Ben & Jerry’s Founder Told Me Something I’ll Never Forget

What happens when a business leader decides morality matters more than money.

When I started this channel at nine years old, I was just another kid uploading Minecraft videos on YouTube. I never imagined I would one day be sitting across from Ben Cohen, the co-founder of Ben & Jerry’s, talking about leadership, activism, and democracy.

Ben and Jerry started their company in an old gas station in 1978. They didn’t plan to build a global brand or become symbols of progressive business. They just wanted to make good ice cream. What made their company stand out is that they built their business around a mission that included social values, not just profit. They proved that a company can make money and still work to improve the world around it.

Ben explained that most corporations are already deeply political, but they do it quietly and for their own self-interest. Ben & Jerry’s takes its political stands openly and in the interest of the broader community. Their customers respond to that because they share those values, and that connection has made the company stronger.

He also spoke about the idea that business and morality are not opposites. A company that focuses on both can succeed on both fronts. For Ben & Jerry’s, profit and purpose reinforce each other.

We talked about politics, too. I asked Ben what was on his mind right now, and he immediately mentioned the ceasefire in Gaza. He said it only happened because millions of people around the world spoke up, protested, and demanded action. He rejected the idea that Trump deserved credit for the peace deal. Instead, he said it showed the power of people pushing governments to act with conscience.

Ben also said something that stuck with me: if the United States can spend limitless money on bombs and weapons, it should also be willing to spend money helping people rebuild what was destroyed. “You break, you fix,” he said. That kind of moral clarity is rare, especially from someone in business.

At the end of our conversation, I asked for advice as a young entrepreneur trying to grow a media company built on values. He gave me two lessons that I will keep with me.

First, he said giving feedback is like managing a bank account. Every time you give someone positive feedback, you make a deposit. When you give negative feedback, you make a withdrawal. You can’t withdraw before you’ve put something in.

Second, he told me to focus on catching people doing something right instead of catching them doing something wrong. That’s how you build trust and a healthy culture.

Hearing that from someone who has built a global company with both heart and integrity meant a lot.

You can watch the full interview here:

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