🎙️ Ricardo Baca: From Newsroom to Journalism-Minded Agency Founder

In this episode, Ricardo Baca, founder and CEO of Grasslands, shares how 24 years as a journalist — including a stint as the first cannabis editor at a major American newspaper — shaped a PR agency built on respect for the craft he came from. He opens up about walking away from journalism with just two clients, losing four accounts in one week to tariffs, and why he still says no to prospects who trash the press.

✨ Key Insights You'll Learn:

• 24 years in journalism, 13 at the Denver Post

• Named Denver Post's first cannabis editor in 2013

• Left journalism after securing two fractional clients

• Grasslands built as a journalism-minded PR agency

• Serves B2B and consumer brands across nearly 10 countries

• Turns down clients who disrespect journalism

• Lost four major clients in one week to tariffs

• Navigated layoffs to keep the agency afloat

• Expanding into longevity, peptides, and biohacking

• Appointed to Colorado's Natural Medicine Advisory Board

🌟 Ricardo's Key Mentors:

• EO (Entrepreneurs' Organization): Forum peers who understood his exact struggles

• His Wife: Steady support through the hardest business stretch

• Denver Post Editors and Colleagues: Shaped his news judgment and reporting standards

• First Two Grasslands Clients: Took a chance on him and stayed a decade

• John Sinai (Futurist): Workshop that spurred him to bigger business moves

👉 A candid look at building a PR agency on journalism's own standards, and surviving when the business nearly didn't.

🔗 Connect with Ricardo Baca:

Website: mygrasslands.com

📄 Transcript Available: From Denver Post Journalist to PR Agency Founder: Ricardo Baca’s Marketing Agencyr

📺 Watch on YouTube: Inspired Stories Podcast

🌐 Our Website: The Inspired Stories Podcast

📄 Special Thanks to Anthony Codispoti & AddBack Benefits Agency: AddBack Benefits Agency - Providing innovative employee benefits solutions that improve employee well-being while optimizing your bottom line