Business
Cory Ames and Annie Bright discussed their ongoing work with impact media company Growth Ensemble, which also includes their podcast Social Entrepreneurship and Innovation Podcast. Growth Ensemble is a content and media company inspiring businesses and individuals to consider more sustainable business and life choices in support of the impact economy. Cory and Annie also train and consult other purpose driven businesses to achieve results to build audiences of advocates that connect with the mission of impact companies. Both Cory and Annie describe their journey into the world of social entrepreneurship as coming from backgrounds of digital marketing and law. After being active in their own respective fields, they came to discover that there was a way to get involved with initiative’s closer to values they support. Cory’s journey is the kind where you see a different picture once you climbed a mountain. Annie’s story is the kind where you’re deciding between two paths until someone shows you there’s a third path. While telling their origin stories, both Cory and Annie blend into what led to using their skills for social impact. Through content and media, Growth Ensemble is encouraging people to consider more of what their choices mean. People tend to downplay the personal impact they have on the world, but Annie gave an excellent example of how small actions influence larger outcomes and trends. Annie shared that the main point of personal small action is the way it significantly reduces what's being added to the problem. Annie actually reconnected to share the exact statistic she mentioned in her example after our conversation, which is "The shampoo bottles thrown out every year in the U.S. could fill 1,164 football fields." As a social enterprise, Cory spoke about what it’s like to present information to an audience without overwhelming the audience. Two major factors he mentioned are access points and momentum of how people interact with the initiative’s content. He goes on further relating the two factors to providing opportunities for people to engage with better choices, as well as explaining how each small choice builds momentum. He explained what approaches he suggests for budding entrepreneurs versus established companies. The common thread of both approaches involves content creation, which Cory explained why discoverability is outside of “gaming” algorithms. While speaking, Cory and Annie expressed their latest interests in regenerative agriculture. The duo came across the topic after working with a company focused on the issue. They learned how new age farming techniques disrupt nutrients and carbon sequestration of the soil. Cory Ames and Annie Bright shared what’s coming up for Growth Ensemble, including the launch of a new series focused on the impact of fashion. Growth Ensemble is continuing to introduce people to living with choices that more positively impact our world. The duo emphasized that it’s important that people don’t blindly trust certifications or advertising from companies, but that people are engaging with companies that truly care about the positive impact. If you’re interested in learning more, you can visit their website, newsletter and podcast, or find them on Instagram, YouTube, Linked-In or Twitter. Read Full Transcript Adam: [00:00:00] Welcome to People Helping People, the podcast to inspire greater social change and give you ideas on how to take action. I'm your host, Adam Morris. I'm so excited to have Cory and Annie of Grow Ensemble on the podcast today. Grow Ensemble is a content and media company focused on making sustainability and better for the world business practices the norm for both individuals and businesses in support of the impact economy. Their focus is on inspiring consumer audiences to become more active participants in making the world a better place. Cory and Annie also train and consult other purpose-driven businesses to achieve r...