that some chemical says they do a better job? Jodi Scott (05:52.603) Yeah, absolutely. You know, I don't think that people intended to hurt others in their product development, and it's very much a product of the industrial revolution, where here all of a sudden we had manufacturing and the ability to mass produce, but we didn't have the infrastructure, the technology, the roads, Amazon that we do today, where you can get same day shipping. And I think too, sort of the mindset was more volume meant more value. And so a lot of those fillers were added so that people could have, you know, a bigger container of lotion. And also it could be years before it was made on the in the manufacturing facility and then all of a sudden it's at people's homes. And so because of the advancements we've made and of course the transparency and the information that we have that we know now things like phthalates, paraben and petroleum can be harmful to our health, we can now shift to these plant-based solutions. And also I think this idea of natural used to be, well, I know I want something clean, but it's just not going to work as better. Because also the natural products that have been on the market were also following that sort of mass industrial process. And so again, what's great about GreenGoo and the capabilities that we have today is we can protect the plant integrity that therefore has the highest medicinal properties and then give you the results that you're looking for to compete and exceed these chemical-laden products that we're so used to. Brent Peterson (07:32.398) Jodi, have you always been an entrepreneur or was there some point in your career that you made this leap to kind of go off on your own? Jodi Scott (07:39.751) I'm an accidental entrepreneur, so I was pre-med in private practice and I actually started my first business, which was a bed and breakfast. I found this really sweet little old property that I thought, well, this will be a fun weekend project. And it turned into three wedding venues, an equipment rental company, coordinating company, and catering company in less than five years. And so that was really my MBA business 101 where I got to learn what it meant to be an entrepreneur. So when my sister was going to herb school and started sharing these medicinal salves with me, of course that's when the light bulb started flickering in terms of the potential opportunities and how we could take Green Goo So I think I was surprised to be the entrepreneur, but no one around me was surprised. Brent Peterson (08:31.788) Yeah, that's awesome. So kind of give us the leap that you went and you developed your product and you put it online to, or you're selling it. I'm assuming you're selling it online, but just kind of give us that, the progression of what you went through. Jodi Scott (08:46.951) So we went to 150,000 points of distribution in less than five years. So it was very quick. So this was something that started in our kitchen and we were selling it at the farmer's market. And we very quickly identified that we had the longest line at the market and that our customers were experiencing what we had hoped and we were experiencing for ourselves as well. And let me tell you, like our production was so jam packed in our kitchen that we actually had to take our camping equipment and build an outdoor kitchen so that we could cook our food because our kitchen had become a production facility. So what we recognized the next step was being able to scale that process and protecting the integrity of the process. So that was a journey in itself, finding a manufacturing facility that would protect that process, which we did, which was great. And it took actually someone who was running their manufacturing facility whose son had eczema and he used our product and said this was the only thing that has ever worked for his son over the counter. and came back and said, we're gonna find a way to scale this product because the world needs it. And that product John Hopkins has been using in their scleroderma and skin condition department for over a decade. And then from there I started, was first retailers reaching out to us and then we started reaching out to retailers ourselves. And there was a lot we didn't know. mean, my first buyer meeting was the second largest retailer in the world and I had no idea. And then during the meeting they're asking, are we EDI compatible? Do we have spec sheets? What's your UPCs? And of course, all of these things I didn't know. And like a lot of entrepreneurs, you learn as you go. I went back to the family and said, we're in. I don't know what this means, but we'll figure it out. And it was beautiful because the entire family very much had that shared mindset that these obstacles were opportunities and no hurdle was big enough. We would find a way and we continued to work together to problem solve. as we were growing. Brent Peterson (10:49.187) I saw in your LinkedIn profile you were president of Cresno in Australia. Did you live in Australia or is this something you did in the interim? Jodi Scott (11:00.423) No, we never lived in Australia, although I very much look forward to visiting and potentially living there. I've heard wonderful things. No. So what happened was as we grew this company so quickly and we're competing with the top brands and better stated, the top companies in the world. And we had just came out of COVID and very, it was a very difficult time during, I mean, we were 98 % retail. And then all of a sudden everything's on lockdown and no one's going into stores. So we had to pivot very quickly and our team did a beautiful job and we were able to thrive during that time. But I recognized the risk and the exposure that we had and we didn't have to terminate a single employee. We were very proud of that. And so it was time to find financial resources to support the company and further expansion. had international interests and so we found a company out in Australia that was interested in taking our brand nationwide. or excuse me, globally, and they also had the financial resources to do it. So we folded our company into their company to expand. Unfortunately, a handful of weeks after going into that partnership, they faced legal and financial challenges. so ultimately, the company, you know, wasn't able to thrive. And so we spent 18 months buying back our brand, which was another just business 101 journey for us. And it was tough. mean, we, in less than 24 hours, had to terminate our legacy team, and we all lost our jobs, and we lost what felt like our sense of purpose. And it was a very difficult time. We almost lost our homes in terms of the buyback. But I'm very proud of how this family stuck together and the wonderful mentors that were available to us to help us strategically figure out a way with very little resources to bring our company back home. So we are approaching our year anniversary of having it back with our family and we are very grateful. Brent Peterson (13:07.458) That's awesome. My sister also has a small manufacturing business and she does it in-house and she's packing boxes today, shipping meat products in Montana for online items. How have you been able to now scale and are you using any tools to help you scale that process? Jodi Scott (13:29.465) Absolutely. So thankfully, AI has been a great resource as well, just in terms of improving efficiencies with creative. Now, GreenGoo has been around for over a decade. So we have a lot of photography and so forth that we can utilize to leverage AI in a way that is helpful, which may be more difficult in earlier stage brands. But of course, AI is changing consistently. And my husband came from project management and IT. So that's been very helpful in terms of us integrating various systems, whether it's like Shopify and different ERP systems to help with efficiencies and so forth. And then just building out the logistics. So we have our own warehouse here in Lyons where we ship personally, but we also have a 3PL that allows us to, when our stuff leaves the manufacturing facility, we'll have it both go to the R3PL. and then to our facility here where we can ship together. And this is like a perfect example during the holiday season where you need more capacity. And so we'll ship in both places. Brent Peterson (14:42.68) That's awesome. And you mentioned family a few times and my, our previous company, our whole family worked for it. And after we sold it, my number one job was to get everybody a job. how, how has, and I guess as a caveat on that, my sister's kids are working for her company as well. So how are your kids embracing kind of working for what you're doing and kind of following your vision? Jodi Scott (15:07.847) It's been a family, just beautiful project together. So my sister's the herbalist and midwife. My mom is the graphic designer website developer. My husband is the COO. My brother-in-law manages all of the logistics and supply chain. And then my daughter, more recently, she's only 14 years old, has started helping me with creative. So she's teaching me the ins and the outs of some of the social media and creative like Canva and how to use that and create some fun videos and so forth. you know, I think my daughter, so today's my birthday and my daughter just gave me the most beautiful card and having her witness this journey from building at an accelerated pace to selling the company and buying it back and going through some very difficult times, you know, sometimes you wonder how much you should share with your children and she has really embraced that process and that journey. So not only from a work etiquette standpoint or work ethic standpoint better stated, but also just from a sense of gratitude and mindset because she had to watch me go through my own personal entrepreneurial journey of, know, how do I redefine resilience? How do I show up when things are very difficult? How do you become a leader when you haven't been a leader before? And so I think she will be a much better CEO. when her time comes and I'm grateful that she's just embraced all of those chapters and seasons and integrating that into her own day to day. Brent Peterson (16:49.014) That's awesome. Jodi, what is your outlook now as the holidays go through and next year? What are you seeing for the economy and for your e-commerce? What your vertical, your brand and your vertical? Jodi Scott (17:05.489) So prices have obviously gone up significantly. Manufacturing has gone up, the cost of materials and packaging. And so we've had to pivot ourselves in terms of our strategy in order to be able to protect margin and protect that price point for our customers. So we are more focused on our direct-to-consumer and Amazon business, although you can still find us in Walmart and select retailers. But our goal was to make sure that we didn't have to hike up our price in a way that it wasn't attainable. for our customers or compromise the process because again that process is why these products work so well. So we're very much more focused on the direct-to-consumer and getting to know how we can meet our customers at that stage and it's really fun. I'm finding that I really appreciate having more direct contact with our customers and I get beautiful letters whether they're cheering us on with the buyback or this was the only product that was working for them and when production stopped for almost 18 months that this still is their solution along with reaching out to me and saying hey I've got this skin condition can you help curate your products for me. So I'm really enjoying this new direct relationship with our customers as well. Brent Peterson (18:23.222) I have to ask, I was just, I was at a conference for the athletic industry last week. and, the, the buzz is always around tariffs. I, I interviewed a lot of people that are manufacturing shoes in the U S now. And, one interesting tidbit is that there's 301. Tariffs on any one shoe that's being manufactured and their costs have skyrocketed. And it's been very difficult for them to. navigate, they can't get all the products they want and they're bringing in raw products. Are you facing some of those same things even though you may be getting all your products within the US or tell us, just briefly give us an idea how the tariffs are affecting you. Jodi Scott (19:05.105) Well, thank goodness we manufacture in the US, but we do source our plant material and packaging from all over the world. So yes, we are seeing an increase in pricing there and even just in the shipping costs in terms of getting those materials here in order for us to put in the packaging. so, you know, again, I think that a lot of companies have been faced with, how do we stay in business and also be able to be attainable to the customer? for us it was very much shifting that how we meet the customer so that we can protect that margin and keep that price down. And then we just don't have as many products in the assortment. So we had to say, okay, we've got to do some SKU rationalization. We really focus on those hero products for folks. And then as prices start to come down again, we can bring in a larger breadth of products. So I think unfortunately, a lot of companies don't have that option either. Perhaps they had such a tight margin already and they're not able to shift how they meet the customer. And so I definitely empathize with the challenges that entrepreneurs are having today to keep products in the market and also make it attainable for the customer. Brent Peterson (20:18.392) That's great. Jodi, we have a few minutes left. As I close out the podcast, I give everybody a chance to do a shameless plug about anything like they'd like. What would you like to plug today? Jodi Scott (20:27.921) Well, I'd love you to come visit GreenGoo at greengoo.com and you can also find us on Amazon. And feel free to reach out to me at Jodi A. Scott on LinkedIn. And thank you very much and don't hesitate to reach out to me directly. Always here for you. Brent Peterson (20:43.054) Yep, I'll make sure I get all those into the show notes. Jodi Scott, it's been such a great conversation. The founder of Green Goo. I would encourage you to go to green goo.com. Thank you so much. Jodi Scott (20:53.159) Thank you for having me.