Seventh Generation Founders Discuss Company's Rise and Partnership's End
Seventh Generation founders Jeffrey Hollender and Alan Newman have detailed their successful eco-friendly consumer products company and the reasons their partnership ultimately dissolved.
Jeffrey Hollender and Alan Newman, who co-founded the environmentally conscious consumer products company Seventh Generation, have spoken about the end of their business partnership. The brand was eventually sold to Unilever for $700 million in 2016.
The founders recently appeared on Guy Raz's "How I Built This" podcast to reflect on their collaboration. Their partnership began when Hollender discovered the mail-order catalog business, which focused on eco-friendly items. He approached Newman, who possessed operational and marketing expertise.
Hollender took on the role of CEO, securing initial investments, while Newman managed the operations and marketing of the catalog. The company officially launched the Seventh Generation brand itself a year or two later, introducing iconic products like bathroom tissue and laundry detergent.
Despite rapid sales growth, a recession in the early 1990s led to significant layoffs and reportedly marked the beginning of difficulties in the founders' relationship. The podcast discussion explored these challenges and the lessons learned from their eventual fallout.