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Episode Description
What does growth look like when the standard playbook no longer works?
In this episode of Grow Good, Anne Oudersluys sits down with Lara Dickinson, co-founder of One Step Closer (OSC), to discuss how founders can grow profitable businesses without sacrificing mission, values, or long-term resilience.
Drawing from decades in the natural products industry, Lara explains why many traditional paths to scale—venture funding, acquisition, or bootstrapping alone—often create hidden costs. She shares how OSC was built as an alternative model: a peer network where purpose-driven CEOs collaborate on shared business challenges, tackle industry-wide problems like packaging and climate, and build trust as a competitive advantage.
They also explore why brand is created through lived experience, not just messaging; how regenerative thinking can improve decision-making; why multi-generational businesses may be today’s most overlooked innovators; and how founders should sequence purpose initiatives as they scale.
A practical conversation for leaders trying to grow responsibly in complex markets.
WHAT YOU’LL LEARN
- Why many founders feel trapped between bad growth options: raise capital, sell, or struggle alone
- How CEO peer communities can accelerate better decisions and reduce isolation
- Why trust inside a business network creates real operating leverage
- The shared challenges purpose-led companies face beyond direct competition
- How OSC turned collaboration into action through packaging and climate initiatives
- What “regenerative thinking” means in practical business terms
- Why the best strategic decisions often begin by returning to a company’s founding essence
- How brand is shaped through experience, relationships, and consistency—not slogans
- Why multi-generational companies may be better positioned for today’s volatility
- How founders should sequence impact goals instead of trying to do everything at once
- Why focus matters equally in growth strategy and purpose strategy
- How long-term stakeholder relationships create resilience during uncertainty
TIMESTAMPS
00:00 – Welcome + Lara’s background
02:05 – Why traditional growth paths fall short for mission-led founders
04:35 – Founding One Step Closer
05:30 – Early challenges + why collaboration was needed
06:50 – Why competitors choose collaboration over competition
09:40 – Regenerative thinking explained simply
12:10 – Who regenerative thinking is for
15:20 – Applying systems thinking in practice
18:45 – Building communities that create real outcomes
24:50 – The “sanctuary” concept + trust-building environments
31:20 – Why experience—not messaging—is the real brand
36:30 – Multi-generational companies as innovators
39:00 – Managing the tension between growth and purpose
39:40 – What the Purpose Pledge is
42:00 – Sequencing impact + why focus matters
44:05 – Packaging progress + realistic sustainability decisions
47:55 – Lara’s advice for founders growing with integrity
RESOURCES & LINKS