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NWA Founders is a voice for Founders, Owners, and Builders driving growth in Northwest Arkansas, and is hosted by Cameron Clark and Nick Beyer.
'NWA Founders' is a voice for Founders, Owners, and Builders driving growth in Northwest Arkansas, and is hosted by Cameron Clark and Nick Beyer.
To recommend a guest or ask questions, reach out at nwafounders@gmail.com and follow us on YouTube and LinkedIn for video content.
Ross Cully: [00:00:00] We've had pretty consistent growth. We had kind of one season where we expanded our business, a couple concentric circles out. Mm-hmm. And overextended beyond our core, and we ended up selling one of those businesses and shutting another down. But beyond that, we've had, we've had pretty consistent growth.
When you think about hypergrowth, loosely defined as companies that are growing 20 plus percent a year, so you're doubling every three years. That's kind of been the harvest group story. And so as we went from startup to growth to now we're in, I would call the scale life stage of a business. There's good and bad.
Cameron Clark: Good morning everybody. Uh, we're sitting here in the Harvest Group office. You've got myself, Cameron Clark, and then Nick Byer. Here is Host and we've got Ross Coley, founder, CEO of Harvest Group. Super excited to dive in this morning, [00:01:00] Ross. Yeah, thanks for having me. Maybe give us a little background first on yourself, where you're from, where you grew up, and then we can kind of dive into Harvest Group.
Ross Cully: Yeah, absolutely. Uh, I grew up in Springfield, Missouri, so not too far from Northwest Arkansas. Uh, my first. Trip to Northwest Arkansas was to come to Nolan Richardson's basketball camp. Oh, wow. Uh, basketball's a big part of my life. And, uh, so, you know, back in the nineties, the hogs were pretty good. We, we have high hopes this year.
Yep. That was my, my first, uh, trip down here. But I, I went to University of Missouri or Mizzou for school and, uh, studied business and just had the fortune of, of being recruited by Procter and Gamble, uh, a big, uh, leader in the consumer packaged goods space. And, uh, ended up taking a job with them right outta school and, and moved down, uh, to northwest Arkansas.
So my wife Kate, uh, and I, uh, did the long distance thing for a few years. Mm-hmm. And then she followed me down [00:02:00] to Arkansas. And we've been here, uh, roughly the last 20 years and we have four kiddos and, uh, Arkansas's become home. Yeah. Did you like the idea of being back in Arkansas? What was the Yeah. No plans to be in Arkansas in college.
Yeah. So that's just where the journey took me. But, um, I majored in business management and, uh, uh, there's certain internships that are coveted and that you're shooting for. And, and so as I, you know, kind of tracked with some of the folks that were older than me, uh, in the business school, Proctor Gamble's internship was one of those.
Yep. Yeah. You know, that folks were shooting for, and so ended up, uh. Getting that and, uh, uh, lived in Kansas City, uh, for, uh, for a summer called on independent grocery stores in rural western Missouri.
Yeah.
Ross Cully: Yeah. And, uh, I'll date myself here, but my project was, um, to catch a grocery manager on their smoke break or lunch break and, uh, convince them to give me four feet of their cleaning section.
And if they did, uh, I would come [00:03:00] back a week later and cut the liquid cleaning section down four feet and put in this new fangled innovation called Swiffer. Uh, so I was, I was in the trenches when Swiffer, uh, launched into retail. So yeah, so really it was a great place to enter my industry of retail and consumer packaged goods like.
Grassroots on the ground in a store. Yep. Uh, touching product and shelf. Mm-hmm. And, uh, and so had a successful internship. And, and then yeah, I got the, the offer with p and g and I, if I remember right, you, you kind of put down three locations that you would, you know, like to, uh, or prefer to, to live in. And, and so Kate, uh, was someone I was highly interested in continuing relationship with.
And so Arkansas was the closest mm-hmm. Uh, to Columbia where she was gonna be. And so, uh, that was really the first time that Arkansas kind of made
Nick Beyer: it on, on the radar. Radar. Oh man.
Yeah.
Nick Beyer: Was that retail experience? I know in, in your [00:04:00] industry. That, that is how things used to start. Maybe it's transitioned a little bit in the last five years with so much data at our fingertips.
Yeah. How formative was that for you? Is that really formative? Is that a high recommendation for, for someone who might be joining the industry in the next couple years?
Ross Cully: Yeah, that's a great question. I think we say a harvest group, uh, as a, as an integrated commerce agency that's really trying to help brands win at retail in, in the multiple ways you have to win in retail today, that, that retail's become trilingual.
And I think it was a, a little bit more, uh, one language back then and it was in store, uh, today. I think, uh, as, as people enter our industry, it's important to really have a foundational understanding of, of, I think three languages. How do you win in store? And so I do think, um, getting out into physical retail stores is important.
My kids, uh, hate it when they go into a retail store with me because they're like, dad, don't go down that aisle. Stay with us. [00:05:00] Uh, so cool because I'm always a, a student of the crash around. Yeah. Seeing new things. Yeah. Uh, checking stuff out. But, um, I think the other two languages that are important today are, are online.
Um, so winning and, and digital commerce. And then, and then the third is media. Um, in our industry right now, you have these, these two multi-billion dollar industries that are kind of colliding retail or commerce and media. Mm-hmm. And so I think all three are important today for people to, uh, to explore and get experience in.
Hmm. So time at p and g into that leading up to Harvest Group here. Yeah. Proctor and Gamble's a great company for, for me to start with. Uh, you know, one of the largest consumer packaged goods companies. Great training ground. Uh, good culture. Uh, and so, you know, I had a lot of, uh, entry-level positions there.
Uh, in my time there I started as an analyst and so learning how to, uh, read data and look at competitive trends and marketplace trends and study the consumer had a couple opportunities for selling [00:06:00] and, and then got a, a big break well before my experience to, to be a category manager. In our, in our industry there's this weird role called category management where.
Vendors pay for somebody to go into the retailer and help the retailer do their job in terms of, uh, crafting the shelf. And so, um, I was able to do that and see kind of how the sausage is made, so to speak. Yeah. See behind the curtain, um, of Walmart. So in turn, inside, uh, p and g sometimes, uh, jokingly, uh, said that PG stands for pack and go.
And so, uh, if you're, uh, growing your career, uh, at a lot of big CPG companies, you're moving around the country every couple years. And, and my wife and I didn't, didn't really have vision for that for ourselves. So, um, so I began to look and, and search for, uh, what would be next. I would say the other thing is, um, I kind of felt corporate culture was a little bit less inspiring than I'd hoped.
Yeah.
Ross Cully: And so as somebody who is. [00:07:00] You know, kind of searching, soul, searching for what I wanted to do with my life and my career. Um, I was looking for something with a bit more depth. Yeah. And, uh, was able to join a, a, a local agency here, uh, at the time was called North Star, that, um, was really pioneering the idea of, um, uh, of having a culture that embraces your whole self.
Mm-hmm. Um, including, you know, who you are spiritually and personally, and really, you know, creating a, a deep culture of relationship. Um, and, uh, was able to join that organization and mm-hmm. Uh, learned a ton, you know, from the, the culture that, that that guy, those guys built there. And tell us about the, the group there.
So three founders, uh, Henry Ho, Rick West, bill Waitman, also former PG guys. Yeah. Uh, but really, um, you know, trying to capitalize on helping small brands, you know, win at retail as well as the, uh, an emerging trend at the time. You know, this was, you know, 20 years ago of shopper marketing. So this idea of, of.
Uh, creating marketing experiences in store was, [00:08:00] was pretty new at the time. So they were, they were pioneers in that space. And, uh, so it was, it was helpful for me to, to kind of get experience at, Hey, here's a, here's a big public company. Yep. Here's a small, uh, local company. And, uh, I think I found my home, uh, yeah.
In the small side. In the small side of, of, uh,
Cameron Clark: the marketplace. And when you say small, how many employees were there to start there?
Ross Cully: Yeah, I don't remember exactly, but I would say like sub sub 50, for sure. Sure. So it was one of those spaces that you knew everybody's name, you knew their kids, like you could really get to know everybody, which is a, which is a sweet experience.
Um, if you've never had that working inside a small business, um, depth of relationship is. It's hard to beat. Yeah. You're
Cameron Clark: at the birthdays. You're at the weddings. Yes. It's like, it's it's pretty awesome. How long was that stint? Was Harvest Group Next?
Ross Cully: Yeah. Harvest Group was next. Yeah. So it's been about a year there and, uh, uh, that, that company went through some transitions and, um, and so I kind of found myself at, at a fork in the road of, of where I want to go, uh, with my career.
And so [00:09:00] I'd spent some time, you know, there working with small and mid-sized manufacturers. Yeah. Uh, in the, the consumer packaged good space. And, uh, I really kind of fell in love with that part of the market. You were working with entrepreneurs, uh, the agility of those companies, the, the speed to innovation
Cameron Clark: was just vastly different from Yeah.
There's hustle, there's, I mean, sorry, didn't communicate you off small to mid-size. How do you define that? Is there like Yeah. What's the metric for small to mid-size brand? Yeah, it's a
Ross Cully: great, it's a great question. Um, and there's, there's really broad ranges. Yeah. Uh, I would say today, um, at Harvest Group we define that as like sub 500 million in revenue.
Okay. Um, is, is small and mid-size manufacturer in the consumer packaged goods space, sub 25 million. There's a bunch of companies that live at that space as well. Um, and, uh, and so, you know, working with those companies versus multi-billion dollar p and g Sure is just a vastly different experience. And, uh, one of the things that, you know, I, I felt was, man, when [00:10:00] you put points on the board, it's a big deal.
Uh, it's a big deal. Transforms companies, transforms lives. Uh, and then when you have an idea, like it can get to market relatively quickly. And so, so as I was at the fork in the road, um, you know, I, I had the opportunity to co-found Harvest Group. Um, and, uh, and so as I was wrestling with, you know, kind of what to do, I knew I wanted to kind of stay in that side, uh, of the market, the small and mid-size manufacturer market.
And, uh, um, I was, I was kind of a reluctant entrepreneur. Um, uh, Kate and I had been married three months when we started Harvest Group, so, oh man. Wow. A lot of life change. Uh, a lot of wisdom says, don't, you know, go do too many things. Uh, at the same time, I was not one of these people that was just like gung-ho ready to go, start my own company.
I've dreamed about it forever. It was, it was a lot more. Restless praying and searching and seeking wisdom of like, is this what I'm supposed to be doing? Yeah. You know, I was 26, you know, I've been in our, my industry, you [00:11:00] know, uh, less than five years. Uh, it, it was uncomfortable for sure. Yeah.
Cameron Clark: So you say co-founded, what, what did that dynamic look like?
Yeah. Um,
Ross Cully: yeah, so I co-founded the business with two guys that I'd known for, for several years in my industry, bill Waitman and, and Dan Berger. And so, yeah, as I look back, um, a lot of the companies start with partners. Yeah. Mm-hmm. And, uh, and, and for, for great reasons. And we were no different. Um, you know, for me as, as, as I mentioned for, you know, being in the industry less than five years, having two guys that had, had done a lot more than I had at that point.
Yeah. Mm-hmm. Was, was pivotal, you know, critical. Yeah. Uh, and then, you know, you, you're able to compliment each other's strengths. Yeah. And, uh, and so, um, so our business story was no different. You know, the three of our combined. Complimentary skills, um, three sets of hands to share the load. Yeah. Uh, was, was really important to harvest groups founding
Cameron Clark: and neither one of them are still with the [00:12:00] company.
Correct.
Ross Cully: Yeah. So yeah, my, my partnership journey, I've gone through different phases. Yeah. So I've had two partners, one partner, no partners. So it's one of those things that I look back on each of those phases with, with joy and, and gratitude. And each one's different. And, you know, uh, you study businesses long enough and you realize that, that our journey's, um, not uncommon, uh, that a lot oftentimes as, as businesses grow.
Uh, the role of different partners changed throughout that,
Cameron Clark: that journey.
Ross Cully: Mm-hmm.
Cameron Clark: Before we kind of dive into more of like, 'cause how long has it been? 15 years. Harvest Group ish, or
Ross Cully: believe it or not, in a month we turn 18. Wow. Yeah. Okay. Yeah. I know. I look so young, right? Still have all my hair or not.
Cameron Clark: I'm right behind you.
Um, just for those who are not in the brokerage business, like what does Harvest Group do you know, is the ideal client still that small to mid-size brand? Maybe give the full synopsis [00:13:00] here and then we kind of talk about maybe the, the story.
Ross Cully: Yeah, yeah. Harvest Group's, an integrated commerce agency and so we really come alongside, um, brands that manufacture products and help them accomplish their goals by growing their business at key retailers.
So today we work, uh, to help them get their products in store and grow their business in store. We help them grow their business online, and we help them deploy their media dollars to grow their business through these retailers. And so, um, we, we call on Walmart and Sam's Club and Target, Costco and Amazon and Kroger and Harris Teeter Uhhuh.
Uh, we deploy media across, uh, a lot more retailers than that. Uh, and we help some of our brands, uh, with their, their social commerce, so helping them sell their products, uh, through Insta, uh, Instacart, um, on a, on a media basis, Instagram meta. TikTok shop. So, um, that's what we do. And, and I think, you know, in more layman's terms, when you walk into a grocery store, there's a lot of people trying to [00:14:00] get on that shelf.
When you go on, on your app and you start searching for stuff, there's a lot of people trying to get to the top
Yep.
Ross Cully: Of, uh, of your screen, find for space. And we, we help brands do that. And ultimately our goal is, is they typically have a goal to grow to a certain size or grow a certain percentage a year and, and we help 'em get there.
Cameron Clark: Yeah. And so for those brands, what's the expectation on, on how, when Just Harvest Group or just insert anyone here in the industry comes into play? What's the expectation on, Hey, you can expect growth by then or here, this is, here's the general, like, timeline for results or is, is there one, um, as
Ross Cully: soon as possible?
Yeah. Is there expectation?
Cameron Clark: Yeah.
Ross Cully: Yeah. So, uh, yeah, it varies a ton. Um, and so, you know, retail has evolved, uh, quite a bit since I got in the game 20 years ago. And so when you think about physical, uh, shelf space, uh, I mentioned the retailers we work with. You know, Walmart probably has the [00:15:00] most linear square feet, you know, to, to offer and, and carry an assortment.
Uh, whereas Costco and Sam's Club are limited SKUs. Mm. Mm-hmm. And so, boy, the, the, the items that they, that those club retailers put in their, their warehouses. They have to work. And so those lead times are longer, uh, because those are higher stakes, uh, decisions. Uh, on the other side of the spectrum, you know, the e-commerce retailers we work with, whether that's Amazon or Walmart marketplace, there's an endless aisle.
Yeah. So I, you can get your item online is, you know, tomorrow. Mm-hmm. Uh, so, but, uh, but yeah, you know, most of the retailers we work with obviously are, are, are, are pretty large companies. Um, plan a, plan their business about a year, six months in advance. Okay. And so, um, when we're working on things with our clients, typically we're working out, uh, thinking, you know, not just what's happening today, this week, this month, but what are we gonna be doing a [00:16:00] year from now?
Cameron Clark: Okay. Back to the very beginning, founding vision for the company. What, what that was like, and an office or, you know, employees, what did that look like?
Ross Cully: We didn't start with an office. Uh, so, and there wasn't really those third place, you know, Starbucks and, you know, WeWork and shared, shared office spaces back then.
So we started at our kitchen table, uh, and it was Kate and i's because we didn't have kids, um, and we, you know, very humble beginnings. I remember going to buy, um, you know, cell phones and laptops on a credit card. Yeah. And, uh, landing our first client. You know, huddled around one of those cell phones. Yes.
Uh, on a speaker phone. Yeah, for sure. Big high five. Uh, so yeah, we, we, we started, you know, very bootstrap, you know, entrepreneur and, uh, so, um, once we hired our first employee that was not a partner, we felt like, okay, if we can't really ask him to come to our house Yeah. To work. Uh, so it's time, uh, a solid [00:17:00] northwest Arkansas story.
Um, uh, basketball is gonna be a, a theme here. Uh, I played, played high school basketball against, uh. Carter Clark, uh, who's, uh, in the real estate market here in northwest Arkansas, and his office was behind Rick's Bakery in Fayetteville. Yeah. Yeah. And, uh, he, he and Brandon Long rented out their, their storage space to us.
Wow. So we, we came in day one and first we had to clean it out. It had a bunch of deer heads and, uh, boxes and, you know, we filled the dumpster, uh, getting it ready. But, um, it was, uh, it was a, a painted cinder block. Wall room with no windows. And so we nicknamed it in the locker room. It reminded us like a junior high locker room in the bathroom for the whole office.
This is a, you know, a real estate office that had probably, you know, 20 people working in it. The whole bathroom was in our space. So you had this awkwardness of, you know, your working and then a real estate agent walks in and the awkward like, Hey, [00:18:00] how's it going? It's good. And even more awkward when they come out.
Yeah. So,
Ross Cully: uh, so yeah, so office space was definitely humbling. Um. But, uh, we, uh, we ended up, you know, getting close to an office space in downtown Fayetteville. Um, when we started the business, it was gonna be a lifestyle business, you know, um, we were just hoping to, you know, support our families. Sure. You know, put food on the table.
And, uh, we found this kind of old converted house that was on the market, and it ended up that, um, we thought we were gonna get it. We, we wanted to wait till we got our first client before we took on that liability. We got it. We went to, to make an offer, and it was already under contract and we were so deflated.
And, uh, remember we went to the, the listing Real Estate agent's, uh, office, which was another old house in downtown Fayetteville. And, uh, just to confirm, you know, the design, it's definitely gone. Yeah. That was gone. They're like, yep, it's [00:19:00] gone. Like dang. And, uh, we, we were, we were looking around, we're like, and this is, this is what we're picturing, you know, as we were walking around their office and they're like, well, we're actually moving out.
And, uh, we're moving to a more modern space. So we're actually planning to leave all this furniture. Okay. So we got a deal done to move into their space on West Avenue, just down from, uh, Walton Art Center. And, uh, uh, it was the most weird office situation coming from, uh, corporate America. Yeah. Because I could walk to my office.
It was an old historic house. I had a mahogany desk with a fireplace in my office. Yeah, yeah, yeah. And, uh, no one cared what you wore. Yeah. Shorts and flip flops. Yeah. Uh, it was, it was a, it disorienting time, but, uh, but, but a lot of fond memories down there. And then, uh, one of my partners wisely, uh, you know.
Observed as we were driving, uh, from Fayetteville to x and [00:20:00] a to pick up our clients, driving back to Fayetteville, to our office, driving up to Bentonville for Walmart meetings, back to Fayetteville to meet in our office, that if we were gonna start this business. And had no, no thought of where we personally live.
Where would you put it? Where would we put it? Mm-hmm. And, uh, and so we, we began our commutes, you know, from Fayetteville to Rogers. And so, uh, jumped in, uh, to the World Trade Center building up here in Rogers. Uh, miss Hunt's been, I. A great landlord for us. Um, and we've been able to grow with her through the years.
When was that? Give us kind of timeline. Was that
Cameron Clark: year in three years in five? Yeah.
Ross Cully: Uh, let's see. We, I think we moved up to Rogers, uh, probably four years in.
Nick Beyer: Okay.
Ross Cully: Uh,
Nick Beyer: 2010 ish. Yeah. Okay. Yeah. And at that time, were there already a bunch of offices here in the industry or were, were y'all like ahead of that curve?
There was
Ross Cully: definitely supplier offices up here. Okay. Um, but you know, as I, as I look out the window here at [00:21:00] Topgolf and the amp there, there wasn't as much going on. Right. For sure. Um, uh, bass Pro, like there, there's a bunch of stuff going on now. Uh, here. Traffic's a little bit heavier than when we first came
Cameron Clark: up.
Yeah. And, and was there a moment, was it when you put the office up here, when it, when you used the word lifestyle business, like, Hey, it's, you know, just gonna support three of our families. We're gonna, we're. It's gonna be great. When did it feel like something much bigger than that?
Ross Cully: When we started to hire really talented people.
Hmm.
Ross Cully: And we got a few years in and we, we began to look out and say, gosh, if we're gonna retain these talented people, they're gonna want to have a career. Yeah. And so growing the business, you know, was less about what does that mean for us? And it, it became more about the culture that we were trying to build and the people that were within it.
And then, um, the marketplace, you know, we, the snowball eventually as you do a good job, you know, hopefully as, as a, as a business, it [00:22:00] begins to run downhill. Mm-hmm.
Yeah.
Ross Cully: Uh, roll downhill. And, and, and so just the word of mouth that we started to get an inbound of new business. Um, it, it, it kind of took off, uh, and, and really kind of took on a life of its own in terms of the growth of the business.
Nick Beyer: And that's just clients talking to other clients, small companies, talking to other small companies saying, Hey, we've had a ton of success with Harvest Group.
Ross Cully: Yes. When we entered our space 20 years ago, there was a lot of dissatisfaction and well, well-earned negative stereotypes for service providers to small brands.
Mm-hmm.
Ross Cully: Um, some of those stereotypes were, you know, you have a bunch of. Non-value added middleman. Yeah. Uh, middleman in, in the, in the space. Uh, over promise, under deliver. Yeah. Mile wide, inch deep. Not the sharpest, sharpest knives in the drawer, uh, working, you know, in this, uh, uh, agency brokerage space. And, and a lot of those were well earned, uh, for, for what was going on at the time.
Um, you know, retail 20 years ago, there's just, there was a ton of growth [00:23:00] going on and a lot of that growth was happening with the largest brands and the largest manufacturers. So when you think about the consumer today, the consumer's much more interested in new innovation, healthy, local, small, you know, and, and 20 years ago that wasn't the case.
You know, the consumers just buying those big familiar brands. And so, um, so when we, we entered, uh, the space there, it was, it was ripe for disruption. Mm-hmm. Uh, there's a lot of dissatisfaction and, and, and white space. And so we really wanted to come in and create something of depth, uh, that really.
Flipped all those stereotypes on, on, on its head. And so as we did that, and just like any business and you do a good job for somebody and, and people want to talk about it with others. Mm-hmm. And so, um, so yeah, so word of mouth was for sure, uh, how we grew the business in the
Nick Beyer: early days. Was it a talent gap you were solving as you came in, or was it, you know, my understanding is what whatever sales y'all do, there's some sort of fee associated with that.
That's how [00:24:00] your company sustains itself. Was the fee too small and at that time those companies just weren't able to do good business because there wasn't enough money to do it? Or was it a talent or just kind of what problem do you think you really saw? Yeah, it was
Ross Cully: multifaceted. Okay. For sure. So I think there was a bit of talent gap of the.
The employment brand, uh, the company reputations in this space were not something that the most talented people necessarily wanted to be associated with because of those negative stereotypes. Why did those exist? Probably some of it was economic, whether that's charging too little or honestly, uh, taking too much, too much profit.
Yeah. Mm-hmm. Uh, and so, um, you know, one of the differentiators for Harvest Group is our client to resource ratio is, is low compared to, to our industry. So the service level we offer is on a different level than most of our competitors. And, uh, and so that means less profit, but it means better service and better results.
And so our bet [00:25:00] is if we spend more time. Uh, on our clients and our retail partners business, if we're doing our job, we'll grow it more.
Mm-hmm.
Ross Cully: Uh, and so, uh, so I think there was an economic piece to what we were solving. I think another thing was just industry trends, like data analytics was really emerging in our space at the time, and, uh, and we really leaned into that as a competitive advantage and differentiator that I think some of the folks that were a legacy in our space, uh, didn't.
And, and so as we were able to attract young, smart talent and lean into that differentiator and create an economic model that, um, aligned our incentives with our clients, but also gave them the resources they need to make sure that we accomplish their goals, uh, the combination lock just kind
Nick Beyer: of clicked into place.
So it's, it seems like we're starting to kind of get more of that vision for you, at least in the, we'll call it first four years. And that vision was just to be better. Everybody else in the space by delivering the best product for our client.
Ross Cully: Yeah.
Nick Beyer: Has that vision changed? [00:26:00] What is the vision of, of Harvest now?
Ross Cully: Yeah. No, it hasn't. You know, when, when you say that, I would say what you described is, is you're describing some of our values. And our values are, are largely unchanged. We've, we've, we've made one adjustment in 18, uh, 18 years, but our value of excellence is, uh, you know, we wanna deliver ever improving results, uh, with humility.
And so for, for us, we're always pushing for. Uh, what do our clients need and how can we, uh, deliver better service to them? And, and so that's, that's unchanged. Um, you know, our vision has changed. You know, for me, um, we spent a lot of time with, uh, with, with an icon here in northwest Arkansas. Don Soderquist, who is the, the Chief Operating Officer under Sam Walton, and known as the keeper of the culture, you know, in the, in the, the early, uh, days of Walmart.
Um, and he, he shared, uh, a lot with us at our founding about the importance of mission, vision, values. And so our mission statement really has not changed. That's why you exist. Why why'd [00:27:00] you leap out and start this place, a vision's where you're headed? And that has changed for us over the years because.
Um, at times we've, we've accomplished our vision in 18 years until we've needed to cast a new one. Mm-hmm. So, so today we're looking to transform our industry, uh, and in our industry, uh, uh, we're really straddling two industries, the media industry and the commerce, uh, industry. Uh, and we think it's still ripe for transformation.
There's, there's things in it that are broken, and that's one of my encouragement to, to entrepreneurs is just when you're launching a company, you're in an industry. It's like, really pay attention to things that are broken and can you make 'em beautiful? Uh, can you, can you turn 'em around? And if so, that'll be a differentiator.
Um, and then we wanna proactively ser serve our clients to help them accomplish their goals. That idea is not new, but it's in our vision. Uh, and we've really centered our business around. Uh, getting our clients to tell us what are their goals and make sure we hit 'em. And then lastly, we wanna enable flourishing in all that we do.
And so that's really our [00:28:00] promise to the community. We w we we operate in, um, to our employees, to our clients is, is we want Harvest Group to really bring good, uh, into the world. That's awesome.
Nick Beyer: So you're, you're starting to scale now. We're four or five years in. What does the employee dynamic look like at that point?
Are we talking 25 employees? Are we talking 30 employees when you kind of get into the space up here in Rogers?
Ross Cully: Yeah, I think about that time we were probably around 25, 30 when I'm, when I kind of imagine that physical office space is kind of how I'm trying to go back and, and think of that. So, yeah, you know, at that stage, um.
I found at every life stage there's some really sweet, nostalgic, like awesome parts to, to, uh, a company journey. And there's some parts that aren't that great and some, some of the, uh, the dangers of podcasts like this with entrepreneurs is you, you, we begin to craft a mythology that like everything is always awesome.
I mean, we were in survival mode. Mm-hmm. If you wanna like, [00:29:00] talk about the really reallys Yeah. Of, of a scaling young company where gosh, you know, the, um. At times going without a salary as an owner. Mm-hmm. You know, to hit payroll, having deep concentration in one client that's like, oh my gosh, if we lose that one client, like we we're gonna have layoffs.
Mm-hmm. Um, so you're in survival mode, but the sweet parts are definitely the, at that scale, the relationship, uh, and just the fun and the joy you have of getting to know each other and go through life. And, um, you know, kind of by definition when you're, when you're launching, you have a little bit more time on your hands.
Yeah. Mm-hmm. And so. Whether you, you take that time to, uh, ideate and build and innovate or connect relationally or have a little bit more balance to life. Those are some of the, the sweet, sweet times, um, in those, those early, you know, kind of building startup, uh, years. Um, but yeah, we've had pretty [00:30:00] consistent growth.
Uh, we had, we had, you know, kind of one season where we, uh, expanded our business, a a couple concentric circles out mm-hmm. And overextended beyond our core, and we ended up selling one of those businesses and shutting, shutting another down. Uh, but beyond that, we've had, we've had pretty consistent growth.
And, uh, when you think about hypergrowth, um, you know, that's kind of another, uh, undefined term in business, but loosely defined as companies that are growing 20 plus percent a year. So you're doubling every three years. That's kind of been the harvest group story. And uh, and so, um, as we went from startup, uh, to growth, uh, to now we're in, I would call the scale life stage of the, of a business, um, there's
Nick Beyer: good and bad to all those, those stages.
And so kind of at this point in the growth, we're still early on, five years is the partnership, do y'all have different gifts and y'all are deploying your [00:31:00] gifts differently or is it like you're all kind of huddling around one client working through this client or y'all kind of doing different things?
What did that look like back then?
Ross Cully: Yeah. In those first five years, one of our partners, uh, exited to, to really go do something he was excited about, which is which, which is to lead a brand, uh, in, in sales and marketing. And so, um, so yes, we had kind of that, that first, uh, four years where we, we had three partners and absolutely, you know, you're dividing, you're conquering.
Uh, I was. Uh, doing the back office, you know, accounting and finance. Uh, thankfully the statute of limitations, I think has run on on those years. Um, not that we are doing anything intentionally wrong, but uh, yeah, we, you do, you divide and you conquer and you, you get to live into those gifts and, uh, you know, you're running the business together.
Um, and, and there's a lot of joy in that, uh, that I have from those years. So, um, so yeah, so I think, you know, in the, once you get, we got past [00:32:00] that and we're in the like five to 10 year range, a lot of it's about talent, you know? And so, as I mentioned, we, we, we had some good inbound interest from, from brands.
And so then it becomes, man, as a service business, our people are our most important asset. Mm-hmm. And so can we recruit?
Yeah.
Ross Cully: Values, aligned talent that is really excellent at what they do, which was our goal. We weren't gonna compromise on either. We wanted people that deeply held it and, and lived up to our values.
And that we're dangerously good at their job. Hmm. And, uh, and so recruiting was huge and I, I think we, we hired a, a ahead of, of, of people and culture, HR probably earlier in the life cycle than a lot of companies do. I think it's, it's more trendy today to really outsource that kind of view that as a back office, you know, kind of expense.
For us it was a strategic move to, to hire somebody into that, that space. And, and we've, in our history had three amazing leaders, you know, in that role that, that I can look back and [00:33:00] see played pivotal roles in, in
Cameron Clark: landing key talent.
Mm-hmm.
Cameron Clark: People leaving. How has that experience been for you? And is it, is that now like an exciting thing for you?
Or is it terrifying or what's the, I mean, there's just like a lot of different seasons you've gone through, you know, I know I've
Ross Cully: lived a lot Yeah. Uh, of entrepreneurial life. Um, it's been an evolution, uh, on people leaving in terms of how I feel about it, how I view it. And, and, um, I, I really have come to believe that, uh.
How people join and leave an organization is a, is an indication of, of cultural health. Mm-hmm. And, uh, and so, um, if if people can't join your company, well then you're probably a, a click. Um, I, I, I've heard it said, and, and if people can't leave your organization, well then you're probably a cult. Yeah. You know?
Yeah. Uh, and so for, for me, in the early days, I, and, and still I, there's a tinge when someone leaves your company that you, you take it [00:34:00] personally. Yeah. If you have high ownership mindset mm-hmm. You care about people. Um, and you, you truly have a vision for their career, and you truly believe that where you're headed as a company is a great.
Place and positive. It's hard, uh, to have people leave, but I, I've come to, um, you know, really embrace something that we talk about in our culture of, of holding people with an open hand and uh, and, and really celebrating them as a person on their personal journey. And, uh, and so, um, I've been in cultures where, you know, we look, we put a lot of time and talent into our workplace.
Yeah. And when we have a chapter that ends at that workplace. If that's not recognized, if that's not celebrated, even if, if, if we're not happy that they're leaving, like that's just kind of wrong in, in my opinion. And so we celebrate people. We, we let them, you know, kind of opt into what that looks like for them.
For some, it's like, Hey, let's go to lunch, you know, with my small team, uh, or go to [00:35:00] a happy hour and invite folks to drop by. I would say the more unique, uh, aspect of our departures that, that the brave souls opt into is what we call a roast and toast. And, uh, and so no way. Um, so yeah, so, you know, we'll, we'll gather and, uh, people, you know, it's an open mic so that that can be dangerous.
Uh, and people step up and, and usually it's a great combination of, of toasting, you know, the great work that they did, how they contribute to our culture, but, but also having a little fun and roasting them. So, I mean, that's real life right there. We, we have a few folks that joke that that tradition keeps them
Nick Beyer: at Harvest Group.
And so, I mean, I feel like for the last, we'll call it 10 minutes, we've been talking about culture and Yeah, we're, and that we're talking about early formation of harvest, so that, that was integral for you. It still is integral for you. And so I think now, you know, in the business world, culture is a sexy thing.
Mm-hmm.
Nick Beyer: Almost 18 years ago. I, I don't know that it was right. [00:36:00] I mean, you, you've got the quote, culture eat strategy for breakfast, but talk a little bit about your why behind that and talk about how it's sustained for the last 18 years as we'll call it the pinnacle of importance based on our conversation so far.
Yeah.
Ross Cully: I don't think that's an overstatement. You know, if, when I think about our company, it, I think it is. Pinnacle of, of importance when I, I meet with every new hire, um, you know, and we ask our, our team on a regular basis, uh, check in with them on how they're feeling about working at Harvest Group. In both instances, people and culture is, is the top thing of why people are here, why they've come, and why they stay.
Um, you know, my, my personal why is, uh, really tied to my faith. So I'm a, I'm a follower of Jesus. Um, I hope that in, uh, impacts who I am and how I operate in all spheres of life, including as a, as a business owner and in the marketplace. And, and so for me, you know, as I look at, at Jesus's teachings. Um, you know, there's [00:37:00] some, there's some lessons there that really have influenced how I want to build a culture at Harvest Group.
And so I, I see him as a person who is welcoming to all as a person who, um, was deeply excellent at his work that had the highest moral standards for integrity, that, um, embraced risk and was provocative at times and innovative and challenged the status quo. Um, who is, who's focused on long-term legacy, um, who saw people, made people feel like they belonged.
Um, and so when I look at, you know, just some of those, you know, for me, like core truce and principles, um, for who I'm person personally following and, and trying and aspiring to be more like, uh, that's certainly been why, uh, I've, I've tried to, to craft our, our culture the way it is. And, and, and my, my take on that is that, that that's good news for everybody.
Mm-hmm. No
Ross Cully: matter where they are spiritually, how they would identify themselves. Uh, uh, as a person of faith, uh, or as a [00:38:00] person that's not of faith. And, and I think that, that, uh, that's one of the things that, um, that I've been proud of is just the culture that we've built is, is one that, um, has been received well, uh, uh, by a variety of folks, and we have a diverse workforce here at Harvest Group, that, that all would consider this place home.
Mm-hmm. And a good, a good place to work. So, um, you know, how has that been maintained through the years? You know, uh, as you go through different company life stages and sizes, certainly the founder has a key role in setting culture. Um, and so, uh. The traditions that we set, the, the things that we focus on, the things that we reward, uh, what I talk about, um, are all things that that impact culture in the early years.
Uh, and then as you grow and scale, uh, the culture becomes a bit more set. Um, and, uh, the founder I think takes a little bit, uh, less of a direct role. And it it really you that [00:39:00] baton gets passed to the rest of the organization. And so particularly in a hypergrowth organization where sometimes, you know, 50%, in some years, 50% of of, of our, our people have been here less than two years.
Their main experience and teacher of what is the culture of our company is, is not me. Mm. It's their team, it's their manager. Mm-hmm. And so, um, you know, you, there, there comes this shift where the culture is perpetuated by others. And, and I have been incredibly grateful that we've had. A lot of people that have stayed at Harvest Group for a, for a long time that have been able to, to share, you know, that responsibility, that joy of carrying that culture forward and, and perpetuating it and, and making sure that it stays consistent.
Um, for, for folks that are joining our organization today.
Hmm.
Ross Cully: It's
Nick Beyer: pretty inspiring. As you reflect on kind of those early years, were, were there any mistakes that you'd share? Right. I think we talked a little bit [00:40:00] about that earlier. You get on these podcasts and it's sexy, our business is doubling every three years.
But like, what were some of the mistakes that you look back on and you're like, man, I should have done this differently. I should have handled this differently. I, I wish I could had that back.
Ross Cully: Yeah. Uh, many, many. And yeah, I think, um, some of the ones that stick out in the early years are related to people I mentioned, like, people are a most important asset and, uh, I can think of, uh, of a, of a few instances where.
I don't think I'd matured in my management to a place to know when do you step in as a manager and, um, intervene versus be empowering and delegate. Uh, when do you, um, help somebody that needs help, um, but needs help from somebody, uh, outside of themselves. And so, uh, there were instances, you know, as a small business, you wear a lot of hats.
People are, um, you know, it's a lean [00:41:00] organization. And so I think there's a tendency towards overwork, uh, when you're scaling a business in that survival startup mode. And, uh, and there were instances where people ended up in burnout and, and, and in that overwork mode where they were not flourishing. And, uh, and I, I had over delegated and overpowered to, to trust, you know, people to kind of be their own regulator of that.
But, um. We, we typically hire people that are pretty driven and focused on excellence and service. And so, you know, that that issue still exists today. You know, where, when you have somebody who has a high ownership mindset working towards excellence, uh, as a manager, I think, uh, I made some mistakes early on of, of not stepping in to, to help, to set a boundary, to um, uh, you know, the, the analogy I've used in the past is, you know, if you have a great competitive pitcher, uh, that's, you know, needs to come out or they're gonna throw their arm out, um, [00:42:00] they're still pretty ticked off at the manager when it comes out after the ball.
And, uh, and those are the type of people I wanna work with. Yeah. Mm-hmm. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. That's amazing. But if the manager doesn't come out and grab the ball, they're gonna throw their arm out. Yeah. Because they, they have that kind of a, of a drive and, uh, and I hadn't learned that in the early days. So, uh, some of our cultural promise in my aspiration was not lived out.
In the early days because I had, I, I, I wasn't, I hadn't learned that lesson and hadn't, hadn't found the courage to do that with some of our early teammates. Um, I think, uh, again, when you're in that survival, you know, startup mode, financially, like every dollar matters, every client matters. And so we, there were some instances where we had clients that were not values aligned, they didn't treat our people well, and, uh, and, and I lacked the courage, um, to, to step in and.
And say like, Hey, like this has gotta change. We're not gonna work with [00:43:00] you. And so again, that impacted some people, um, in, in ways that their experience was not one of flourishing, you know, that relationship with some of those clients was not representative of the values that we said we were, we were gonna live by.
And, uh, it was, it was because, uh, we were in that financial survival mode. And again, as a leader, I didn't step in, you know, as fast as I, as I could have to, uh, to do that. You know, thankfully. One of the stories that, that we talk about in our culture. Um, in, in one instance we did step up as leaders and we had a, uh, our largest client at the time, uh, was not living up to our values and we ended up resigning them.
And, uh, and, and one of the lessons I mentioned Don Soderquist earlier that he, that he taught me is he said, Ross, your values are your values if you have stories to tell of when you've lived them out, and especially, uh, if they've cost you something.
Mm wow.
Ross Cully: And, uh, and so that decision to resign that client, um, resulted in, you know, owners not [00:44:00] getting paid for months.
Um. We normally had a, a yearend kind of, uh, offsite celebration where we'd go, you know, uh, to, to a fun place. And it was a form of reward and celebration. We ended up having a potluck at the office that year. And, and so that decision cost us something, but it did solidify, you know, for our culture, Hey, we are gonna be a place of integrity.
We're gonna do the right thing. Um, and I, I share that to celebrate, but as a leader, I also reflect, man, I should have done that earlier, uh, than we did. And so, um, so yeah, so those are some of the, the mistakes we made. I mentioned expanding beyond our core from a concentric circle standpoint. We got a little bit over our skis and a couple businesses, uh, in the, in the first, uh, five to seven years that, um, you know, as an entrepreneur, sometimes a visionary, you see opportunity and you, you can't help but chase it.
Yeah. Yeah. And, uh, you're a doer. Yeah. Yeah. So that's another probably area of, of mistakes that I've made.
Nick Beyer: Great. Let's kind of bring it up to [00:45:00] now, we'll, we'll say last three to five years at Harvest Group. Could you just kind of walk us through. The economics of the business, whether it's revenue or, or growth keggers or how many employees you have.
Just to kind of set the scene of like where Harvest is at now.
Ross Cully: Yeah. We're, we're a long way from the kitchen table with three people, so we're over 300 employees at this point. And when I think about the last three to five years, it's definitely been one of, of continued growth. Um, and so some of the things that have changed for us is we've expanded to work with more retailers, um, and, and we've expanded the services that we provide.
I mentioned how our industry has changed. And so, uh, uh, as my coach Steve Graves says, you know, you can't, can't manage the market, can't control the market, you gotta navigate it. Mm-hmm. And so the retail market has changed a ton. You know, we've gone from, you know, as I mentioned, uh, you know, 10 years ago, largely shopping in stores to, you know, now in some categories, you know, over a quarter.
Of the sales are happening online. Um, [00:46:00] uh, you have this convergence of media that's happening with commerce. Uh, you have remote work, uh, at hybrid work. Uh, that's, that's happened post COVID. And then in our space there's some consolidation happening both at the retailer level. There's a proposed merger with, with Kroger and Albertsons, which would create a new, you know, top three retailer in the us.
Uh, there's, there's, uh, consolidation in our space of, of service providers like us that are acquiring or being acquired. Um, you have, uh, really I would say the, uh, an advent, uh, of technology coming into our space over the last 10 to 15 years. And so we've had to evolve to, to really be a tech company, uh, that, that has a tech enabled service.
Uh. Um, and so if you're not, uh, in involved in building or using technology and providing a service in the space that I'm in, and then you're behind.
Mm-hmm.
Ross Cully: Um, and, and so when I think about [00:47:00] now, and certainly in the future, you, you throw an artificial intelligence on top of that. Mm-hmm. There's just a lot of changes.
And so I'd say the last three to five years have been us really trying to navigate all those shifts in our market to position ourselves to, to continue to be what we want to be, which is somebody who's transforming our industry, not just kind of along for the ride.
Hmm.
Nick Beyer: In in those growth keggers, is it still upwards of 20%?
Like is that still the growth you're seeing? I mean, and I know the last five years, it feels like, anecdotally Cameron and I were talking, it's like we know so many people who work here now.
Ross Cully: Yeah. We, we are continuing on that growth journey for sure. So, um, yeah, so for us, again, a lot of that is dictated by the inbound, you know, interests that we have in our, in our service and, and the work that we're doing for our clients to grow their business.
And, uh, if we're, we say if we're, if we're taking care of our existing clients. Uh, then, then the rest will kind of take care of itself. Mm-hmm. And so that's kind of been our, our, our growth journey for sure. And, uh, and so yeah, it's managing that growth is, is [00:48:00] it, it creates a different set of problems.
Mm-hmm. Um, and I'll take those problems over the opposite, but, uh, things start to break. Yeah. And so, you know, uh, uh, things that you put in place three years ago, all of a sudden don't work anymore. Or the way that you did that two years ago, all of a sudden that doesn't work anymore. Or, uh, you know, I mentioned hybrid and.
Hiring a lot of new people, as you mentioned. How do you integrate them into your culture? How do you train them? Um, and so, uh, we, we find ourselves, um, assuming that everybody knows this, uh, and half the people don't know this. Mm-hmm. Uh, and so systems and process and, and some of those things that you, you can use to your advantage to help do things at scale are becoming a much more, uh, important part of, of running the business.
Nick Beyer: And how has that impacted you? I know you touched on it a little bit earlier, your kind of transformation and your leadership journey. What does your role look like now [00:49:00] as an owner, as a CEO? How does it look different now than it did a few years ago?
Ross Cully: Yeah. It, it has changed and I think that's, that's another important, like entrepreneurial founder learning, uh, Bain Consulting is a great, uh, great content on this called founder's mentality.
But, um, as you scale a business, uh, the unscalable founder
yeah.
Ross Cully: Uh, can be a, a hindrance to a business. And so, um, oftentimes those of us that, that, that are founders of business, uh, we're, we're maybe the right people for those early stages, but then the business grows and scales and what the company needs from that leader has to change.
Mm-hmm. And, and some founders. Love the early stages of running a business. And so they exit and go back and do that again. Others try to evolve and change, you know, with the, those needs and, and others maybe don't make that change. And they're actually the hindrance mm-hmm. Yeah. To their business. And so I would say I've tried to be a student, uh, of that, um, reality and [00:50:00] change and evolve my leadership.
And so a lot of that goes, uh, uh, change. I would, I would describe as is really working through my team. And so, you know, certainly in the, in the early days, like founders, I. Fingerprints and hands are at everything. Mm-hmm. And, uh, from the delivery of the work to, as I mentioned, accounting and payroll. And so there's a, there's a lot going on, um, where you're directly involved.
And I think a big evolution is, is being willing to step out of that and empower and train a team. Uh, and so that's a big part, uh, of, of my job is, is making sure that, you know, as I work with our management team, that I'm pouring into them, I'm removing barriers. I'm getting them on the same page, I'm setting a clear vision.
We're wrestling through strategy that's clear so that they can go do their job. And, and, uh, and so there's, there's some mourning in that, some sadness, you know, um, when you, when you step away from work, you enjoy. Or that you think you are good at, uh, and [00:51:00] say like, ah, somebody, that's somebody else's job now.
Yeah.
Ross Cully: Um, but it's also incredibly, um, rewarding too when you see people step up and, and, and, and do the job. And, and if you're honest, do it better than you would've done it. Mm. Uh uh, so working through a team is a big part of what I do. Setting culture, um, you know, continuing to make sure that I understand that uh, my words matter and, and what I talk about and emphasize, um, does have an impact.
More of an impact than I maybe I want it to, to be. Uh, and then setting direction, setting resources, setting risk. Those are some of the things, you
Nick Beyer: know, that I'm focused on.
Hmm.
Nick Beyer: I think you did a good job of capturing, I thought it was really interesting. You're either a student, you are hindrance to the business or I.
You exit the business. Those kind of three, we'll call it, things evolve as a founder. And so I think you did a great job of sharing your why, but or your how. But could you tell us a little bit about your why? Like, something has to be driving you to [00:52:00] be a student to keep evolving, right? I mean, I think a lot of people looking in, it's like, if you have an exit opportunity, why not exit?
So what's the why behind that?
Ross Cully: Yeah. I do think that some people start a business and that's actually their end goal. Mm-hmm. You know, it's, it's a financial, uh, peak or a finish line, you know, to cross, to exit, uh, to exit a business. Um, for me that, that wasn't what I started the business focused on.
Obviously I've been in it 18 years. Most people that are after exits are, are a little bit shorter. Timeline. Yeah. Yeah. Uh, so, um, yeah, so part of the reward for me is, um, I think that work has an impact on all of us in terms of shaping our character, who we are. It's incredibly rewarding, you know, the relationships that we get to, to have.
And, and so for me, there's some reward, there's some value in being in the business and, and in the role that I'm in that, that's hard to, hard to quantify. [00:53:00] Um, at the same time, you know, for me, I play a team sport and though, you know, everybody at Harvest Group, uh, isn't on the cap table. For me, I, I take seriously the stewardship that I have of this place, um, and the clients that have entrusted their business to us.
And so for me, um, I think sometimes when I look at transactions and exits, um, I see a lot of brokenness, uh, to use that term. Uh, again, and, and so some of that is on the entrepreneur's shoulders. Some of that's on, you know, the purchaser and what happens afterwards. Um, but there can be a lot of shrapnel, you know, to those.
And so, um, and, and then, you know, the other thing for sure is for us is, is we, we have a compelling vision. And so, uh, you know, you, you got to have something in front of you that you're excited to, to go get. And, uh, for us, we just have so many more ways and places that we think we can serve our clients.
And, uh, when I think [00:54:00] about, you know, the number of people that, that are. At Harvest Group, hopefully at a place of work that's helping them flourish. Um, that's motivating to me that hopefully there's one more person, you know, that, that gets to work at a place that, that I think's a great place to work, uh, and, and, and hopefully remain so.
Cameron Clark: Well, you'd have to be an idiot to not think you'll have had so many opportunities to sell. Uh, I mean, I mean, yeah.
Nick Beyer: There's a real why behind it. You've talked a lot about your leadership team over the past five minutes, and, and that kind of seems to be where you're imparting a lot of trust and a lot of your time as you kind of reflect on the last few years, is, is have there been some big investments made there, whether it's financially or just headcount or even the amount of trust that you're placing in that, in them?
Is that, would you say, if you had to draw it on a board of key investments I've made in the last three years, is that one of them For sure.
Ross Cully: Yeah. What [00:55:00] you, what you find. As you scale a business is that each business has certain bottlenecks, you know, and so for some that bottleneck could be capital, you know, if it's a real capital intensive business, um, for others, you know, uh, it could be like a, a physical asset.
Like, uh, there's no, uh, undeveloped land here. Yeah. Uh, in, in my business, um, as we service clients with expertise and a, a tech enabled service, the people I. That help deliver that service are, are one of our biggest assets. And so, um, as you scale, um, you've got to expand your leadership, uh, as a company. And, uh, and that's a, that's another skillset, another, uh, thing to learn how to do.
And that has been a focus that we've been paying close attention to. Uh, because when you're in a hypergrowth kind of mode, as I [00:56:00] mentioned, you add people so quickly that you have to have somebody there that is guiding them, that knows. The culture that knows the service offering. And so if you're not investing in leadership, you can quickly get yourself in trouble.
Where you have new people leading new people, leading new people. Mm-hmm. And, uh, all of a sudden that experience, that customer client experience begins to erode and, and look and feel different then the brand promise. Mm-hmm. And, and the values that you've, uh, that you've held out in the marketplace. Um, so absolutely, and, and that's something that I take great joy in, uh, is, is that we're a place that, uh, people have a career, uh, path and opportunity to grow and responsibility and, and, uh.
Sharpening their leadership skills, uh, growing in, in financial oppor opportunities. And so, uh, as we've, as we've invested in those leaders, as we've [00:57:00] scaled, um, it's not easy, but it's important and necessary. Um, and it also is, is is a labor of joy.
Cameron Clark: Well, outside looking in, it's like a team of rock stars.
It's just, I mean, I mean, seriously, you pull up the website and it's like, wow, there's a ridiculous amount of experience on here. You know, talking about the, now one of the things I wanted to talk about is, it's cool on, uh, on LinkedIn. There's multiple clients of yours that like, talk really highly, talk really highly, highly about you.
I mean, Sean Riley with dude wipes, he's like, he's all over LinkedIn. He, I mean, and he's pumping Harvest Group. Harvest group and, uh, talks about northwest Arkansas and, uh. I mean, can you give a couple client stories? I mean, or talk about, I mean, he's pretty public on, on that end there. Not that you have to talk about revenue or anything like that, but just the journey of a brand.
Yeah. Sean's
Ross Cully: a great one. Yeah, we, we've got a lot of stories and, and they come in all shapes and sizes, so we, we have brands that are launching, like Dude and Sean's stories. We have brands that come to us [00:58:00] and they've maybe. They're in that hypergrowth mode and things are breaking and they need somebody to come in and help that has a bit more, uh, infrastructure to help keep them on their growth journey.
We have brands that come to us that, that maybe are looking to, to turn around the trajectory of the business. But yeah, Sean's a great one in that category of brand, of a brand that's launching. So yeah, if you're not familiar with dude wipes, um, it's a, it's a great business that, you know, uh, uh, sells wipes that can help you, uh, in the bathroom.
Mm-hmm. Uh, after the workout, uh, when you're out in the deer blind. Yeah. Uh, you know, a variety of usages. But, um, uh, a Shark Tank, uh, alum that Mark Cuban, uh, invested in and. When, uh, when we reached out to, uh, to Sean, um, uh, they were, you know, very, very small and had not made their way into, into big retail yet.
And so we were able to, to really help come alongside them, um, as, as they went on their journey. And so [00:59:00] now, you know, you can find them and, and, and all the major retailers, you know, that we work with. And so we've been able to, you know, to kind of service them and, and go with them on that journey. And, and, and so yeah, like in any business, you know, and we're a service business, so think of, you know, uh, a service that, that you are a customer of, be that, uh, uh, a restaurant, a hotel, your accountant, somebody who does something around your house when you have a great experience.
What do you do? You talk about it. Yeah. Go talk about it. And, and sometimes you can't help but like talk about it, you know, depending on your personality. We, I have a coworker here, uh, mark that man, when he gets excited about something, like he's, he's gonna be telling some people about it and, uh, and he won't stop.
And so you, uh, you've done, you've dove in. It's fine. We know. No, we know. We, yes. So, yeah. That's a benefit of our service is that when we do a great job for folks like, like Sean, um, sometimes they're, they're, they're generous and, and [01:00:00] gracious enough to, to tell people Yeah. About the experience
Nick Beyer: they've had.
Obviously the outcome's rewarding, right? Seeing them when you walk in all these stores, super rewarding. But how much of the journey is rewarding, right? Because I think everybody listening to this, we can see the outcome. We don't see the journey. So talk a little bit about that, especially on the client front.
Ross Cully: Yeah. Yeah. I think, I think that's a really important point that I haven't always had, right? In my entrepreneurial journey. I sometimes, uh, uh, certainly early on it was like, ah, I can't wait till we get here and, and life will be so much easier. The ride will be so much smoother when we get here. Mm-hmm. And, uh, and then I got there and you find like there's still turbulence there, there's still problems.
It's not perfect. Uh, and so, you know, kind of what I've learned that I mentioned earlier is, uh, a phrase we use in our culture of, of just taking joy in the journey.
Mm-hmm.
Ross Cully: And, and so, uh, boy, when it's hard and you're in survival mode and you're [01:01:00] grinding and you know, you're up late, like trying to figure out this presentation or this pricing, you know, uh, issue that you're working through.
Take joy, that like here, here we are in the trenches working hard. Um, and then when you get there and you get the distribution and there's, you know, this issue or that there's gonna be issues. Mm-hmm. Uh, but just taking joy and, uh, I think in life, one of the things that, that I've realized is, uh, comparisons the thief of joy and, and we always compare up.
Mm-hmm.
Ross Cully: We never compare down. And so something that I try to regularly do is, is, is remind myself to look back, uh, IE down, uh, and take gratitude. Uh, but, but not, not, uh, not lose the opportunity to find gratitude and joy no matter where I am, because there will have joy. It'll also have issues. Uh, and so don't [01:02:00] wait, you know, for the perfect time, uh, to reflect back with, with joy.
And so, yeah. Absolutely. The journey is. Is a big part of it, you know? And so, um, in my life I've really enjoyed, uh, um, hiking and, and, and mountaineering and, and, and climbing mountains and, and being on the peak is fun. Mm-hmm. Where you don't live on the peak, uh, you can't live on the peak and your time there is relative to the work it took to get there short.
And so, um, you know, some of that gratitude when you reach a, a goal is to look back and see, oh wow. Look how far we've come.
Mm.
Ross Cully: Um, and if you wait to celebrate, uh, then I think there's a missed opportunity there.
Mm.
Cameron Clark: One of the things we're asking every guest here is how do you define success? And Yeah. How do you find success, Ross?
Ross Cully: Yeah, it is, uh, something I, I'm reflecting on a lot right now, uh, as my wife and I, you know, enter new [01:03:00] seasons, uh, of, of our personal life with our family. But I, I think if I had to boil it down, I wanna. I wanna live a holistic life. And, uh, we talk about this as a leadership team of, um, sometimes in the pursuit of success.
And the people that are like really at the top of their game oftentimes sacrifice major parts of their life. So you, you know, you think about the extremes of, uh, people that are like just, you know, the greatest of all time and how disciplined they have to be and how focused and how much time they give to one area of life that oftentimes there's other areas that are underdeveloped and who they are.
Uh, the people that I respect the most and that I'm, I'm, I want to aspire to be are people that are that, that have a whole life, a holistic life. And so for me, success looks like, man, I, I want, uh, to do a phenomenal job at Harvest Group. I want to continue to grow. I want to do my work with excellence. Um, I want this place to be, uh, a place that does awesome work for [01:04:00] clients and, and has a phenomenal culture.
I also, in my, in my priority and, and in my values want to be an amazing husband and a great dad and somebody who's there for my friends and not my friends that are connected to my work, but my friends that have nothing to do with work. I wanna be involved in my church and my community. I wanna be somebody who's, um, generous, not just in writing a check, but with my, and.
I want to be somebody who is healthy mentally and physically. Uh, and so I think, um, I found that that's really hard. Mm-hmm. And, uh, and I've, I've learned to give myself some grace that, um, like a balloon, sometimes an area gets squeezed. Uh, and so there's some, there's some tension in that vision of success.
Uh, and, and something that we've talked about, [01:05:00] um, in our company recently is tensions. Sometimes we try to solve tensions and, and kind of get it right forever, but tensions, uh, I think it's Andy Stanley that says are to be managed and monitored. They're, they're gonna exist. Yeah. So the idea of it going away, that's the wrong vision.
It's, man, I need to monitor all those things. And if I've been traveling too much for work, like I, I need to reinvest at home. Um. And, and then it's, it, it's once you monitor and pay attention to stuff, then you can manage it into the, your vision of success. But yeah, that's how I described it for me.
Cameron Clark: Hmm.
Well, thank you so much for, you know, talking with us today. This has been amazing. I have so much respect for you. And Just Harvest Group is a, is a whole, it is an unbelievable company. And, um, you know, I think there's a whole lot we didn't even initially get to tap into. I mean, you, you have offices across the world, you know, and there there's, uh, y'all's reach is as [01:06:00] far and, uh, it's with the people.
I can see it. I can feel it. Mm-hmm. Um, kind of last question here for you. You know, this podcast is a Northwest Arkansas podcast. Yeah. Um, why Harvest Group in northwest Arkansas?
Ross Cully: Yeah. Well, first just wanna say thanks for the encouragement. Um, I, there's a lot of people, uh, that have created whatever, uh, positive character or or reputation Harvest Group has.
And so I'd have to recognize my wife who has. Been incredibly supportive and patient over the last 18 years, and I play a team sport. So past teammates, past partners, current teammates, there's a lot of people that, that are, are part of that, but thank you for that encouragement. Um, why in northwest Arkansas?
Uh, we started supporting Walmart and Sam's Club, which are our headquartered here. So, uh, as, as a lot of entrepreneurial businesses, um, uh, will, will recognize this area, um, has a couple big tint pole, uh, companies, no bigger than Walmart, um, that [01:07:00] have had an impact on this business and their ripple effects, you know, go far, far beyond their walls and, and we're an example of that.
Um, we're a, a healthy, you know, bootstrapped entrepreneurial local business. Um. Services them and, uh, their customers and, and, and their suppliers. And so that's why we're here. We're proud to be here, proud to be an Arkansas company, uh, and we find it to be, uh, an incredible place to live and to recruit people to live, uh, with an amazing talent pool.
Um, both folks that are in our industry and experienced as well as students coming out of local universities. Uh, and, and we believe that we couldn't be in a better place. Yeah. You know, to support the growth vision that we have in the future. So, um, thank you guys for, for shining a light on entrepreneurs here in the area, and, uh, there's a lot of great stories to be told.
Hmm. Yeah.
Nick Beyer: Well, thanks for coming on, Ross. I think as, [01:08:00] as we reflect on like some of the biggest things we heard you talk about through this past hour, it's values seem to be a common thread, and it's personally, that's where it starts your values, and then it has transcended into the values of the organization.
And as we think through leaders, we respect ones who don't waiver and who hold fast to their values seem to be the best leaders. And so hearing you talk about, I think you said one time in the last 18 years, y'all have changed your values. So there's, there's a clear avenue if, if something needed to change for it to change, but you have held fast to the things you find true.
And thank you for doing that. And it's, it's clearly made an impact on the culture here in, in our community in northwest Arkansas. So thank you for that. The second thing is people seem to be your biggest focus and have been from the inception, right? Whether we're talking partnerships, whether we're talking, um.
New employees that you've brought on, but just, [01:09:00] I just can't imagine this multiplication effect of, okay, we just brought on 20 employees, we're bringing on 20 more. And how hard that would be to manage. But that seems to be your biggest focus is caring for those employees, making them feel welcome, making them them feel valued, and making sure that this is the best place for them to thrive in the workplace.
And so thank you for doing that. And then the last piece is, um, you seem to have this sense of purpose about you, and I think it kind of goes back to that first piece of values and you, you, your values have clearly defined your purpose, but it kind of, hearing you say we, we talked about and exit a little bit and just things that, the why you've been here, why you've been so passionate about Harvest Group and there's this deep purpose that, and, and I wrote down work shapes.
Who you are and, and you believe that in, in some way. And so I just find that really, I think we find that really inspiring, that there's [01:10:00] a deep purpose in what we do. Um, and it's, it's to grow our character and hopefully that we grow the character of the people around us. And I think you've done a great job of modeling that.
So thank you for. For that, but, uh, Ross Coley Harvest Group, thanks for coming on. We're, we, were so honored by this time and, and learned so much, and I know that our listeners will too. So how can people find you or reach out?
Ross Cully: Yeah. Harvest group.com. Um, check us out there and, uh, yeah, appreciate your encouragement.
It's good accountability for me to keep going. Uh, those are some, uh, some big words to live it into, but entrepreneurship is a full contact sport and, uh, I think the biggest encouragement, you know, I have for myself and others is, is just to keep going.
Cameron Clark: Thank you for listening to this episode of NWA Founders, where we sit down with founders, owners and builders driving growth here in northwest Arkansas.
For recommendations are to connect with us, reach out at nwa, founders@gmail.com. Lastly, if you [01:11:00] enjoyed this episode, then please consider leaving a rating, a review, and sending it to someone who you think would benefit from it. We'll see you the next episode.