350. Mike Smith, Founder and CEO of Zero Co, on how to build a tribe of loyal customers, creating a better world through business, and personal growth

The Inner Chief

“We built this school. And then over the next 12 months, we ended up building two more schools in other, other villages around. And it completely changed my perspective on what meaningful work is.”

In this episode of The Inner Chief podcast, I speak to Mike Smith, Founder and CEO of Zero Co, on how to build a tribe of loyal customers, creating a better world through business, and personal growth.

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Mike’s travels around the world exposed him to the devastating effects of plastic pollution, particularly in remote areas.

Inspired to find a solution, he founded Zero Co, an Australian company he launched in 2019 to eliminate single-use plastics in everyday household products by facilitating consumers to switch to eco-friendly, refillable alternatives.

Mike’s background was in advertising and marketing, and bringing products to market and he worked with some of the world’s largest brands, including Coca Cola. He then co-founded, launched and sold Hot Chip, a surfing technology start-up developed in collaborations with some of the world's best surfers and Billabong.

He was also the Co-Founder of Cake Wines, a disruptive winery that aimed to make wine fun again, which he scaled and sold to one of the biggest wine brands in Australia.

Mike is committed to broader environmental change, advocating for responsible production processes and raising awareness about the impact of plastic pollution on the planet.

In this CEO Masterclass, we talk about:

✅ How to build a tribe of loyal followers for your organisation.

✅ On why a social enterprise can help you to balance meaningful work with making money.

✅ The evolution of Zero Co’s operating model from a buy-return-refill model to a circular economy model, and

✅ The immense work he has done on self awareness and personal growth.

Stay epic,

Greg

Connecting with Mike Smith

You can connect with Mike via LinkedIn.

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