---
title: "BLK & Bold: Growing a Business Without Compromising Its Mission (w/ Rod Johnson)"
description: Rod Johnson of BLK & Bold on giving 5% of gross profits, staying independent, retail margins, hiring for alignment, and the value of B Corp.
image: https://go.lifteconomy.com/hubfs/Rod_22_HR%20-%20Cristina%20Pines.jpg
---

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# BLK & Bold: Growing a Business Without Compromising Its Mission (w/ Rod Johnson)

 Oct 27, 2026, 6:00:01 AM  |

[B Corp](https://go.lifteconomy.com/blog/tag/b-corp), [Certified B Corporations](https://go.lifteconomy.com/blog/tag/certified-b-corporations)

![](https://go.lifteconomy.com/hubfs/Rod_22_HR%20-%20Cristina%20Pines.jpg)

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Rod Johnson is the co-founder and Chief Values Officer of BLK & Bold--the first Black-owned coffee company to reach national retail distribution. He grew up in Gary, Indiana, worked in academic and healthcare fundraising, and started the company in 2018 with his childhood friend Pernell Cezar, beginning with a direct-to-consumer website run out of Pernell’s garage.

The company gives 5 percent of gross profits to organizations that support youth. Rod joins Ryan Honeyman to talk about what it takes to keep that commitment in strong years and weaker ones.

They cover the trade-offs of staying independent without growth capital, including slower growth and passing on opportunities that do not fit the mission. Rod explains how the company grew from direct to consumer into more than 12,000 retail locations, with most revenue now coming from away-from-home placements such as offices, campuses, and hotels. He walks through slotting fees, chargebacks, and distributor margins, describes sourcing fair trade coffee and the community development funds that sourcing supports, and shares a hiring mistake that changed how he evaluates character and alignment.

He also describes Deion Sanders’ (aka Coach Prime) role as co-owner and social change leader.

Rod then discusses B Corp certification, which BLK & Bold has held since it was eligible. He names the benefits he has seen, including customer trust, retailer interest, and employee retention, and the ones that have not materialized yet, such as investor interest and pricing power. The company has taken an extension on recertification while he works through the new standards.

The conversation closes with his view that the progressive movement celebrated too quickly after 2020, his advice for founders of color, and what he asks of listeners, partners, and buyers. It is a detailed look at how a values-led consumer brand handles margins, capital, and accountability, and it is worth a listen for founders, B Corp practitioners, and anyone who buys for a retailer or institution.

**What You’ll Learn:**

- Learn how BLK & Bold built 5 percent of gross profits into its economics, and how that has led the company to turn down some opportunities.
- Understand why the company launched direct to consumer from a garage before moving into retail, wholesale, and brick and mortar.
- Hear how the business reached more than 12,000 retail locations and why most revenue comes from away-from-home placements such as offices, campuses, and hotels.
- Consider the trade-offs Rod describes in staying independent, including slower growth, and why the company is now looking for growth capital from an aligned investor.
- Discover how specialty grading and fair trade sourcing shape the company’s coffee purchasing, including community development fund contributions that exceeded six figures last year.
- Learn from a hiring mistake in which a skilled leader did not align with the mission, and how Rod now separates teachable skills from traits to look for in interviews.
- See how Rod uses time blocking to protect strategic thinking, and why he has had to delegate more over time.
- Understand what B Corp certification has delivered for the company and where results have fallen short of what Rod hoped for.
- Hear Rod’s view on what the racial equity moment of 2020 to 2022 left unfinished and why he thinks lasting change happens in systems and structures.
- Recognize the questions founders of color often face, and Rod’s advice to find a community of other Black founders.

**Quotations:**

“The hardest thing is that the mission doesn't move coffee. We have real, tangible results, but that's not why people buy coffee. Execution does.” — Rod Johnson \[0:05:05\]

“Staying independent means that we are reinvesting every dollar, moving slower in some lanes, and saying no to opportunities. However, what we have protected is our autonomy. We have protected our mission.” — Rod Johnson \[0:11:33\]

“I need people to know that the mission and business are not mutually exclusive. You do not have to prioritize profit over purpose, and vice versa. They could exist at the same table.” — Rod Johnson \[0:56:52\]

**Links Mentioned in Today’s Episode:**

- Rod Johnson – LinkedIn:[https://www.linkedin.com/in/jarrhodjohnson/](https://www.linkedin.com/in/jarrhodjohnson/)
- Pernell Cezar – LinkedIn:[https://www.linkedin.com/in/pernellcezarjr/](https://www.linkedin.com/in/pernellcezarjr/)
- BLK & Bold – Website:[https://blkandbold.com/](https://blkandbold.com/)
- *Incorruptible –* Book: [www.incorruptible.co](http://www.incorruptible.co)
- Deion Sanders:[https://www.britannica.com/biography/Deion-Sanders](https://www.britannica.com/biography/Deion-Sanders)
- *Assata: An Autobiography* – Book:[https://www.powells.com/book/assata-an-autobiography-9781556520747](https://www.powells.com/book/assata-an-autobiography-9781556520747)

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**B Corp Consultant**

Interested in certifying, recertifying, or maximizing the value of your B Corp certification? Learn more about our B Corp consulting services at LIFT Economy:[https://www.lifteconomy.com/secrets-of-b-corp-consulting](https://www.lifteconomy.com/secrets-of-b-corp-consulting)

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**Gratitude**

Thank you to Corey Lien, Nozomii Torii, and Kirsten G. Bryant for being our monthly contributors at Beyond the B!

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