During my interview with Kari Block I met an entrepreneur who has built a profitable company by staying true to her values. About 50% of her employees have disabilities that would otherwise keep them from working- instead she's modified a plant to be accessible and sensible for her workers to be productive and happy. She's created a product and packaging that is sustainable, non-toxic, safe for the environment and solves a public health risk. She keeps her business plan simple- always to three pages- because everyone, from employee to distributor, has both input in the company, and should be able to clearly understand their mission and values. Kari Block has been recognized by Ernst & Young and the Small Business Administration. Now she is going for a Main Street Mission Grant to further public education about this important public health issue.

1. Kari Block
Founder, Inventor &
CEO of:
http://www.blogtalkradio.com/gailzahtz/2013/11/12
/mouse-leads-entrepreneur-mom-to-create-40million-sustainable-company
http://www.earth-kind.com/
http://demanddesign.net/

2. In my interview with Kari Block, founder of Earth Kind which makes
Fresh Cab Rodent Repellant, I was so inspired, that I took the pictures
sent to me, and instead of writing a post, put some of why I became a
fan of hers and the company into this slideshow…

3. The Interview
Click Below to listen
What I learned about Earth Kind
My Interview with Kari Block
• They hire 50% disabled
without taking tax credits
• They’ve made an accessible
manufacturing plant with
Kari’s own designs.
• They help save local farmers.
• She does this to help save the
environment and do the next
right thing!
• She’s built it from the
ground up by growing slow
and steady.
• Everyone employee and
“partner” distributor has a
voice.
• Their products take
naturally grown waste and
turn it into helping others
with both rodents and
public health and safety.

4. Why do I support voting for Earth Kind Fresh Cab for the Mission Main Street
Grant? Plans for the $250,000 are to educate the public in issues that affect
their health, safety and business. Vote at http://www.earth-kind.com/

5. VOTES
NEEDED
THIS WEEK!

6. The grant will go to help
with public education
from safe rodent
control to the dangers
to the public health of
rodents and more. So
inspiring…

9. Kari talks about the importance of using social media. Beyond
how many people use it, engagement is a part of how she
does business- employees, customers, distributor “partners”
are all listened to about new ideas.

10. Vote for Earth-Today and help reach 250 votes before Friday:
https://www.missionmainstreetgrants.com/business/detail/122082

11. While many people talk about sustainability- Kari’s driving force, what
motivated her through ten years of working towards the dream of
building the company, getting a college degree in her early 40’s with two
kids, and using her earnings from the farmer’s market sales to start
building Fresh Cab: being good to the earth. It’s been about passion,
patience and persistence for this:

12. Fresh Cab’s story started while Kari was
working at this cosmetic counter- the
perfume gave her a headache, which was
why she sprayed the mouse that climbed up
her leg while
she was on the farm
dating her to-be
Husband.

13. Kari’s scientist father showed them where “away” is- by taking a family trip to
the landfill. This left an impression for the rest of her life from making her own
shampoos to now creating and packaging Fresh Cab with the earth first.

14. Family First. Kari learned about the farm while staying with the
kids, then they went to the farmer’s market with her, and helped
assemble early Fresh Cabs from the kitchen table.

16. Even down to the packaging- Kari hasn’t wanted plastics that would
go back into hurting the environment, so she has had a say in the
design of every part of the packaging of the products.

17. Kari talked during our interview about how she made these beautiful natural
flowers and plants to make and sell organic potpourri. When she was a child
she started making her own shampoos to keep away from plastic bottles, then
during the ten years of building Fresh Cab in her mind, this is just one product
she sold at the farmer’s market.

18. The other framers she met
from the farmer’s market
were both her first buyers
and her constant market
research.
Rodents on farms has
been a problem foreverdoing damage and hurting
the crops and the
machinery.
She has stuck to her
original way of speaking
with people directly, and
keeping her customers
first.

19. Raising small children, and doing whatever needed to
make ends meets- Kari Block started as a true cottage
industry making and selling items at the Farmer’s Market.

20. Kari Block puts thought into the packaging, design and
the entire process of manufacturing to working with resellers so everyone shares the same values.
Kari Block’s Business Advise:
She keeps a business plan
that can be in three pages.
The business should be
simple, and everyone
should be able to
understand the values,
goals and plans in an easy
way.

21. Tip from Kari: Build the company at the rate that’s good
for you- don’t over-grow too fast, and include everyoneemployee to partner- in the process of having a voice.

23. The value that kept
Kari going for ten
years of dreaming,
educating herself, and
trying to get through
patents and EPA
approval was to be
good to the
environment.

24. 50% of their employees have a disability, and
might not otherwise have work- instead they
have a place where their voice matters.

25. Kari designed part of the plant herself, including having a say in
modifications in the line equipment so it could be used by
employees of all abilities.

26. Mimicry is flattery.
While Fresh Cab was the
first natural rodent
repellent, dozens have hit
the shelves since.
When talking about it, Kari
said she was excited- it
meant that more people
were realizing there is an
option to toxins, and that
more homes and farms will
be safe.

27. Always learning.
Always engaging
everyone.
Always trying to do
better.

28. Kari has helped other small businesses get started in North
Dakota. She also has kept small family farms in business in the
Mid-West by buying from local farmers, and signing contacts a
year in advance so the farmers would know their crops would be
sold ahead and how much to plant and harvest.

29. She started with help from her local SBA- Small Business Administrationand then won one of the top Small Businesses of the year nationally.

30. She’s been marketing and educating all along. The grant
education would be a continuation of her goals of letting more
people know about the dangers of rodents, toxic pesticides and
options that consumers now have to keep a significant public
health danger away.

31. Kari regularly talks with
other entrepreneurs
giving help and advise on
how she’s built her
company.
One tip- don’t let others
push you to grow too fast,
listen to your own
company needs and grow
accordingly.

48. Kari talks about the importance of women mentoring other women.

49. During the interview, Kari Block went over major hurdles that women
have in growing larger (over the $1 million in sales) company. By
speaking with other women, she works at helping others.

51. Kari was selected as one
of the top ten women
entrepreneur’s by Ernst
and Young.
During our interview she
talked about the
importance of women
mentoring other women
to help them grow.

58. Vote for Earth-Today and help us reach 250 votes before Friday:
https://www.missionmainstreetgrants.com/business/detail/122082
And this is why I was inspired to spread the message to help others vote for
Fresh Cab for the Chase Mission Main Street Grants- I wasn’t paid – I was
inspired. – Gail Zahtz www.blogtalkradio.com/gailzahtz