Business With Purpose

In the last year, big brands like Nike, Athleta, and J.Crew have entered the fair trade industry. It's a big win for the fair trade movement, but it leaves small business owners with daunting challengers. Mom-and-pop shops are no match for companies like Target. No longer is it enough to market the story of your artisans and expect to generate revenue. If you want to compete, you must put your customer first. In my keynote address at the Fair Trade Federation Conference in Austin, I challenged business owners to reconsider how they position their organizations in the fair trade space. This is what I had to say... Things You Don't Want To Miss: A Crazy Dream 1:17 - In the next 25 years, I want the term fair trade to cease to exist. I want ethically-made products to become so much the norm that the term "fair trade" is no longer needed. The Power Of Persistence 1:45 - When I was about eight and 1/2 years old, I took it upon myself to look out for the other children in my neighborhood. Our neighborhood didn't