She Sold Her Family Business, Then Fought to Win It Back
A Story of Systems, Strength, and Second Chances
Blog taken from an episode on The Family Business Breakthroughs podcast
When Jodi Scott first began blending herbs in her kitchen with her mom and sister, there was no plan for national shelves or corporate takeovers, just a desire to make plant-based first-aid products that actually worked.
They called it Green Goo, and the three women did everything themselves: growing the herbs, drying them on screen doors, and selling salves at the farmers market.
By 2010, that little kitchen hobby had turned into something bigger. Customers lined up, sharing tearful stories about healing eczema, scars, and pain. The demand was so strong that the family built an outdoor kitchen just to keep up.
Soon, their products landed in Walmart, CVS, and Target. A huge leap for a small family-run brand!
When Success Brings a Crossroads
Growth brought opportunity, but also pressure. Competing in the over-the-counter market meant going head-to-head with massive, well-funded brands. Jodi’s family had built Green Goo with integrity and care, but now, to keep scaling, they needed outside funding.
So they sold the company to a publicly traded buyer who promised to keep their mission alive.
But not long after, everything unraveled. The acquiring company faced legal and financial troubles, leaving Green Goo and the Scott family caught in the chaos.
Overnight, Jodi had to let go of her entire team, including her mom and sister. The family nearly lost their homes.
“It was heartbreaking,” she says. “I took my family into this and look what happened.”
The Hardest Year
Eighteen months of fighting followed. Fighting to keep hope. Fighting to reclaim the company they’d built from nothing. Fighting to remember who they were as a family.
And yet, through it all, something extraordinary happened. The customers stayed.
Emails poured in from people saying, “We’ll wait. Your products are the only ones that work.”
Every morning, the family met anyway, unemployed but undeterred.
“Okay, guys,” Jodi would ask, “what are we going to do today?”
Even when she didn’t know the answer.
The Turning Point
They won the company back in December 2024. No investors, no safety nets… just grit, faith, and family. Today, Jodi leads SpryLife and Green Goo’s next chapter with renewed purpose: to blend science and soul, and to do it without losing what matters most.
The company is smaller: down from 40 employees to 6, but the culture is stronger than ever. Everyone who stayed believes in the mission, not the title.
“We had built a non-toxic operating system,” she says.
“People didn’t stay because of paychecks. They stayed because this was home.”
Lessons Hidden in the Story
Build systems before you need them.
The Scott family’s military upbringing created structure: clear roles, regular debriefs, and trust in the chain of command. Those habits became their safety net when crisis hit.
The Scott family’s military upbringing created structure: clear roles, regular debriefs, and trust in the chain of command. Those habits became their safety net when crisis hit.
Lead yourself first.
Jodi learned to calm her mind through cold plunges, meditation, and breathwork. “Regulation creates clarity,” she says. “And clarity creates better leadership.”
Jodi learned to calm her mind through cold plunges, meditation, and breathwork. “Regulation creates clarity,” she says. “And clarity creates better leadership.”
Let others hold you up.
Mentors, YPO peers, and her family’s love gave her a place to vent safely. Every family business leader needs that “outside container” to process pressure without harming relationships.
Mentors, YPO peers, and her family’s love gave her a place to vent safely. Every family business leader needs that “outside container” to process pressure without harming relationships.
Never underestimate your customers.
People don’t just buy products – they invest in stories. When you’re transparent, they’ll walk through fire with you.
People don’t just buy products – they invest in stories. When you’re transparent, they’ll walk through fire with you.
A New Chapter of Innovation
Now back in control, Jodi’s family continues to craft products the old-fashioned way: making their own herbal infusions, studying new plant data, and even teaching Afghan women how to grow and sell herbs in local markets.
Their mission remains unchanged: to prove that nature heals, and families, when united, can overcome anything.
Key Takeaways for Every Family Business Leader
1. When your business faces its hardest moment, it’s not your size, funding, or market share that saves you… it’s your systems, values, and people.
As Jodi puts it:
“Don’t leave your hand on the hot stove. Feel it—then move on.”
2. When you’re considering a sale or a buy-back:
- Document non-negotiables (product integrity, R&D process, hiring philosophy).
- Validate values beyond the deck: talk to their portfolio leaders and ex-leaders.
- Scenario-plan: What if the acquirer’s finances change? Who owns cash, inventory, IP, formulas, and channels?
- Triage by cash and customer impact; ship highest-demand, highest-trust products first.
- Stand up a daily huddle with a visible wallboard: revenue, WIP, blockers, ETA.
- Be specific in public updates; vague comfort destroys trust.
3. Build the operating system before you need it
- Clarify roles, decisions, and escalation paths
- Schedule debriefs after key initiatives (wins and misses)
- Keep a written SOP for “outside the process” exceptions
4. Separate the vent from the table
- Encourage leaders to have mentors/peer groups so family meetings don’t carry the entire emotional load
5. Lead yourself to lead the business
- Calm leaders make clearer calls. Protect time for sleep, hydration, focused mindset work, and nature (Jodi’s family uses the SHAMAN shorthand: Sleep, Hydration, Antioxidants, Mindset, Avoid (what drains you), Nature)
6. Culture is key
- Consistency, respect, and honest feedback loops produce loyalty that endures crises
7. Product strategy: Efficacy first
- Values matter, and customers buy what works. Prove efficacy, then highlight sustainability, clean ingredients, and mission.
Every family business faces defining moments. The key is meeting them with structure, humility, and heart, just like Jodi did, turning adversity into alignment and purpose into progress.
You can watch the full story here “Why She Bought Back the Family Business” on YouTube
