Jay Buys: Profit, Purpose, and the Future of Business
Jay Buys is the founder and CEO of Visceral, a B Corp-certified creative agency that builds brands and websites exclusively for social change organizations. Working with nonprofits, foundations, and other mission-driven partners, Jay has helped shape a business model that puts people, profit, and planet in conversation rather than opposition. In San Diego and beyond, he is part of a growing movement challenging the idea that business success has to come at the expense of workers, communities, or values.
This Episode:
What would it take to reimagine business as a force for shared good?
Jay and Grant dig into the growing movement to build companies that measure success by more than profit alone. Their conversation explores Certified B Corporations (B Corps), social enterprise, and the wider push for business models that invest in workers, communities, and the future. Jay sees business as a vital community asset—one that can actively contribute to shared prosperity and well-being. In his view, profit itself is not the problem; greed is. What matters most is how a business uses its resources and whether its values are reflected in wages, benefits, accountability, and community impact.
They examine the difference between authentic commitment and “purpose washing,” and what it means to run a company that tries to live its values, even when there are tradeoffs.
The conversation also looks to the future. Grant and Jay discuss why younger workers are asking different questions about work, what San Diego could become as a hub for business for good, and how emerging technologies like AI are raising fresh ethical challenges.
Key Moments:
- [2:44] What B Corp certification actually means and why Visceral chose that path
- [8:21] “Profit’s not the thing that we’re mad at — it’s greed.”
- [13:55] Why “being a good business is good for business”
- [15:41] What younger workers are demanding from employers and why that matters
- [28:54] Why Jay believes San Diego could become a leader in business for good
Key Terms:
- Certified B Corporation/B Corp – A certified business that meets standards for social and environmental impact, accountability, and transparency.
- Purpose-Driven Business – A company that aims to make money while also advancing social or environmental good.
- Social Enterprise – A revenue-generating business built to address a social issue.
- Purpose Washing – When a company talks about values or impact without the practices to support those claims.
- Public Benefit Corporation – A legal business structure that allows a company to pursue public good alongside profit; different from B Corp certification.
Mentioned in This Episode:
- Business for Good San Diego – Local nonprofit advancing policies and practices that support a more inclusive, community-centered economy
- B Local San Diego – Regional B Corp community helping businesses connect and grow
- B Corp Certification – Framework and certification process for businesses committed to people, planet, and profit
Cause San Diego – Local network supporting socially conscious business leadership
Take Action:
- Support Businesses That Walk the Talk – Look for companies whose practices reflect the values they promote.
- Spend in Line with Your Values – When possible, choose local, ethical, and community-minded businesses.
- Ask What Success Should Mean – Consider how businesses might measure success through people and impact, not just profit.
- Encourage Better Workplaces – Champion cultures that offer fair pay, real support, and a sense of shared purpose.
- Stay Curious About New Models – Explore the growing movement around B Corps, social enterprise, co-ops, and employee ownership.
Credits:
This is a production of the Prebys Foundation
Hosted by Grant Oliphant
Co-Hosted by Crystal Page
Produced by Adam Greenfield, Tess Karesky, Edgar Ontiveros Medina, and Crystal Page
Engineered by Adam Greenfield
Production Coordination by Tess Karesky
Video Production by Edgar Ontiveros Medina
The Stop & Talk Theme song was created by San Diego’s own Mr. Lyrical Groove.
Download episodes at your favorite podcatcher or visit us at StopAndTalkPodcast.com
Special thanks to the Prebys Foundation Team
If you like this show, and we hope you do, the best way to support this show is to share and subscribe.
This is a production of the Prebys Foundation
Hosted by Grant Oliphant
Co-Hosted by Crystal Page
Produced by Adam Greenfield, Tess Karesky, Edgar Ontiveros Medina, and Crystal Page
Engineered by Adam Greenfield
Production Coordination by Tess Karesky
Video Production by Edgar Ontiveros Medina
The Stop & Talk Theme song was created by San Diego’s own Mr. Lyrical Groove.
Download episodes at your favorite podcatcher or visit us at StopAndTalkPodcast.com
Special thanks to the Prebys Foundation Team
If you like this show, and we hope you do, the best way to support this show is to share and subscribe.
