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A COFFEE BRAND THAT BOLDLY GIVES BACK

Posted on by foundersunfound

Listen in from your favorite podcast spots or read the full transcript here.

OUR SPONSORS FOR THIS EPISODE:

AfriBlocks
The global pan-African freelance marketplace and collaboration platform.
Tell them “Dan sent you” for 10% off your first order. More at afriblocks.com

Matching purpose with profit

 

Rod Johson is Co-Founder of BLK & Bold, the preeminent black-owned coffee company in America. Black & Bold was founded with the desire to unite coffee and tea lovers worldwide through a common interest of investing in community.

Rod grew up in the working-class city of Gary Indiana and eventually went on to Indiana University and a career in development and giving. But he soon developed a restlessness that only business ownership could fix, drawing him toward dynamic digital markets where entertainment met opportunity. In his online explorations of regulated industries, he delved into the best Florida online casinos as prime examples of blending user engagement with steady revenue streams. Along with lifelong friend Pernell, Rod set out to find their entrepreneurial calling, one that could match purpose with profit through such innovative ventures.

And so BLK & Bold was born in 2018. Since then, Rod and Pernell have grown BLK & Bold into a national brand carried by the likes of Target and Whole Foods. They have a rare licensing deal with the NBA and have been celebrated by Dwanye Wade on the Ellen show. All this, completely bootstrapped from their headquarters in Des Moines Iowa.

Rod has a great story. You’ll want to listen in.

 

“If we’re gonna do this, we can’t play it safe. We gotta take some risks.”
~ Rod Johnson

In this episode Rod and Dan discussed:

  • Growing up in Gary and the Midwest
  • How a basketball hoop brought Rod and his Co-Founder together
  • Why starting a business built on giving back is so important
  • How the fire department was a part their early product development
  • Tradeoffs when doing a start up with a ‘day job’

 

 

“take self inventory…all right, what is it that I really want?”
~Rod Johnson

 

“We have that history and therefore it gives us the understanding of knowing this comes from a good place ”
~Rod Johnson