Makers Who Change The World: Handmade Businesses That Give Back
In today’s world, it’s more important than ever to support businesses that give back. Mission-driven businesses do just that. They provide goods and services to their customers while also making an impact in their local communities or even on a national level.
We’re all looking for ways to stretch our dollar. Buying a physical product that comes with a built-in method of helping others fills all the boxes.
Mission-driven handmade product businesses typically donate a portion of product sales to a specific cause. By doing so, these makers work to create meaningful change while also inspiring others through their example of giving back.
In this article, we’ll highlight some examples of mission-driven handmade product businesses that are making an impact around the world.
The Impact Of Businesses That Give Back
The impact of businesses that give back can be profound. It’s incredible how even a few cents from each product sale can add up to large donation numbers.
At first, you may think you’re too small a business to participate in this way. But that’s not true! Even a monthly donation of $15-$50 can have a positive effect. Think of the commercials you see on TV stating how a small contribution a month can feed a family for a week, or money pooled together has contributed to research breakthroughs.
No amount is too small. But for it to work for your business, it has to be an authentic heartfelt gesture. For most, there’s a personal connection to the cause identified to support. You’ll see that in the stories that follow.
These business owners provide more than just quality products; they also give back in deeply meaningful ways.
Examples Of Successful Mission-Driven Handmade Businesses
Marnie & Michael
Jennifer, the founder of Marnie & Michael, handcrafts leather bags and accessories with a portion of all profits going towards her mental health initiative. Through this unique approach, she strives to make a difference in the quality of life for others.
As you’ll hear in the podcast of her story, Jennifer grew up with a mentally ill parent. This strongly influenced her view of the world. Over time, she managed to go from coping to surviving and then to healing through sheer perseverance. But she had to do it on her own. No one talked about mental illness back then when she really could have used some support and guidance.
Understanding the need from her first-hand experience, Jennifer uses her business to help change her past from one of shame to one of sharing.
Appropriately, Marnie & Michael’s tagline is “Look good. Feel good. Do good.”
- Hear Jennifer of Marnie & Michael share her story here: Ep. 360 – A Maker Whose Mission Goes Beyond the Product
Messages From Her
Messages From Her is a business dedicated to celebrating the lives of powerful modern women.
Rachael is on a mission to foster empowered thinking in the minds of all women. Because as women, we are strong and capable. But many things we encounter diminish our belief in ourselves.
In an effort to reverse this thinking, Rachael demonstrates, through the lives of other strong women, what is possible for each of us. She does this through a card deck and book featuring influential women from all walks of life, including artists, entertainers, politicians, and more. Some are well-known names … but not all.
The Oracle deck and accompanying book of quotes provide inspiring examples to reset our mindset and pursue passions that currently sit inside as thoughts only.
What a fabulous mission-driven business to affect change in women’s lives directly through her product!
- Listen to the creation story of this business from Rachael here: Ep. 363 – Messages From Her – A Product Creation Story
Little Rebels
This is another company dedicated to shining a light on the contributions of women throughout history.
Realizing that her daughter’s textbooks failed to represent the significance of these women, Marjorie took action to fill the gap.
She designs and produces dolls that not only inspire imaginative play but also teach about the achievements of these iconic women.
With an unwavering commitment to educating girls during play, she hopes to empower the next generation of trailblazers.
- Hear how Little Rebels got started here: Ep. 398 – The StartUp Story of Little Rebels
You Can Make A Difference With Your Business
At the heart of every successful mission-driven handmade product business is a deep commitment to making a difference in the world. If you’ve ever thought about starting your own mission-driven business or adding this element to your current business, here are some tips for getting started:
- Self-Reflection: For a mission-driven business to be successful, it needs to be sincere. As you heard from the above stories, each business came about because of a personal experience from its founder. Think about things in your life that lead to a meaningful, honest desire to pursue change.
- Do your research: Research these causes and issues that inspire you and find an organization or initiative that aligns with your intentions.
- Define a mission – Create a clear and concise statement that describes your initiative for the entire or a portion of your business. You’ll add this to your website or when you talk about your products so word gets out.
- Set up a process – Figure out how the behind-the-scenes systems will work to capture the donation numbers and follow through on your commitment.
- Connect with others – Think about reaching out to other businesses or organizations with similar missions to join forces and collaborate on projects together.
With these foundations in place, you can create a mission-driven handmade product business that will make a lasting difference in the lives of others.
At the end of the day, small businesses – including handmade product makers – have the power to create meaningful change in their communities and beyond. And on the flip side, by supporting mission-driven handmade product businesses, you’ll be helping other incredible entrepreneurs bring their ideas to life and make an impact in the world.
Together, we can build a better future for us all.
About the author, Sue
With over 30 years of business development and marketing experience, I've been fortunate to work with hundreds of companies of all sizes. Their needs range from start-up guidelines to advanced business building strategies. As current founder and owner of The Ribbon Print Company, we continue to recognize the need for these services ... not just for our customers but for the gifting industry as a whole. That's where the inspiration began for the Gift Biz Unwrapped Podcast and Blog.