James Colistra’s Post

Morning, it’s Simon #LinkedInTakeover. It’s come to the end of my LinkedIn Takeover as I have shared with you my thoughts and insights as Parogon Groups First Financial Director. We’ve discussed the economy, general financial struggles and some of achievements in the role so far. Now I’d like to offer some personal insight; how I got into the career, what I enjoy most about the role and also which Parogon restaurant is my favourite, and why! From a young age, I always preferred numbers over words – I wasn’t really in to design and technology or fixing things – and I knew I wanted to be in a competitive business setting, most likely influenced by a love of sport. While many of my friends chose hands-on roles, I aimed to do something different. Finance became the perfect avenue, combining all my interests together. Working with Parogon, especially in hospitality, is truly addictive. I've been in the sector for 16 years now, with brief stints in other industries, but nothing has ever compared to the passion, diversity, and inspirational people I have found working in hospitality. It’s the people that make it special— at all levels. Loving the industry very much as a consumer, not just professionally, only adds to the enjoyment of working in it. At Parogon, being the first FD is an incredible opportunity. I’ve effectively had a blank canvas to craft my vision, and am supported by a talented, dedicated team and head office, along with the trust of my fellow directors. Which Parogon restaurant is my favourite, and why? All our venues are fantastic (of course!) but of our Gastro’s the Seven Stars holds a special place as it was the first Parogon venue I ever visited. However, Willow ticks all the boxes right now—well-invested decor, both airy and comfortable, it is open all day (who doesn’t like a good brunch) and offers fresh, premium food and drink. Dogs are also welcome which is great (as I have 2), so it is a format I’m incredibly excited to see us expand. I am looking forward to us finding more great local locations soon. I hope you’ve enjoyed this LinkedIn Takeover. Do let us know in the comments your favourite Parogon restaurant and why! #FinanceCareer #HospitalityIndustry #ParogonTeam #FinanceAndHospitality

Time for a New Chapter: Stepping Down from Paxafe Well, this turned out to be a short stint. Like that time I tried out roller derby. Turns out, those ladies hit REALLY HARD. Come to think of it, maybe I should rethink skydiving too. Anyway, after careful consideration, I decided to step down from my role as CRO at Paxafe a week ago. While my initial excitement for the company's potential remains strong, the current direction doesn't fit with my goals. In all seriousness, the future of AI-powered supply chain solutions is bright, and I believe there may be great things in store for Paxafe. I wish them all the best in their continued journey. No hard feelings, but this old dog is headed for new hunting grounds. So, I’m looking forward to reconnecting with new and old friends alike and proving retirement ain't got nothin' on me! As a long-time industry veteran (read that as “Supply Chain OG”), I'll be focused on new opportunities that leverage experience and passion for the supply chain industry. I'm exploring new avenues that align more closely with my goals, and I'm excited to see what the future holds. So, I’ll keep in touch and share updates on my next venture. Want to catch up in the meantime? Hit me at [email protected], and let’s start talking. I can’t wait to hear from you and catch up! #ColdChainIsHot #NotRetiredJustRecharged #SupplyChainJedi #SupplyChainOG #ColdChainComeback #ThisAintYourGrandpasSupplyChain #SupplyChain #Logistics #AI #NewBeginnings

🦌 Hunting Well: Lessons from my time at SENT Ventures I joined the team full-time with SENT Ventures in Jan of 2022, putting Sherwood Fellows on hold. For those of you unfamiliar, SENT is a first-of-its-kind membership community for Catholic startup founders. With a track record of growing and selling my own community and advising hundreds of NGOs, I was pretty confident I'd be able to dive in and make an immediate impact. We launched full throttle with a suite of tactics: weekly newsletters, daily LinkedIn posts, events both online and off, and a lean yet potent paid ad strategy. We waited for the leads to pour in weeks later. Spoiler: They didn't. We then refined our product, our offer, and our onboarding process. Leads trickled in, but we needed more to justify our marketing spend in any quarterly review. And then, a year later, SENT 2xed. We hit most of our growth targets. What happened? Our tactics underperformed individually but led to significant overall growth. This enigma left me pondering the nature of our efforts and the real measures of success. In this retrospective article, I clarify the two of our missteps: 📊 We were measuring the wrong things. 🎯 Our expectations for the marketing timeline were wildly off the mark. The truth is, almost no single tactic will immediately show significant ROI and a 3 to 1 CAC. It's the blend of persistence and trial and error that eventually tips the scales. As I reflect on this journey, I've distilled the essence of our lessons learned at SENT Ventures into a comprehensive piece backed by visual aids from pivotal studies so you can learn from my mistakes. 🔗 Dive deeper into our story and the insights that reshaped our marketing perspective in the comments below. Your thoughts and experiences with long-term marketing efforts are invaluable—let's discuss. #MarketingLessons #GrowthMindset #BrandBuilding #Strategy #Tactics #Patience

There's more on my plate than I can handle right now. But it's not because I don't know any other way ”it's because I wouldn't want it any other way. I've actively chosen to be part of every step in the process and the product, ensuring I'm engaged from the very beginning. - From manufacturing to feedback  - From sales to finance  - From marketing to content generation I'm a part of everything. Not to micro-manage but to stitch the team together and set the processes and systems smoothly, as the team of Pets of Paradise jet sets for the long run. This approach is about building a strong foundation. But I know I can't do it all forever. That's why I'm actively working on: - Realigning priorities by focusing on the most critical tasks for this growth stage. - Blocking time and carving out dedicated slots for important tasks. - To take a step back and give my team the space to make decisions and mistakes when the time is due. It's about the stage you're at and recognizing the need of the time. PS: I'm expecting lots of side eyes from Luna and Milo as I sit on blocking time on priorities. #petfood #petcare #enterpreneurship

🚀 What I've Learned as a Founder of a my New Startup at Good Syrup Co. 🍁 Get a Display Pic 📸 Apparently, people don't take you seriously if you don't have a display pic. Who knew? 🙃 Time to get camera-ready! 💄💇♂️ (Any good LinkedIn photographers in Toronto? 📷) Learn from the Pros 📚 There's so much wisdom out there from other CPG founders. Shoutout to everyone sharing their journeys—you're my LinkedIn heroes! 🦸♂️ Mistakes are Okay 💥 This networking thing is a bit lonely sometimes, but hey, making mistakes is part of the game. And guess what? Tons of people are in the same boat. Let's row together! 🚣♀️ Engage, Engage, Engage 💬 Comment, like, share—repeat! It's amazing how much you can learn and connect with just a bit of engagement. Useful Tools and Insights 🛠️ In week 2, I picked up an Excel tool from Nick Saltarelli of Mid-Day Squares to help determine if my business is viable and figure out costing. 🧮 Strategic Patience ⏳ Learned through Melissa Daniels from Modern Retail about how Brightland Aishwarya Iyer didn't rush into Whole Foods and waited for the right moment. Timing is everything! Amazon Positioning 🛒 Gained insight into positioning well on Amazon through Julie Ozlek post showing how Soom Foods enhanced their listing with premium A+ content, which boosted their sales. This is just the beginning of what I've learned so far. Wish me luck on this exciting journey! 🚀 . . . . . . . . . #GoodSyrupCo #CPG #StartupJourney #OrganicProducts #FoodAndBeverage #Networking #EntrepreneurLife #LearnAndGrow #chfa #usda #coffeelover #organic #faire

G’day LinkedIn ☀️. We’ve done our best to keep our heads down over the past 7 years, investing in climate and tech to deliver a Better Tomorrow. In this time we’ve deployed >US$1bn into climate technology and infrastructure, making a bit of noise here and there. We’ve reflected on our hard earned lessons and set a course for the future of Grok Ventures: Backing a better tomorrow by investing in the biggest opportunities in decarbonisation. And we’re zeroing in on a problem we know how to solve: the climate capital stack 🪜 What does this mean? We back early-stage climate technology startups via our Venture team - helping founders set commercial and technology milestones that unlock non-dilutive structured funding solutions. We’re talking funding solutions like project finance and mezzanine debt. As companies prepare to scale their tech - our Infrastructure team delivers these solutions as an alternative to venture funding, resulting in less dilution to founders and venture investors. Win-win! 🏆 🔈 Calling climate founders from around the world 🌏: We want to work with you 👉 in the early stages of defining your roadmap to unlock the model that scales fasts and delivers optimal value capture. Whether that’s owning and operating your projects, becoming an OEM, or licensing your tech - or even all three, our objective is to help you secure the right form of capital at the right time. How, you ask? We’ve done this before - from building great technology businesses to owning and operating infrastructure. We’re combining this experience to focus entirely on decarbonisation; delivering the most suited funding solutions to scale climate technology companies 🤓. Still wondering what we’re on about? We’ve finally replaced our information-lacking landing page with a website (https://grok.ventures) that explains Grok’s strategy, shows off our climate portfolio and introduces our team. We’ve also purchased a snazzy new cap 🧢, which we’ve taken on as our new logo. New hat, who dis? Still the same Grok - just wiser, more focused and more accessible. If you’ve made it this far (we love you) and are still interested in working with us - don’t be afraid to say g’day by sharing your pitch deck via [email protected]👍

After 7 years we’ve replaced our landing page with a website that explains what we do at Grok Ventures. Check it out if you’re interested in understanding how we invest across the climate capital stack… & reach out if you’re a climate founder and our value prop resonates with you… #climatetech #climatefinance # new hat

Grok Ventures: "We want to work with you 👉 in the early stages of defining your roadmap to unlock the model that scales fasts and delivers optimal value capture." #indigenousbusiness

🎉 A Decade of Nutcracker 🎉 For the past 10 years, Nutcracker has been more than a marketing agency; we've been catalysts for growth, helping our clients break through the noise and make their mark. What sets us apart? Our unwavering commitment to our clients' success. We're honoured to have a client who's been with us since our humble beginnings, a testament to the trust they've placed in us and our ability to continuously deliver results. As we reflect on our journey, one thing remains constant: our culture of authenticity and fearlessness. Everyone at Nutcracker is encouraged to be themselves, to push boundaries, and to embrace innovation. None of this would have been possible without our visionary leader, Jenny Knighting. Her passion for excellence and her drive to create an agency where sales and marketing are seamlessly aligned have been the driving force behind our success. Here's to another decade of collaboration, growth, and always having fun with what you do. #NutcrackerTurnsTen #workanniversary #businessowner #businessgrowth

Howdy, ya’ll. It’s been a while, and I have a story to tell. In December I decided to take a two-week LinkedIn fast. Well, two weeks turned into 90 days, and now it’s May. Yikes. Confession: Part of what motivated this fast was mixed feelings about personal branding. Why do we make ourselves smaller to fit in a box? Maybe it’s me, but most days I don’t feel like being a can of PBR. I feel like being me. Strange, flawed, free-range me. That said, what’s emerged from this fast is the conviction that helping others is an ideal I aspire to. I’ve invested 15 years of my life in the weed game. My experience is rare, extraordinary, and valuable. I am uniquely positioned to help people in this industry, and this platform is the best place to do that. I was a cultivator for a decade under Prop 215. Indoor, outdoor, and my last cultivation project was building mobile, sustainable greenhouses on scrap doublewide trailers in the Mojave desert (Very hot. Also very cool!) When California went recreational, I transitioned to retail and founded Tropicanna, one of the most successful dispensaries in the OC. My achievements at Trop include: Drafted the merit-based application (I’m also a Lawyer.) Created the brand/wrote all branded copy (I’m also a writer.) Drafted company SOPs. Served as CMO, Corporate Counsel, and shared day-to-day operational responsibilities with my co-founder. Built the marketing team and wrote the playbook that took Trop from dead last to a top 5 dispensary in the OC and $15M a year in gross sales. It was an amazing ride that ended with me exiting Trop at the top of my game. My cardiologist found a genetic defect in my heart that was trying very hard to kill me. I needed emergency open-heart surgery. I almost didn’t make it, but I’m grateful for the experience. Holding hands with death has a way of helping you appreciate life more deeply. For the last two years, I’ve worked with Matt Shterenberg, the CEO of deeproots partners. Ironically, Matt and I know each other because I hired deeproots when I was CMO at Trop. They crushed it for us, Matt’s a good human, and I love how our relationship has come full circle. I wear a lot of hats at deeproots, but my directive is simple. I help them help their clients do what we did so well at Tropicanna: SELL MORE WEED. To date, deeproots partners is at “55 million in more weed sold” and counting, which brings us to today… Matt and I have collaborated on a dispensary marketing book for the last two years. Our vision is to create a “Field Guide” for “How to Sell More Weed” from the collective wisdom of my 15 years in cannabis and Matt’s cannabis marketing experience with 60+ dispensaries, brands, and deliveries. If you’re a dispensary, brand, or delivery that wants to sell more weed, I will be publishing content from our Field Guide on LinkedIn for next six months as chapters are edited. When the book is complete, it will be available at deeproots.io. I’m back. I want to help. Get at me.