What happens when you evolve as a business owner, but your business doesn’t?

In this episode of The TrustBuilt Podcast, Alan Bennett sits down with Cari Kaufman of Storyteller Wordsmith for a candid, unscripted conversation about purpose, identity, and what happens when successful businesses start to feel misaligned.

This episode dives deep into why purpose and accountability are the gateway to trust, how personal life changes inevitably shape business direction, and why building a business that can evolve is critical for retention, leadership clarity, and sustainable growth.

If you’re exhausted from carrying everything yourself and wondering how to get your team bought in again, this conversation will hit home.

👉 Looking to build a business that runs without you? Visit https://www.trustbuiltsolutions.com/

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⏱️ Chapters

02:10 – The moment “purpose” changed the conversation

03:30 – Feeling trapped by your own brand

04:30 – Established businesses hit this wall more than startups

05:45 – Alan’s personal pivot: when life demanded change

07:05 – Freedom is why most people start businesses (but lose it)

08:20 – Work-life balance isn’t real — harmony is

09:35 – Building a sellable business makes it easier to run

12:45 – Purpose + accountability = the gateway to trust

14:05 – Why teams disengage when purpose is unclear

16:20 – Purpose isn’t always about the product

17:30 – “My purpose is to make money” (and why that’s not enough)

20:10 – The danger of choosing a path just because you’re good at it

22:00 – When purpose becomes a trap instead of a guide

23:40 – Purpose as the front door to everything else

25:00 – Communicating purpose so people actually buy in

26:20 – Credentials don’t build trust — stories do

28:10 – How trust changes decision-making and leadership ease

29:30 – External trust matters too (vendors, partners, advisors)

31:00 – What most owners miss about their suppliers and advisors

33:10 – Trust as a force multiplier in business

35:20 – Final thoughts: purpose is the starting point

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Connect With Cari

🌐 https://www.storytellerwordsmith.com/

💻 https://www.linkedin.com/in/carikaufman/