Ground Up Growth

Most people assume a spirits company is all about the distillery. McCauley Williams says it’s really about the brand.
In Part 2 of our conversation with the founder and CEO of Morningside Brands, McCauley explains how the spirits industry actually works. He covers the state-by-state regulations left over from Prohibition, and why he puts his money into sales and marketing instead of buying his own facilities. He also talks about how real experiences, like duck hunting with his dad, turn into brands people connect with. That’s the story behind Duck Club Bourbon, which he launched with Riley Green and which is now the official bourbon of Ducks Unlimited.
In this episode:→ How alcohol distribution works and why every state is different→ Why he thinks of himself as a CPG company, not a liquor company→ Co-packing vs. building a distillery, and where the real value is→ Marketing to the “aspirational outdoorsman,” inspired by brands like Yeti and Sitka→ Why the best brand stories come from real life→ What’s next for Morningside Brands: beer, another tequila, and a condiment
Missed Part 1? Go back and hear how McCauley went from M&A attorney to getting fired from the company he built, and how he started over with a one-way ticket to Guadalajara.
Follow along: @almadeljaguar | @duckclubbourbonalmadeljaguar.com | duckclubbourbon.com

He went to law school on a whim, launched a beer festival business out of a meat trailer, and turned a liquidated vodka distillery into one of the largest bourbon barrel storage operations around. Then he got fired from the company he built.
In Part 1 of our conversation with McCauley Williams, founder and CEO of Memphis-based Morningside Brands, we hear how he rebuilt from nothing. With a six-month-old at home and just a laptop and a cell phone, he bought a one-way ticket to Guadalajara, spent weeks learning how tequila is made, and partnered with a fifth-generation tequila family to launch Alma del Jaguar Tequila. Today, his portfolio also includes Weymar Gin House and Duck Club Bourbon, which he co-founded with Riley Green.
In this episode:→ Why he went to law school knowing he never wanted to be a lawyer→ How a late-night idea on a Mississippi farm became a beer festival business→ Buying a vodka distillery and never making a drop of vodka→ Getting fired as CEO and starting over→ His favorite piece of entrepreneurial advice: just ask
Part 2 drops next week, when we dig into the spirits industry and the branding behind Duck Club Bourbon.
Follow along: @almadeljaguar | @duckclubbourbonalmadeljaguar.com | duckclubbourbon.com  |  waymarginhouse.com  | morningsidebrands.com

Kathy Hopper is back to show us how businesses actually get bought and sold. She explains how investment bankers bring companies to market, including the "speed dating" events where buyers and bankers meet. She also covers what Jones Capital looks for in the lower middle market, why they only invest in industries they understand, and why there's no such thing as a typical acquisition timeline.
We also get into the emotional side of selling a business you built from the ground up. Kathy explains why finding the right partner matters as much as the price, and what founders should think about if they want a say in their company's legacy after the sale. She closes with advice every small business owner can use today: stop telling people what you do, and start showing them how you solve their problems.
In this episode:
How investment bankers and deal flow work
EBITDA and the lower middle market, explained (by Paul, not Kathy)
Why liking the people on the other side of the table matters
"The task behind the task," or why marketing gets underestimated
Content that educates vs. "show up and throw up" marketing
Why SEO still matters in the age of AI search

In our first-ever remote episode, we sit down with Kathy Hopper, CMO of Jones Capital, a family-owned investment firm whose roots go back to a small lumber mill in Sandy Hook, Mississippi, in 1949. (And no, she and Paul aren't related.)
Kathy grew up in Cut and Shoot, Texas. She went from community college and an accounting job she admits she was never cut out for to selling medical devices across East Texas and Louisiana. There she learned what salespeople actually need from marketing, and that shaped her whole career. She tells us what it was like to be on the inside as that company grew from $4 million to a $100 million sale, including the late nights of due diligence and what buyers want to see from a marketing department. She then walks through her years with the Jones family of companies: rebranding founder-led acquisitions, YAK's sale to private equity, getting through COVID and market downturns, and the eventual exit to United Rentals. We also talk about how a family office differs from private equity, why patient capital appeals to founders who care about their legacy, and what's in the Jones Capital portfolio today.
In this episode:
Why Kathy calls herself a "sales marketer first"
What due diligence looks like from the marketing side
Why most deals don't close when they're supposed to, or at all
Family office vs. private equity, and why the difference matters to founders
Why every company needs something different (sometimes it's a CRM, not SEO)
Why revenue-generating marketers get the most resources

In part two of our conversation with Ed Wall of Wall Media, we go deep into the gear, grit, and unforgettable moments behind a career built around outdoor photography and videography. Ed walks us through his camera protection system in the field (spoiler: zip ties are involved), the gear fails that taught him hard lessons, and why he's never once gotten a camera wet in 15 years of duck hunting — despite the mud, water, and chaos that come with the job.
Ed also shares the story behind his favorite photo of all time — a moment with his son after his first turkey kill — plus the wild lengths he's gone to for the right shot, including belly-crawling across a frozen field and swimming across a slough in near-freezing water. The conversation wraps with his upcoming travel schedule (spanning Texas, Florida, Saskatchewan, and Alaska in the same month), his advice for anyone wanting to break into outdoor photography, and why continuous learning — even 15 years in — is what keeps him sharp.
If you loved part one, this episode goes even further behind the scenes of what it really takes to do this job at a high level.

In this episode of Ground Up Growth, hosts Paul Hopper and Hannah Pittman sit down with Ed Wall, owner of Wall Media, a standout outdoor photography and videography company. Ed shares how he picked up his first camera at 30 years old — with zero formal training — and turned a hobby born from deer hunting and dog photos into an award-winning career that's landed his work on magazine covers and even the Mississippi Sportsman's License.
Ed opens up about leaving a career in medical sales to go all-in on photography full time, the grueling 16-20 hour days that come with duck hunting season, and how he built a team to help him keep up with the demand. He also talks candidly about the balance (and imbalance) between passion and burnout, the importance of editing content quickly before details fade, and why duck hunting — more than deer or turkey hunting — offers the richest storytelling opportunities behind the lens.
Whether you're an aspiring outdoor creator or just curious what it really takes to turn a camera hobby into a business, this conversation is full of honest, hard-won insight. Part two continues the conversation with a deeper dive into gear and how Ed protects his equipment in the field.

In part two with Jamey Nicholas, Market President at Southern AgCredit, we get into what it actually looks like to build a career and a culture over the long haul. Jamie started as a trainee in 2011 and never left, and he walks us through how staying patient, doing whatever role you're in well, and always being ready for the next step opened doors he never saw coming.
We talk about leading people with grace, why you never really know what someone's carrying, and the difference between an employee who's just looking for a job and one who sees what needs doing and does it. Jamey shares why Southern AgCredit hires from within, how flexibility gets more out of people than a time clock ever will, and why so many of his folks care more about being valued than chasing a bigger paycheck somewhere else.
Then there's the land. Jamey and Hannah dig into the pride that comes with owning your first acre, why waiting on rates to drop is one of the most expensive myths out there, and how a great cap or a pair of work gloves can carry a brand further than most people realize. It's a conversation about steady growth, faith, and building something worth sticking around for.

This week on Ground Up Growth, Hannah and Paul sit down with Jamie Nicholas, Market President for Southern AG Credit. Jamie grew up on a family farm in Sand Hill, Mississippi, drove into Jackson Prep every day as the only kid from his hometown, and landed at Mississippi State studying real estate and finance. He's one of the rare few who actually does what he majored in.
Jamie walks us through how a college internship with Mississippi Land Bank turned into a 15 year career, and what makes Southern AG Credit different from a traditional bank. If it's land, equipment, poultry, row crop, or just about anything you can tie back to ag, they can finance it, even across state lines. He breaks down the products that set them apart, like the popular seven year fixed rate with a 30 year amortization, and explains how their cooperative structure means customers are actually shareholders who earn dividends back.
Along the way there's plenty of talk about the river, the hunting lifestyle, and the relationships that make lending feel less like banking and more like community. Oh, and Hannah makes a strong first impression by killing a fly mid conversation.
This is part one. Next episode we dig into leadership and the role Jamie plays across Southern AG Credit's Mississippi offices.

We're back with Rep. Jill Ford for part two of our conversation, and this one goes deep. If you missed part one, go back and start there for the story of how she got to the Mississippi House of Representatives.
In this episode, Jill pulls back the curtain on what the job actually looks like day to day. She walks us through session, the committee process, and how a bill really becomes law (turns out most of us forgot everything from that social studies lesson). As chairman of technology, she shares the work closest to her heart, from keeping a watchful eye on data centers coming to Madison County to fighting to protect children online through the Walker Montgomery Online Children's Act. Her reminder to parents will stick with you: when you hand your child a phone, treat it with the same seriousness you would anything that powerful.
But the heart of this episode is Jill's faith. She opens up about the seven-year storm that sent her to her knees for the first time, how her prayer closet became the place she truly met the Lord, and why she still gets on her face every single morning before her feet hit the ground. She talks conviction votes, submission in marriage, and what it means to serve people who trust her because they know Who she answers to first.
It's honest, it's encouraging, and it's a beautiful picture of what happens when you let God pave the way.

On this episode of Ground Up Growth, Hannah Pittman and Paul Hopper sit down with Mississippi House Representative Jill Ford for a conversation about faith, family, resilience, and finding your way into a life of service.
Jill shares the story of growing up in Corinth with four brothers, building a career in real estate, and ultimately making the unexpected transition into the Mississippi House of Representatives. She talks candidly about losing her first political race by just 37 votes, what that loss taught her, and how she came to see it as part of a bigger plan.
The conversation also dives into what it’s like to live and work in the public eye, how Jill handles criticism and social media negativity, and the advice that has stayed with her: “Bow up or bow out.” Jill shares why she believes in staying true to your values, serving others even when they disagree with you, and not allowing offense to dictate how you lead.
From real estate and family life to faith, public service, and the importance of fighting for others, Jill’s story is a reminder that sometimes the doors that close are simply making room for the right one to open.
Ground Up Growth is a podcast about the people, stories, and lessons that shape success from the ground up.