Money Doing Good with Adrian Reif of Umana Venture Studio
Solving the world’s biggest problems is no easy task, but with a sustainable mindset and a regenerative approach, we have much more than just hope to rely on.
Today we sit with Adrian Reif, CEO and co-founder of Umana Venture Studio, an organization that’s working hard to provide lasting solutions to global issues. We open the episode by first asking Adrian about his travels, as we learn what inspired him to return home to create Yumbutter, his own ‘Robin Hood’ business. We then discuss how Adrian drew from his experiences to write The Do-Gooder’s Guide to Investing, a playbook for ethical and sustainable investing. Later, we chat about Umana Venture Studio and its focus on building impact-driven consumer brands. While our conversation tackles how you can align your money with your values, Adrian also shares insights into practicing gratitude and maintaining focus and good health.
Tune in to hear more about Adrian’s journey and how he’s inspiring change.
Key Points From This Episode:
Adrian tells us about his travels.
Hear what inspired Adrian to create a peanut butter company upon his return home.
Adrian’s experience at a silent meditation retreat.
Some of the lessons Adrian learned with his Yumbutter business.
When Adrian decided to start writing about investing.
Adrian’s know-how helped him create a book to help others invest sustainably.
The process of writing his book, The Do Gooder’s Guide to Investing.
Adrian talks about his latest journey in business and creating Umana Studio.
How Umana Studio helps solve the world’s toughest problems.
Ways that Adrian keeps his focus alive.
Adrian shares his thoughts on life, wellness, and his future goals.
How humanity can treat money like water.
Tweetables:
“I decided to travel until I ran out of money or stopped having fun.” — Adrian Reif [0:01:55]
“I spent 10 days in a silent meditation retreat where I got to get closer to my own suffering and think more consciously about the suffering of others around the world.” — Adrian Reif [0:06:55]
“We thought of ourselves as modern-day Robin Hoods in that sense of making something cool, desirable, and valuable for us rich westerners. And then to use that to be a part of solutions for people with massive problems around the world.” — Adrian Reif [0:08:54]
“I learned very painfully about cash flow lag. When you don’t have enough capital to fund your growth, you’re going to run out of money to pay your employees, to buy your ingredients and packaging, and run your business.” — Adrian Reif [0:16:58]
“I wanted to give people a strong sense that they could do more with their money because I know we all want to. They don’t know about these tangible ways because their financial advisor, parents, or bosses don’t tell them about these things.” — Adrian Reif [0:27:00]
“Our goal at Umana is to spin out solutions to some of the world’s gnarliest problems and to build mission-driven companies and brands.” — Adrian Reif [0:35:08]
“I’ve committed myself to being of service to the regeneration of the planet. And that will take form mainly through business and organization and system design.” — Adrian Reif [0:51:10]
“Hopefully 2020 was our Great Depression. The generation that came out of the Depression was resilient and resourceful. Maybe even more grateful.” — Adrian Reif [0:58:44]
Links Mentioned in Today’s Episode:
Adrian Reif
Adrian Reif on LinkedIn
Yumbutter
Do-Gooder’s Guide to Investing
Do-Gooder’s Guide to Investing on Amazon
Umana Venture Studio
UBS Wealth Management
Aspiration Bank
Deep Work on Amazon
The ONE Thing
Naval Ravikant
Sapiens
Tiny Habits
Green Swans on Amazon
