90 Day Wins : Goal Setting Strategies for Personal Growth, Health, Business & Money · SandyB

164. Start Where You Are: Building a Purpose-Driven Business from the Ground Up

·33 min·2 clips

Cashew Daddy became the first African-American owned cashew brand, built in Ghana.

1. 90 Day Wins episode 164 centers on Monty Graham building Cashew Daddy in Ghana after leaving Brooklyn. 2. Host Sandy B interviews her brother Monty Graham, also called Gusto the Great, because he moved from Brooklyn, New York, to Ghana and turned a cashew idea into a business. 3. The episode asks what it takes to start a purpose-driven business from the ground up and stay in Ghana. 4. Monty says he arrived in Ghana on January 1, 2020, after traveling for music work tied to an uncle’s record label. 5. He describes his first impressions as shaped by modern malls, movie theaters, diverse clubs, and more opportunity than he expected. 6. Monty says the hardest adjustments were Ghana’s slower pace and the death of his mother while he was living there. 7. He explains that Cashew Daddy began as an agricultural company making roasted cashews and raw cashews. 8. Monty says the brand later won an award for manufacturing cashews and describes that recognition as culinary excellence. 9. He calls Cashew Daddy the first African-American owned cashew brand and says the company operates from Ghana. 10. Monty says the slogan "eat with purpose and live with purpose" fits the brand because the product has no additives, preservatives, or oils. 11. He says the cashews come directly from farmers in Ghana and West Africa, then move through processing partners before manufacturing. 12. Monty describes Cashew Daddy as a "luxury" and "gourmet" brand with traceability and a proprietary process. 13. He says customers taught him to think of the product as an "exotic snack" after they compared it to imported snacks in the United States. 14. He gives three lessons for entrepreneurs: believe in yourself, stay patient and consistent, and learn from mistakes. 15. He uses his first big distributor deal, which paid late, to show why he now thinks more carefully about what product sizes to present. 16. Monty says his advice for new founders is to start where they are, even if they do not have a business plan or enough money. 17. He describes the early phase as "grassroots," with 40 prototype pieces and store visits to test whether people wanted the product. 18. Monty says a trade-show conversation with Steve Coakley later led to help with Ghana citizenship for him and his cousin. 19. The tone is personal, conversational, and practical, with Sandy B pressing for direct advice and Monty answering in story-driven detail. 20. Listeners who want entrepreneurship, Ghana relocation, or Black-owned food brands will get the most from this episode, while people looking for a short, purely tactical business tip may skip it.

As heard by us

A family cashew-business story that turns product pride into practical startup lessons.

More than a tidy success story, this episode follows a family cashew business from sourcing to processing and manufacturing, with Sandy B and Monty Graham keeping the focus on purpose, patience, and the mistakes that come with building something real.

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Why you'd press play

If you want a real business story with practical lessons about a cashew brand, start here.

Read the full recommendation in PlayNext →

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