About Kate & Erin
Kate Marsh Lord and Erin Fangmann are the co-founders of Little Blue Cart, an online directory and emerging marketplace that elevates progressive small businesses. They met in 2016 as Air Force spouses stationed in Misawa, Japan, and built a friendship grounded in shared values, resourcefulness, and leadership inside the military community. Their idea for Little Blue Cart came after the results of the 2024 election, and a clear decision to direct their spending toward businesses that protect human rights and democracy. That decision grew into a national effort with hundreds of vendors, a strong community, and a mission to shift everyday consumer spending toward creators who reflect those values.
Show Summary:
This episode goes inside the creation and rise of Little Blue Cart. Justin and Virginia talk with founders Kate and Erin about the moment that a kitchen-table idea grew into hundreds of progressive small businesses in a matter of months. They walk through the early build, the momentum that followed, the community forming around the platform, and the growing cultural appetite for values-based spending. The conversation also covers their plans for a full marketplace, the operational realities of fast growth, and the political clarity driving the project forward.
Highlights:
Their approach to vetting vendors and building community trust through clear ethics guidelines.
The financial and operational challenges of sudden scale and the creative ways they fund each step forward.
The emotional fuel behind the project, rooted in lived activism and the desire for everyday participation in democracy.
Their long-term vision is for a marketplace where shoppers can support democracy with every purchase.
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