410: From Office Space Mushrooms to a Gardening Revolution with the Cofounders of Back to the Roots

The Foundr Podcast with Nathan Chan

Nathan Chan

Marketing, Business, Entrepreneurship

4.8 • 662 Ratings

🗓️ 1 June 2022

⏱️ 49 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Nikhil Arora and Alejandro Velez started Back to the Roots by asking the same question in their business class–how can you grow mushrooms from used coffee grounds? So instead of taking their jobs in investment baking, the 2 friends began their journey of building an organic gardening brand for the next generation. Back to the Roots is America’s #1 organic gardening company and doubled its business 4 years in a row. They offer a wide range of grow kits, seeds, soil, and more to empower people to experience the magic of growing their food from inside their homes. Listen to Nathan chat with Nikhil and Alejandro about: Walking into a Whole Foods and pitching their first product Growing their first mushrooms in a rented office space Hitting their first million in revenue off sources of waste Why going to a farmer’s market is the best lesson for business Transitioning from selling products to empowering growers Navigating the accelerated growth of the industry during COVID-19 Their relationship as cofounders over the past decade Working with retailers like Home Depot, Target, and Walmart Their “Grow One, Give One” initiative And much more business scaling advice… Who do you want to see next on the podcast? Comment and let us know! And don't forget to leave us a 5-star review if you loved this episode. Wait, there's more… If you enjoy the Foundr podcast, check out our free trainings. Get exclusive, actionable advice from some of the world's best entrepreneurs. For more Foundr content, follow us on your favorite platform: Foundr.com Instagram YouTube Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Magazine

Transcript

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0:00.0	This is episode number 410 with Alejandro Valais and Nikiel Aurora of the Founder Podcast.
0:08.3	What you need is thirst.
0:10.1	You need to be a thirsty human who is intent on learning.
0:14.2	It's a really fascinating exploration of human potential.
0:17.8	Now, now, now, now, now, now.
0:22.3	The Found founder podcast.
0:25.6	Even the greatest entrepreneurs had help.
0:29.2	If you want to learn from the most successful founders on the planet,
0:31.0	you are in the right place.
0:33.9	Branson, Mark Cuban, Tony Robbins, Tim Ferriss,
0:36.9	Arianna Humphington, Steve Case, Gary V. Sophia Amorosa. Oprah Corcoran.
0:37.6	Damon John.
0:38.7	Learn from the greatest minds in business today with interviews hosted by Nathan
0:42.7	Chan.
0:43.3	This is not your average entrepreneur podcast.
0:46.9	The Founder Podcast.
0:54.0	Hey guys. Thank you so much for tuning in.
0:57.4	Before we start today's episode, I just want to let you know that our goal at Founder is to help entrepreneurs succeed however we can by giving away high quality content in the form of interviews, blog posts, podcasts, YouTube videos, you name it.
1:12.6	We put out so much content to help you.
1:15.0	And another interesting project that we're working on right now is partnering with
1:19.0	world-class founders like Damon John, Alexa Von Tauble, Greta Van Riel, and so many more
1:24.9	to teach crucial skills like negotiation, finance, e-commerce, and so much more.
	...

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