As you know, I’ve been thinking quite a bit about what’s next for me. This discernment process has been fun. Am I a city girl? Am I an island girl? Do I miss a “desk” job? Can my passions really be my vocation? What motivates me to get up in the morning? You know, all those important life questions. While my path is slowly revealing itself to me, I have realized one very important thing. I want my work to impact the lives of others. Corporate Social Responsibility is something I am passionate about as I do believe you can do well (from a financial perspective) by doing good.
A company I’m constantly inspired by is TOMS. I received their Spring 2014 Vagabond Journal in the mail earlier this week and thought, now there’s a company I want to be a part of. After visiting a village in Argentina in 2006, Blake Mycoskie was struck by the fact that children around the world were without shoes. So, he created a simple but life changing business model: for every pair of shoes purchased, a pair would be donated to a child in need. One for One.® Realizing that his approach could serve other global needs, Blake launched TOMS Eyewear in 2011 to help restore sight to persons in need with every purchase of sunglasses and optical frames. And just this year, Blake launched TOMS Roasting Co. with the mission to provide clean water to developing communities with the purchase of premium coffee. Are you inspired yet? I am!
In addition, last year he launched an online marketplace accessible from his site to highlight global commerce. In his words “We believe commerce can be about more than just profits. But it takes more than a belief to make this a reality. So we’ve created a platform on our site to help other social entrepreneurs succeed and build momentum for this way of doing business. Welcome to The Marketplace. This is bigger than us.” Just look at some of the offerings: these earrings, this bracelet, and just look at this hammock. This may just be my new go-to site for all things gifts.
And let’s be honest. I am obsessed with my classic TOMS. I think I have gone through 3 pairs in the last 2 years alone. Jonathan Adler recently teamed up with TOMS to launch a terrific and eye-catching spring line. Check them out here.
Blake reminds me of a very important lesson “Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world; indeed, it’s the only thing that ever has.”
Have a great weekend, sweet friends!