Science Makes Green Compass Credible; Innovation Makes Them Better.
Founded | 2019
Headquarters | Wilmington, NC
Top Executives:
Meredith Cook, Founder
Sterling Cook, CEO
Product Category | CBD
Green Compass’s story is one of conviction and hope for healing. After the birth of her second son, Founder Meredith Cook just wasn’t herself—mentally or physically. Her brother, Brooks, had researched CBD for athletic recovery and recommended she try it. She felt a bit better, but desired a “clean” product she could really trust. She wanted transparency and consistency, too.
In stepped her husband, Sterling Cook, now Green Compass CEO. A career working with organic commercial farms and production led him to choose long-time family friends and agriculture pioneers in a North Carolina hemp pilot program, Adam and George Wooten, as partners. Together, they would cultivate the quality product Meredith had searched for. Three years later, that product is now changing the lives of tens of thousands through a hemp-based wellness social selling company called Green Compass.
“The thing that I never expected while on the pursuit of my goals was the community of dedicated people we would meet along the way. Every single person on this journey has inspired me to dream bigger. Our products make a difference. We are making a difference,” Meredith said.
The Power of the Products
The major and minor cannabinoids that power each of Green Compass’s hemp products target overall balance and restorative wellness. But it took them a few years, several acres and a whole community to create a 100 percent USDA-certified organic CBD that’s traceable from seed to bottle. Stringent, independent third-party lab testing ensures efficacy and safety, and every product is backed by a no-risk, 30-day money-back guarantee.
The company points to hemp’s potential as an influence in attracting top leadership with direct-to-consumer, eCommerce and direct selling experience, as well as recruitment of regional team members, all of whom share character traits and values to position Green Compass through this first phase of business and provide the support necessary to scale.
Science makes Green Compass credible, but innovation makes them better. They pioneered vertical integration of their products—from the soil to extraction, production and shipping—making theirs among the safest, cleanest and highest performing hemp flower extracts available.
Quality and production processes have evolved well beyond typical CBD manufacturers to earn Green Compass status as a recognized leader in CBD and hemp lifestyle products. And they pioneered the “Hemp Wellness” category, which is projected to grow to more than $20B by 2025.
That growth potential seems increasingly likely if this new direct selling company continues on its accelerated trajectory upward. Green Compass achieved a 26 percent top-line growth year-over-year in Q1 2022, a record-breaking number compared to previous quarters. Additionally, they’ve experienced double-digit growth over the past 12 months YTD comparisons.
“Our growth strategy is clear, which is creating hemp wellness awareness; enhancing our product story of being fully integrated from farm to family; simplifying our product messaging; and enhancing our customer subscription to reach new and retain more customers,” Colby Waisath, Chief Operating Officer, explained.
An enhanced customer experience, sales support, talent acquisition, streamlining operations, exciting new product launches, tech investments, a nationwide summer activation and corporate social responsibility to make quality hemp-based wellness products accessible to communities who need it most are first and foremost among the forward steps Green Compass is taking.
Cautious about over-extending the benefits of their products, they continually differentiate themselves from those who make unnecessary, unsubstantiated or unmeasurable claims. Green Compass takes regulatory compliance seriously, while intermixing a good dose of advocacy. They’ve hired some of the best attorneys and compliance experts in the U.S. that complement their stringent product development process and methodology, while the company reinforces the CBD movement with additional lobbying and influence to create positive change across the entire industry itself.
Distinct. Different. Better.
Comprehensive rebranding efforts further differentiate Green Compass from less diligent CBD competitors. Sustainability, traceability and diversity are tied to their mission of harnessing the power of clean, organic hemp for the good of humanity. The company’s refreshed customer-led brand reflects those values, while it renews calls for advocacy for education, support and building inclusive communities to share personal hemp wellness journeys.
“We feel strongly that our humble beginnings, highly differentiated product lines, enhanced website experience and streamlined technology will allow us to attract the right people and connect to customers in even more meaningful ways,” Sterling shared.
Green Compass’s field of advocates, corporate staff and leadership are values-driven, charitably minded, curious, creative, optimistic, resolute, collaborative and fun-loving. “We obviously look for the necessary skills to perform in a competitive market, but we also look at the dimension of the person. We often ask ourselves, ‘Would we like to have the person over for dinner with our family?’” Meredith explained.
While Green Compass started small, they are now dreaming big about where it can take them. Through alignment of their core values, the company hopes to spur a movement that will create more stringent and clear guidelines for CBD and increase awareness, research and exposure to the positive effects these products can have for humanity. And they are recruiting people who can relate to their passion and purpose. They’re actively looking for thought leaders, hope builders, health changers, wellness shifters and dream makers.
“Never in my wildest dreams would I have thought we’d have seen so many success stories this early in our business. We are proud to be partnered with such incredible people—for all the moms and dads, doctors and lawyers, educators, veterans, health practitioners and countless other everyday-entrepreneurs who have chosen to partner with Green Compass, we thank our amazing customers and advocates,” Meredith said.
Sharing Made Simple
Much of that success is due to new advocate training that places personal hemp plant experiences at the forefront. Most people today are challenged by work-life balance, stress, anxiety, pain, etc., so Green Compass focuses on a healthy CBD routine and keeps training and customer acquisition simple through a discover, sample and share process. From there, they focus on activation, community and creating the best customer experience possible.
“We utilize the strength of our field leaders, regional sales teams, social media and other communication channels that really keep the spirit of Green Compass alive each day,” Meredith explained.
Testimonials drive their business, so events are critical because that is where people can really touch and feel their products and culture. That was made more complicated by COVID-19, but virtual events carried Green Compass through with record success and growth. What they have learned and accomplished during this time of virtual gathering makes them all the more excited about the power of their in-person events yet to come.
Thriving through the pandemic taught this young company a great deal about itself and its abilities. “We had to stick and move, pitch and pivot, out-pace and out-innovate through this period. We are so grateful for our sales, marketing, operations and product- and customer-focused teams for working so hard and staying committed to Green Compass,” shared Robert Finigan, CMO.
The last year alone produced several key product launches, expanded reach with hundreds of events of all types and sizes, an entire company rebrand, more than 25 new hires and upgrades to core processes and systems, including many investments in technology and manufacturing.
“Throughout the pandemic and beyond, we’ve understood the importance of reliable technologies and tools to support our advocate growth. And while we can’t do everything at once, we are carefully planning our technology roadmap for the next 18 months, which will include some incredible and disruptive initiatives,” Sterling said.
They’ve adopted a “do less, better” corporate philosophy, which is about being exceptional at the basics, forcing better prioritization of ideas and focusing energy on moving the needle for advocates and customers.
As Meredith explained, “We are now carefully evaluating each initiative and working on a longer planning cycle. Ensuring we have the basics in place will allow us to invest in certain strategic growth efforts that complement this. We call this ‘pouring gas on the fire.’ While perhaps an extreme metaphor, this is a real commitment to investing in the customer journey, and a focus on supporting our most important and valued asset—our advocates.”
From the November 2022 issue of Direct Selling News magazine.
