Crafting Stories That Connect: How to Tell Your Audience a Story They Won’t Forget with Justine Reichman of NextGen Purpose
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Justine Reichman, founder of NextGen Purpose, has entrepreneurship in her DNA. And today, she’s here to chat about those roots and how they cross over with her love of food and cooking.
In this episode, Justine explains how NextGen Purpose is helping CPG and food startups craft authentic stories that resonate with their target audience. She shares her best advice on building sustainable businesses and also discusses the power of storytelling and how true connection can propel your business forward.
For anyone building a food brand and looking to learn from the best, this episode is packed with actionable insights and inspiration. Let's dive in!
Subscribe to the Food Means Business Podcast with Hudson Kitchen founder Djenaba Johnson-Jones to hear the personal stories and “secret ingredients” of abandoning your day job and starting a CPG food business.
In this episode, you’ll learn...
[00:50] The entrepreneurial streak that runs in Justine’s family and her interest in food and cooking
[03:34] How NextGen helps CPG and food startups tell their stories to wider audiences
[05:28] Justine’s advice for building sustainable businesses
[09:38] Why you need to dive deeper when telling the story of your business
[12:34] How you can truly connect –not just meet– the people who can help propel you forward
[15:53] How you can work with Justine and NextGen
If you want to hear how to craft incredible brand stories, be sure to tune into this episode:
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About Justine Reichman
Justine is the Founder and CEO of NextGen Purpose & the Host and Executive Producer of the Essential Ingredients podcast, which aims to inspire and educate foodies everywhere. It’s all about boosting driven, forward-thinking folks & initiatives in the regenerative food scene. Being an entrepreneur helps Justine understand the motivations and struggles of the founders, innovators, and impact investors she teams up with every day. She has become recognized as a leading voice in raising awareness about sustainability, regenerative practices, and the importance of global education surrounding better-for-you food. Justine strongly believes that EATING right is a HUMAN right, which is why she works to make better-for-you-food more accessible for all."
Connect with Justine Reichman:
Visit the NextGen Purpose website
Listen to the Essential Ingredients podcast
Follow NextGen Purpose on Instagram
Connect with NextGen Purpose on LinkedIn
Stay Connected with Djenaba Johnson-Jones:
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[00:00:00] Djenaba: You are listening to the Food Means Business Podcast, which features the personal stories and secret ingredients behind what it's like to abandon your day job to start a CPG food and beverage business. I'm Djenaba Johnson Jones, former marketing executive turned entrepreneur and founder of food business incubator Hudson Kitchen.
[00:00:20] Join our community of fellow food business owners and subject matter experts. First to learn and laugh with us as we explore a startup world. That's a little more culinary and a lot less corporate these days. Hey, Justine, welcome to the food means business podcast. I'm so happy you're here. Me too. Thanks so much for having me.
[00:00:38] Absolutely. So before we jump into everything that you do, I'd love to hear about you. This podcast is all about going from, you know, kind of working for someone else to becoming a CEO, so I'd love to hear a little about your story.
[00:00:50] Justine: Okay. So for years I worked for somebody else, but it also feels like for years I've been an entrepreneur.
[00:00:56] So that being said, you know, a hundred years ago, I [00:01:00] guess I'm aging myself. They're probably a little bit ambitious, but that being said, I worked in advertising and PR and promotions in New York city where I'm from. I worked at KBP. We like closed down streets to get the mini to come in. Like lots of really fun.
[00:01:13] Fun things, a lot of coordination and production with that, but equally a lot of PR and writing and communications. Later on, worked in a consultancy and, um, then for years worked for my mom who had a financial services business because she too was an entrepreneur and she actually built the similar company to my grandfather.
[00:01:34] They both located lost heirs and dormant shareholders. So as long as I could remember, My mom started her business at the dining room table in New York City with the Yellow Pages trying to find people to reunite them with their lost heirs, lost money, which now we can go and find ourselves online. So I share that with you because my mom is an entrepreneur.
[00:01:56] As well as my dad who takes companies public [00:02:00] and, and is always looking for new adventures there. So I feel like it's part of my DNA. I'm not really great at working for people. It doesn't drive me the same way my own business does. I can work all day, all night on my own. When I'm working for somebody else, I get very tired midday, something about it that doesn't work for me.
[00:02:20] So, you know, I, I actually ran a gaming company for 10 years, eight years, which I found exhausting because it did not really, while it was a great business to run and it was a lifestyle business in many ways, gave me money, gave me flexibility, did all those things. It didn't really feed the soul. So and I often felt bad about that.
[00:02:41] So. When I sold that company, I went back to school to be an acupuncturist in New York City. I didn't really want to be an acupuncturist. I think I was just looking to, you know, do something, take a reprieve for respite. And then was out here in California and we moved to Mexico City for two [00:03:00] years. And a common theme throughout my life has been food.
[00:03:04] And a common theme has been eating better for you food, like organic. My mom was an early adopter and I've watched her, you know, share with me those values as well as share with me how she built her company. So I think those things came to play and I started my business Next Gen Chef at that time.
[00:03:24] Actually, in Mexico City, it was Global Arts for Humanity, which turned to Next Gen Chef. Now, next gen purpose. So tell
[00:03:32] Djenaba: us what next gen purpose is.
[00:03:34] Justine: So next gen purpose is a platform that creates media for those founders looking to share their journey, as well as offers a podcast and other media to really give people access to insights and stories to inspire and support those on their journey, because many times it's so intimidating.
[00:03:58] Right. You see all these people [00:04:00] building these businesses and somehow they seem to happen overnight, but they really don't happen overnight. I mean, even though I thought only happened overnight because all of a sudden it was in the, you know, the baristas were using it, it was on the shelves that took like eight or nine years.
[00:04:14] Worse. I really wanted to create a platform where people could share those stories, their journeys, what worked, what didn't to inspire them and support them. On that path. So that's what the podcast does. We create content and, uh, trailers and all sorts of things for people in this space. So that's, that's really what we do.
[00:04:37] We're working actually on a, we just finished a sizzle reel for a docuseries as well.
[00:04:42] Djenaba: That's amazing. So I did have a chance to listen to a couple episodes of your podcast when I was doing research. And obviously you've spoken with hundreds or maybe thousands of entrepreneurs. Can you give us like, let's, what's like, um, I guess a theme, like you, you touched on like kind of, um, it being, you know, cause someone, uh, [00:05:00] intimidating.
[00:05:00] Cause it, from the outside, it looks like everyone has it all together and things happen overnight when we know that it really doesn't. So like, what are some, like on some, like some broad themes that you've seen in talking to all these entrepreneurs?
[00:05:11] Justine: So some broad themes that I've seen is that people are, they're drawing on their passion.
[00:05:18] They're drawing on a void that they see in the markets and they want to create change. They're looking to create change.
[00:05:28] Djenaba: Yeah. I think that, that makes sense. My guess. You know, for us, it's changed through food, right? Yes. So what's some, I guess, advice that you have for, for these entrepreneurs and like trying to run a sustainable business?
[00:05:43] Justine: So I think that when people are building sustainable businesses, it's not just about what they're delivering. It's about everything that goes into it. And since we're focused on food here for the moment, right? If you think about a CPG product, you can create a sustainable [00:06:00] food, it can be regenerative. But if you think about the package, you have to think about the packaging as well, because that's part of the puzzle.
[00:06:07] And I feel that many times that gets put aside for the moment because people feel that they can't do everything. And I understand that I do because we can't all make all the changes at once. And we have to respect those changes and feel successful in what we're doing. Cause you got to start somewhere, but I think that's the goal that you want to keep in mind that you're not finished there, that you want to look at the supply chain.
[00:06:32] You want to look at what you're using. You want to look at how you're building. You want to look at all the different components that go into it and not expect to get it done as a first shot, but keep that for progress,
[00:06:45] Djenaba: right? Yeah, that makes total sense. I think. There's this need to kind of just rush and do everything at once and kind of realizing it's really an iterative process to get there because your product is going to change somewhat based on like you [00:07:00] scaling it up to be able to, you know, mass produce it.
[00:07:03] And I get in the packaging changes as well. Everything changes about it. So that makes, that makes total sense.
[00:07:08] Justine: Also, the other thing that plays a role is budget, right? Some people take money, some people don't take money. And depending on your budget, you have to be scrappy, you know, and that leads you to be strategic as you get more successful and you can better plan.
[00:07:23] But I think the first, the first point of reference is budget. Be scrappy. And as you grow and able, you know, allow yourself to investigate other things so that you can be strategic about it.
[00:07:34] Djenaba: That makes total sense. So we had talked before about a little bit about your background and I'm just wondering, like how I work with a lot of entrepreneurs that have come from a corporate background and they are now in the, in have a food business, but there's something that they've never, ever done before.
[00:07:51] Like, how did your. Past experiences, watching your mom and your, and your, your dad be entrepreneurs, working with your mom's business, having other businesses and working, you [00:08:00] know, in corporate America, how did that inform kind of what you do? So there's this thought that you have to know all the things when you start a business and you really don't, can you just talk a little bit about like your, like how'd you get there through experience?
[00:08:12] Justine: In my opinion, you really, I mean, honestly, half the people that are doing these things don't really know until they're on the job. The best way to learn is to be on, it's on the job training, not to say that MBA and all those things aren't useful. Every job is going to be unique. Every role is going to be unique.
[00:08:30] That being said, the structure that I learned by working in a larger corporate environment, I think really helped me to be able to build systems with, you know, internally. And. Um, allow, empower my team to be able to have those systems because I was able to put them in place and use them to be successful, to track, to see what's going on, follow up, all those things.
[00:08:55] Because so many times we're just writing on scrap papers and we're doing things and we're like, [00:09:00] there's so much in my head. How can I possibly remember that? Yes. Yes. Yes. No, I think that, you know, that time in corporate America working with my mother, she always says surround yourself with the experts and people that know more than you do in all those other areas.
[00:09:15] And I really believe in that because we don't, I don't know everything. And the reason I can do what I do is because I have people to help me. And then I bring in those experts to be able to execute some of the things that are not my skillset. So I think it's really important to recognize your skillset.
[00:09:32] My skillset is connecting people, storytelling, sharing those stories with other, and giving people the platform.
[00:09:38] Djenaba: Yeah, that, that makes total sense. So talk about storytelling a little bit, given that that is, you know, that is your strength, what are some, I guess, tips that you can give to entrepreneurs about telling their story?
[00:09:49] Cause a lot of times people are like, they want to have this like, I don't know, crazy, fantastic story. But sometimes the story is really quite simple. I saw a need and I created a product [00:10:00] about it. So I'm just wondering, like, how do you make people feel good? I had a client once that like, they're like, our story is boring.
[00:10:04] I don't want to talk about it. And I'm like, it's your story.
[00:10:07] Justine: Sometimes you got to dig a little deeper. I mean, I didn't realize it initially, but my interest in food and healthy food came because I was always nauseous as a kid, like every time I'd eat, I get nauseous and my mom's like. You shouldn't eat dairy.
[00:10:24] You shouldn't eat this. And, you know, later on, I went to go get a check and I'm intolerant to all those things. And here I am building a business so that people can make more informed choices and both build businesses, but also use the information from these stories. to help guide them. And so when I think back and I look back and I was like, you know, that you don't feel well when you eat this, so stop eating it, you know?
[00:10:48] And now I look at where I am today and I'm like, here I am helping other people do that. Whether it's to inspire new products. Or whether it's just to inspire the, you know, the person in the [00:11:00] household buying the food to make a better choice. So I think as to your question, I think people just, it's about digging deeper.
[00:11:08] It's about looking at those nuances throughout your childhood, your life that maybe helped shape you because it comes from somewhere.
[00:11:17] Djenaba: Right. That's so true. I didn't think about it. I didn't think about it in that way for sure. It just seems like, I think we look at other people's stories and you're like, that's so amazing.
[00:11:27] My story is boring. My story is boring. But at the same time, like, it's still your story. And I think that you just gotta own it, right?
[00:11:33] Justine: I definitely think so, and I also think that by sharing that, people can also latch on to that. They're going to be like, you know what? Or they maybe read, they'll sort of create a new narrative in their head around it.
[00:11:47] Like maybe they thought it was just because they happened to see something, but then realize that their, their whole life, this has been a common theme. I realized it because the one company I didn't mention, I started when [00:12:00] I was working for my mom was like a little side business and it was called career change network and it was all about connecting people to make change and find new roles that connected what they were interested in was what their skills are.
[00:12:12] And then if you look at next gen purpose, it was all about connecting people, building better food businesses with suppliers, with other folks to make more informed change. The common theme there is that I'm connecting people took me a little while to figure that one out. I was like, wow, I just built the same company for different idea 20
[00:12:33] Djenaba: years
[00:12:33] Justine: later.
[00:12:34] Djenaba: Right, right. Because that's you, because that's your thing. That's what kind of, what makes you stand out, what makes you shine. Exactly. We talked about making connections. So can you give us, I guess, some examples of how you, you know, been able to connect people and kind of what the outcome was from that?
[00:12:48] Justine: Okay. So being completely authentic and transparent here, you can meet somebody online to get groceries. I'm not kidding. Okay. You can meet somebody at the emergency vets, you [00:13:00] know? So, and as you know, one of the, my team members says, Justine can network anywhere she goes, but in an authentic way, and maybe it's because, you know, I love what I do and I really believe it.
[00:13:13] And I'm always looking for new and interesting stories, but. I believe that you can always, if you're open to it, and I don't mean that in a cheesy way, but if you're open to having conversations and connecting, which I feel is like a very New York thing and not so much here in San Francisco. I just think it's a different culture that connecting with people in an authentic way, you get to network.
[00:13:38] And then you can also do it More targeted, of course, by going to events and all sorts of things, but I think that part of it is building rapport. So when I think about establishing connection, whether it's resurfacing a conversation and sending an email through LinkedIn, it's not forgetting those subtleties of saying, Hey, it was so great to meet you at the [00:14:00] wherever it is.
[00:14:00] It could be, you know, South street Seaport, just for example. Okay. So great meeting you there. I hope you had a great time. Next time you're there, make sure to check out this place. And I'd love to resurface this conversation because I know you mentioned blah, blah, blah, X, Y, Z. So I think that that's really good.
[00:14:15] And even when you're reaching out on LinkedIn, it's not to forget those, those friendly salutations and to establish and let people know, Hey, listen, I'm really interested in you, not just what you can do for me, but just, I'm interested to learn more. It's not, it's important to be. Both interesting and interested.
[00:14:35] Djenaba: That is very true. Like you mentioned LinkedIn and like, I'm sure you do get as much as I do, like just all these solicitations and like. If they had taken like five minutes to read my profile or go to the website, like you would know that this is not the right,
[00:14:49] it's
[00:14:50] Djenaba: not the right fit. Right. Or it's not the, or to, to develop that rapport and to figure out kind of what's interesting to me.
[00:14:56] Only one time have I responded back to [00:15:00] someone because they actually. Understood what I did.
[00:15:03] Justine: Well, I find it a problem. Also, I don't know if you get this when people want to give you podcast guests. Oh yeah. I mean, they're like, Oh, well, you know, we talk about sales and we have a book and million dollars.
[00:15:14] And I'm like, I'm not sure. I just wanted to be curious how you saw that fits into the podcast.
[00:15:20] Right.
[00:15:20] Justine: Somebody will be like, Oh, I'm a fashion, blah, blah, blah. I'm like, I like fashion too. But. Not the conversation. So I think really being, knowing who you're reaching out to calling out to it, recognizing big wins that they've had and sort of why you feel like it's interesting for them to talk to you and connect is really important, but I think it really needs to be tailored and I think it needs to be specific.
[00:15:46] It doesn't need to be long.
[00:15:48] Right.
[00:15:48] Justine: Nobody wants to read anything that long, to be honest. Short and sweet.
[00:15:53] Djenaba: Talk a little bit about like, uh, I know you have the podcast, but the other services that you provide, I'd love to understand like the types of clients that you [00:16:00] work with and how those listening can work with you.
[00:16:03] Justine: So we work with other people building better for you food businesses, whether it's CPG, whether it's organizations, uh, doing research. To help them create series like video series. So similar to like the podcast, but in a way that it's an interview style of conversation, and it allows them to share their story in a really fun and educational informational, but.
[00:16:28] Interesting way. So we help them create that. We help get those guests for them because you know, we're connected in this space and it allows us to be able to tap into that for them. So we create those kinds of series for people from getting the guests to creating, you know, the storyline. We're not creating the storyline.
[00:16:46] We're taking their storyline and we're helping for them to bring it to life through these conversations. So we do that. And then we also do some little. Shorts for people, like if they want to do like about [00:17:00] themselves or about that in an interesting, different kind of way. And then we have a different arm of Next Gen Purpose, which is NGP Studio.
[00:17:09] And that is what we just did was we just created a sizzle reel all about the pursuit of a cure. And to connect it for you between Next Gen Purpose, Essential Ingredients, and NGP Studio, What is the, uh, connection there is food and so while food can't cure everything, we wanted to really talk about the role it plays as well as all the other things that people are trying to investigate because we're all in pursuit of a cure for something, whether it's aging, ALS, cancer, learning how to walk again, learning how to speak again.
[00:17:48] Parkinson's. So many things. What role does food play and what role do other things play? And sort of connecting those dots for people to share those stories, what's worked, what hasn't worked and [00:18:00] rooting it in science so that while it's hopeful, it's not sensationalized. It's not sending people on this wild goose chase to Mexico to go get their tumor imploded because what does that mean actually?
[00:18:11] Right? So we have a three minute trailer that we did that we're now trying Uh, find an agent or somebody that can shop it around so that we can take that to a streaming or network and get them to put this series out. And then we can film more episodes with more guests, sharing more stories and inspiring and connecting with other people.
[00:18:34] Djenaba: That's amazing. So we'll be sure to link that up in the show notes. So, because maybe there's someone listening that can help you out.
[00:18:39] Justine: We have one on our website. That's the one minute one. If you want the three minute one, you can just, you know, ping us and we'll give that to you. Sounds
[00:18:47] Djenaba: good. So what do you love most about being a, I call you a food entrepreneur, like what do you do?
[00:18:53] Like what, what you do, what do you love most? I
[00:18:55] Justine: love connecting with people. I love learning about new things. I love learning about new [00:19:00] things and then integrating them into my life. And I love sharing information so that people have an easier time doing what they're doing so that they can be more successful.
[00:19:09] Djenaba: Yeah, I love that too. I think that I actually find that a lot of fun. It's like very gratifying, rewarding to me to be able to give somebody a piece of information that they did not have, that they are able to take action on.
[00:19:20] Justine: Exactly. And vetted information. So, we build trust. You and I both have built trust with our communities.
[00:19:26] So people come to us and they know that they can trust the recommendations and the guidance. You know where we're sending them.
[00:19:34] Djenaba: Yes, for sure. For sure.
[00:19:41] So at Hudson kitchen, we have what we call a money bell that we ring when we're celebrating something. So wondering what are you celebrating?
[00:19:47] Justine: So with this week, we're celebrating over a million downloads. Congratulations.
[00:19:57] I love that. Congratulations. [00:20:00] Thank you. Thank you. It was super exciting.
[00:20:03] Djenaba: Yay, that's so great. Justine, thank you so much for being here. Let us know where we can find you and all about Next Gen Purpose.
[00:20:10] Justine: So we have a website, nextgenpurpose. com and from there you can learn more about the trailer, you can learn more about the Essential Ingredients podcasts, and there's all stuff about Next me, the company and what we do.
[00:20:24] So we'd love to hear from you. We'd love to work with you and we'd love to hear what you're working on so that we can help share that with the world. Thank you so much. Thank you.
[00:20:36] Djenaba: The food means business podcast was produced by Hudson kitchen. It is recorded at the studio at Kearney point and mixed and edited by wild home podcasting.
[00:20:43] Our theme song is by Damien to Sandy's and I'm your host Djenaba Johnson Jones. Follow Hudson kitchen on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, At the Hudson kitchen. And to get food business bites right in your inbox, sign up for our newsletter at the Hudson kitchen. com forward slash newsletter, listen, [00:21:00] follow, and leave a review on Apple podcast, Spotify, or wherever you get podcasts until next time.