Always a pleasure to chat with a fellow B Corp and 1% For The Planet member. The Grow Ensemble podcast, with the host Cory Ames, exemplifies the mission of Grow Ensemble. In French, Ensemble means together. At Grow Ensemble, they believe that we grow together.  

Grow Ensemble believes that business can be and should be done in a better manner. That it’s our duty to use our greatest creative and cognitive capacities to serve others. To be generous and to leave the world better than we found it. That’s why Grow Ensemble was started. To use their skills in Digital Marketing to amplify and promote brands and companies that they believed in, that they thought were doing their part to contribute and positively impact their communities.

Listen to the Grow Ensemble podcast with Plaine Products: How to Divert Over 50,000 Plastic Bottles from Landfills While Growing a Business to $1M in Sales in 2 Years

Welcome back to the podcast! Today on the show we welcome Lindsey McCoy, the CEO and Co-Founder of Plaine Products, a certified B corporation and member of the 1% For The Planet Alliance.

Plaine Products was founded in 2017 and is based in Terrace Park, Ohio. Lindsey runs the company alongside her sister, Alison, and they are on a mission to reduce waste and help stop the spread of single-use plastic. All of their products are vegan, non-GMO, cruelty-free, biodegradable, color-safe and free of parabens, sulfates, and toxins.

In this episode, Lindsey talks about the origin story of Plaine Products and how they are now on track to hit over $1 million in sales after only being in business for two years. Lindsey also shares some of her best tips to begin taking action in reducing your plastic use and cultivating a more sustainable lifestyle and household.

Finally, we learn more about how Plaine Products has diverted over 50,000 plastic bottles from landfills already, and how they are planning to double that number in 2019.

Show Topics:

• Lindsey’s background and what she does in her role of CEO of Plaine Products. [0:02:13]
• Making the transition from the non-profit industry to Plaine Profits. [0:02:55]
• Why Lindsey and her sister, Alison, made the leap to go into business together. [0:04:50]
• The lengthy process of finding a manufacturer for the company. [0:07:05]
• Launch day at Plaine Products: not waiting for perfect! [0:08:55]
• How Lindsey’s mindset has shifted over the past two years of business. [0:10:02]
• What has contributed to Plaine Product’s rapid growth? [0:13:21]
• Most impactful lessons Lindsey has learned about the “plastic issue”. [0:15:57]
• Strategies for raising awareness about single-use plastic. [0:19:26]
• Small steps to take for creating a more sustainable household. [0:21:33]
• Reflecting on accomplishments and goals for Plaine Products going forward. [0:23:10]
• What Lindsey focuses on every day to align with their mission and goals. [0:25:02]
• Initiatives that Plaine Products is focusing on at the moment. [0:29:02]
• And much more!

Tweetables:

• “You can have a great idea, but if you have something that turns people’s hair to straw they just are not going to support you.” —  Lindsey McCoy @PlaineProducts [0:07:33]
• “Plastic doesn’t go away. It is an incredible material, but it is inherently designed to last for 100s or 1,000s of years.” —  Lindsey McCoy @PlaineProducts [0:16:34]