Build a Purpose-Driven Business That Gives Back
Relationships · From Student of the Game
Build a Purpose-Driven Business That Gives Back
What do you do when the kids leave, the house goes quiet, and the purpose that shaped 20 years of your life suddenly walks out the door? For Judy Filler, the answer was not another job. It was something with meaning, community, and a reason to step out of her comfort zone.
On episode 74 of Student of the Game, host Brad Noll sits down with Judy Filler, Independent Wine Representative for One Hope Wine, to talk about building a purpose-driven business from the ground up. Her story is about wine, but it is really about relationships, consistency, and finding your "why."
This post is for entrepreneurs, professionals, and aspiring leaders who want to master the fundamentals and grow, no matter what product or service they sell. Judy's path from stay-at-home mom to number 13 in her company shows what happens when you fall in love with the daily work.
Why a Purpose-Driven Business Wins
Judy did not set out to sell wine. She set out to find meaning after becoming an empty nester for the second time, once when her youngest left for college in 2019, and again when COVID sent everyone back home.
"I needed something with purpose, something with community," she says. "I really wasn't looking to sell wine. I don't know what I was looking for. I just wanted something with purpose and community."
She found One Hope on Facebook, set up a call with the home office, and fell in love before she ever tasted the product. The mission hooked her first.
“People can buy wine anywhere. They can't buy wine that gives back.”
Judy Filler
The Give-Back Model
One Hope donates with every bottle sold, not one month a year. As Judy puts it, "Where most companies are only giving back one month out of the year, One Hope was like, why should we not give back with every single bottle that we sell?"
According to Judy, the company has given back over 12 million dollars to 50,000 nonprofits, building schools, providing clean water, and supplying over a million meals to kids. A newer initiative has raised over 3 million dollars in school supplies through the Kids in Need Foundation.
That mission is the differentiator. "People can buy wine anywhere," Judy says. "They can't buy wine that gives back, but they don't know what they don't know."
Master the Fundamentals of Sales and Service
Brad Noll built Student of the Game around a simple idea: strategies and tactics change, but the fundamentals stay the same. He points out that when he started in real estate in 2003, there was no Zillow and no GPS. The tools evolved. The basics did not.
When Brad asks what is fundamental to her work, Judy names four things.
The Four Fundamentals
- Relationships and listening. "I don't feel like I'm selling something. I'm building relationships with people through wine, wine as a vehicle."
- Consistency. "Once you stop doing something consistently, then it starts falling apart."
- Service before selling. Judy calls this the most important part of what she does and the very thing she was looking for.
- Follow-through. "I pride myself on doing what I say I'm going to do. So if I've promised that I'm going to be at your open house at a given time, I'll be there. You can count on me."
Brad's takeaway is that these are within anyone's reach. No matter your career, you can listen, show up consistently, serve first, and keep your word.
Fall in Love With the Daily Practice
Both Brad and Judy return to a theme central to the show: falling in love with the practice, the unglamorous work you repeat every day.
For Judy, the reward is the wine tasting, but she is clear about what precedes it. "There's a lot that has to happen," she says, describing the consistent reach-outs, the connections, and the referrals that turn an event into a fundraiser. Every tasting designates a nonprofit chosen by the host.
The part many people avoid is the part she loves. "Some people don't like to do the reach out part of it. But for me, I love making a new connection. I get excited about meeting somebody new."
Her results back it up. "There's not one wine tasting. There's not one interaction that's going to create that. It's multiple. And if I sit in my house and do nothing and not touch my business in some way every day, that is not going to happen."
Get Comfortable Being Uncomfortable
Judy calls herself a self-proclaimed introvert who was so shy as a kid she "couldn't even look up." Growth meant leaving the warm market of friends and family behind.
"I got comfortable with being uncomfortable is really at the end of the day, what I had to fall in love with," she says. "And that's when the magic started to happen. That's when it became more of an experience for people rather than a transaction."
That shift from transaction to experience is the heart of her approach. She did not want one-offs. She wanted to be the go-to, the person people describe as "I've got a wine person."
Brad connects it to any field. You do not need to know everything about your product before you begin. "We are all in the people business," he says, echoing Judy's line that wine is simply the vehicle.
Winning at the Game of Life
Student of the Game closes every conversation with the same question: what does winning at the game of life look like?
For Judy, it starts at home. After raising four children who all graduated college, she and her husband now watch their kids become parents and stay close as friends. "We are friends now at this point," she says.
It also means staying goal-driven when she could be doing nothing. "I could be doing absolutely nothing or sitting poolside all day long, every single day, which to me doesn't sound like fun." She wants her children and grandchildren to see her still chasing goals, still earning the incentive trips her own father earned in sales.
Brad shares his own version: becoming best friends with his adult children by doing the hard, consistent work now. Both agree that winning traces back to the same fundamentals, applied to family, business, and life.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is One Hope Wine and how does it give back?
One Hope Wine is a purpose-driven company that donates a portion of proceeds from every bottle to nonprofits. According to Judy Filler, it has given back over 12 million dollars to 50,000 nonprofits, funding schools, clean water, and meals for kids, plus over 3 million dollars in school supplies.
How do you host a wine tasting at home?
Keep it simple. As Judy says, "A wine tasting does not have to be a bougie event." Offer some cheese, crackers, water, and meats, invite a few friends, and do not overthink it. Every One Hope tasting also doubles as a fundraiser for a nonprofit the host chooses.
What are the fundamentals of a relationship-based business?
Judy names four: build relationships and listen well, stay consistent, put service before selling, and follow through on your word. Brad Noll emphasizes that anyone in any field can practice these, because tools and tactics change while fundamentals endure.
How do you succeed when you are new and do not know everything?
You do not need to be an expert first. Judy started slow, shared with family and friends, then stepped out of her comfort zone. "You don't have to know everything about wine," she says. Know your story and serve people, and the rest follows.
▶ Listen to the full episode
How Judy Filler Built Community and Purpose with One Hope Wine, on Student of the Game.
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