E9: Collaboration and Prosperity: A Conversation with Leah Caplanis

Seth Waters (Co-Host): Well, welcome to the Purposeful Prosperity Podcast. My name is Seth Waters, and I'm here with Jack Smith, founder, entrepreneur, investor, and world-changer. Hi, Jack.

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Jack Smith (Host): Hey, how are you doing, Seth?

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Seth Waters (Co-Host): I'm good. I'm excited to be with you today on the podcast, and we had a special conversation recently with Leah Caplanis, and I'm excited for this.

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Jack Smith (Host): Absolutely. She is Social Leah, she is Social Sparkling Wines, and she has a story that comes from her own pain and her own passion. And that's really what this show is all about. It's highlighting entrepreneurs that saw a problem and a change that needed to be created in the world and how they make that happen. And she has a series of complications and some inspiration around how she wants to bring people together in relaxed settings and allow them to enjoy life the way they choose to. And I can't wait for you guys to hear more about it. My friend, Leah Caplanis.

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Jack Smith (Host): Welcome back to Purposeful Prosperity. It's my pleasure to introduce my friend, fellow Inc Masters Modern Elder. We spent some time down in Baja California together with the Inc team, Leah Caplanis, CEO of Social Sparkling Wines. Thank you for coming on Purposeful Prosperity.

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Leah Caplanis (Guest): Thank you for having me, Jack,

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Jack Smith (Host): I'm very excited to talk to you today. You have purpose and passion tied right into the company that you built, and you are a participating member of your customer base. Can you tell us a little bit about how your journey led you to start Social Sparkling Wines?

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Leah Caplanis (Guest): Yeah, so when I was 26, I was actually diagnosed with thyroid cancer, and I decided to heal holistically by trying lots of different diets and alternative therapies and just get back to being really health-focused. And it took several years, and during that time, I didn't drink at all. But a couple of years in, I realized that I was missing something from my life, from not drinking. And that was - when I was drinking, I would take the time to slow down, have a conversation with someone, share with them what I'm going through, and then other times it might be dancing and playing and just really being joyful. And when I started drinking again, I couldn't find anything that I didn't have so many downsides the next day, and had all of the sugar, and artificial ingredients, and gluten or sulfites - all these different things. And so I thought, there's got to be a way to have something with some of these pros of social connecting but not so many of the cons. So that's why I started it.

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Jack Smith (Host): I love it. Well, tell us a little bit about how you're taking that passion for social connection and turning it into prosperity.

Leah Caplanis (Guest): Yeah, so Social has been around for ten years. Took it from interns to basically earning school credit, to hiring them part-time to full-time to owners. So just amongst my own team, there's been a lot of prosperity there. We also have a large investor pool that has seen prosperity there and been a pivotal part of this. But what I really enjoy the most is actually being able to team up with other community leaders, and people giving back into the communities to bring people together through donating to events, nonprofit events. We've actually donated over $300,000 worth of Social to events so that people can have something for people to drink when they come together.

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Jack Smith (Host): I love it. You're bringing people together. That's what community is all about. And I really dig that about your mission and your passion. Why would you like to provide a clean alcohol option, especially for women?

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Leah Caplanis (Guest): I would like to provide this clean alcohol option because I've talked with so many people and a lot of women, and what they tell me is that they need something to relax. There's definitely a lot of stress in the world today. They have so many things going on with kids, with work, with all the things. And so they do find themselves coming home and drinking, and sometimes they're drinking more than they wish they did. So the alcohol options out there were too high in alcohol or just things in it gave them a headache the next day, and then they feel guilty and they don't perform the same way that they would. And so for me, if we can help these women to relax, enjoy, reduce their stress, and then wake up and feel good so that they can really be that wonderful mom, and wife, and daughter, and sister, and worker, and all these things, then it really can have an impact on a lot of lives surrounding them as well.

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Jack Smith (Host): I love it. And you are impacting a lot of lives. You're growing really quickly. I hear you just created your own production facility. So where do you see that taking Social in the future?

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Leah Caplanis (Guest): Yeah, so this past year I started a beverage production facility to produce Social, and also I can produce for other beverage brands as well. And it has been a wild ride. We've had over 60 workers this past year, so I went from like zero to 60. And it has been so fulfilling actually working with people. It is a factory, so I'm working with people that I haven't worked with ever before, and I'm learning so much about some of their needs and challenges, and it's really increased my compassion so much for different challenges that people face. But it's been great to give them a job in a safe, clean place to work, and helping them reach kind of their next level and overcome some challenges. And I foresee that we'll continue to add to the team and continue to grow.

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Jack Smith (Host): So earlier you'd mentioned about the power of collaborations and how choosing the right partners and supply chain in particular can amplify the good that you do. Can you tell me a little bit more about the project that you're working on?

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Leah Caplanis (Guest): Yeah, absolutely. So we were creating a seasonal gift set and wanted to provide something to people that helped them to relax. So we actually have a gift set that has a bottle of our Strawberry Rose, and it has a pure Love Bath Bomb and then a candle that says “Love” on it. And so it's a way for people to connect with each other through gifting. They can buy this and give it to someone so that they can have a spa bath time experience. But when I was choosing, what I love about this project is, I got to pick who makes the Bath Bomb and who makes the candle. And so the bath bomb is made by Humble Organics. It's a mother-and-daughter team. Her daughter's like eight years old, and they make them. And we were one of their biggest customers a couple years ago when we first started, and they also donate to a homeless shelter in the Chicago area.

And then the candle is made from an organization called New Moms. So it's women who are actually pregnant or recently gave birth that don't have a job or a lot of job skills. So New Moms actually employs them by having them make candles and then doing job training in the classroom. And so we were able to work with them to make the candle and also tell their story. So when you have prosperity in your business, you do end up sharing it with people and can choose to share it with people who really could use it and may need a helping hand like we all do.

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Jack Smith (Host): That's beautiful. I love that you can amplify the good you do through the suppliers that you choose and the “whys” behind their efforts. That's really beautiful. Thank you. Leah. If you inspired our listeners today to action, what's one thing they can do tomorrow to help support your cause or a cause like it?

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Leah Caplanis (Guest): Oh, wow. Well, they certainly can buy Social at socialsparklingwine.com. You can buy it direct, and we ship it all over the country. And then other than that, I would just say we're all here to help each other out. And that comes in large and small ways. So if you see anyone who is struggling or having a hard time right now, especially post-Covid, feel free to ask them how they're doing. And really take some time to slow down, whether it's over a glass of wine or a tea or a coffee. And just offer that emotional support, because we really do all need it. Probably a lot more than we show. That's my invitation to everyone.

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Jack Smith (Host): Absolutely. Give everybody, you know, a hug. I love it. They need it. I appreciate that very much. Leah. Well, thank you for your time today. Thank you for all the good that you're doing in the world. And thank you for being our friend.

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Seth Waters (Co-Host): Well, what a great conversation, Jack. There were some great things brought up there and a couple of things that really stood out to me that Leah talked about. One, the power of collaboration as entrepreneurs, and secondly, amplifying the good you do through the suppliers you choose.

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Jack Smith (Host): That, to me, was my favorite part of what Leah had to say. Because here at Purposeful Prosperity, we like to highlight the entrepreneurs that are doing good. But you can amplify that effectiveness by not only as your own good, but you choose suppliers, and your prosperity showers on them as well. And they shower their prosperity on their communities. And that's really how we create a tidal wave of change that connects purpose to prosperity. And I'm just so grateful for Leah and her share. Thank you for your time today.

Thank you for listening to the Purposeful Prosperity Podcast. Tune in next week. We'll bring you another amazing entrepreneur and doing world-changing things. Please, like, follow, and share, and keep doing good in the world. Thanks for listening.

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