I am the CPG contrarian. I don’t buy into the hockey stick, unicorn, big exit mindset. This romanticized view of our industry contributes to a nearly 85% two-year and 60% five-year fail rate. There is no reason to play roulette with your business. 

When I share this view, people say I am thinking small or anti-growth. Neither is true. The issue with the above is that it measures growth on a single axis: topline revenue. Revenue is a poor barometer of growth. Proper growth is measured by enterprise value, of which revenue is just one component. It also includes purpose, impact, resilience, investor alignment, brand equity, talent, culture, and, let’s not forget, profitability. 

Many businesses are built in this manner. I am fortunate to serve as the Chairman of the Board of one such organization, The Good Crisp Company. There is no argument that this brand is on fire and one of the fastest growing in its category. We are lucky to have Matt Parry as Co-Founder and CEO. Since Matt launched the business ten years ago, growth has always been measured in a multi-axial way. Each year has brought significant topline improvement, but we’ve never been too far in front of our skis. Business resilience and our path to sustained profitability have been our siren call.

The business invests in talent and culture. We created the position of Culture Manager to ensure that culture remains a fundamental component of growth measurement. We also invest in bringing the team together numerous times yearly for retreats, team-building events, and strategy sessions. Cultural fit is as essential as skillset and experience when making hiring decisions. I spend time in the office in Boulder about every six weeks, and I always marvel at the cohesiveness and vibe as I walk the halls. 

The Good Crisp Company is equally committed to business resilience, a vital component of enterprise value. The team spends countless hours honing unit economics, strengthening our supply chain, and monitoring product quality. Continuous improvement is part of the culture. 

We invest in brand equity, as evidenced by the evolution of our packaging over the years. We’ve built strong consumer connections, and our marketing team doggedly works to deepen that connection while maintaining capital efficiency. 

I’d be remiss if I did not mention the importance of investor alignment in this article. It matters who you invite to your cap table. Funders and Founders must be on the same page when defining growth and success. Matt first, and the board, in concert with him, have been mindful of the investors we’ve brought into the business. We didn’t want an arbitrary exit clock. We wanted investors interested in building a sustainable business that measures growth using the abovementioned multi-axial approach. This alignment has allowed us to run the business how we felt would best drive enterprise value. 

Lastly, I want to talk about impact. Whether you start out as a purpose-driven organization or not, the platform you build is part of growth. What you do with that platform plays a role in enterprise value creation. In the case of The Good Crisp Company, while we’ve always been about better snacking, the platform created as our brand awareness grew allowed us to do more. Matt and his wife Nat have three beautiful daughters. The youngest of whom had early childhood cancer. Thankfully, she is now cancer-free, healthy, and sassy. But Matt wanted to give back and recognized that he had a platform in The Good Crisp Company. He started Trixie’s Tribe, which is dedicated to providing support, resources, and joy to children battling cancer. That is growth. It matters way more than just topline revenue. 

So you see, I am not thinking small or anti-growth. I just know we can do better. I see this daily in my work with The Good Crisp Company and through the work of others, such as Dr. Bronner’s, Patagonia, Numi Tea, and many more. If we redefine how we measure growth, we will reduce the failure rate, build resilient businesses, drive enterprise value, create shareholder wealth, and have a meaningful impact on this planet and its people. 

This is what I am interested in building. It’s how I want to spend my time. If this speaks to you, I am here as a coach, a board member, or simply an ally. Please reach out to me. Together, we can build great businesses.